Today it’s time to post something which is not about me, my business, or copywriting. It’s not even about marketing, or business. It’s about the Mary’s House Walk, which I’ll be doing in October.
Mary’s House is a non-profit which supports women and their children to escape and recover from domestic violence. It runs a refuge which looks after up to four women at a time.
That might not sound like a big deal, but Mary’s House also runs programs for women who are living in the community. They may have escaped, but they still need that help to recover. Programs like these help women deal with what’s happened to them, build confidence and move on. Many more than four women at a time benefit from them.
The Mary’s House Walk is an annual fundraiser to keep these services going. I first heard about it last year. This year, I’ve signed up to walk. Here’s why.
Some statistics
We’ve all heard the numbers.
More than one woman a week is killed by her partner or ex-partner. Over the last 3 years, that number has been rising. 39 deaths have been counted in the first six months of 2024.
Every one of those deaths is a life lost. But deaths are the tip of the iceberg. The problem is much bigger than that.
- Around 1 in 4 women have experienced domestic or family violence
- Around 120 people are hospitalised each week
- Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness
Those statistics are from the ABS via the ACT government.
But it’s not about statistics. It’s personal. If 1 in 4 women have experienced domestic violence, chance are you and I both know someone in that group. Or maybe one of us is in that group.
Some personal reflections
‘He didn’t actually HIT me. He just pushed me across the room.’
A friend of mine said that to me many, many years ago. I was shocked. Shocked firstly that he’d done it, secondly that she made excuses for him.
A few years later, in another conversation with the same friend:
‘He didn’t HIT me. He just pushed me into the hedge.’
Different time, different man. Different woman. This time I was the one talking. Making excuses.
My friend and I were lucky. We knew enough to know that wasn’t what a relationship should look like. We had friends, support, independent finances. We had options. We got out before things went really bad.
Not every woman is that lucky. Many of them have nowhere to go. No one to turn to.
And it’s common knowledge that the risk is greatest after you leave. (It was actually after we split that my ex-partner pushed me into the hedge.)
Any woman who’s dealing with domestic violence and manages to leave needs all the help she can get.
That’s why I’m walking for Mary’s House.
If you want to support me, please donate here: https://mhswalk-2024.raiselysite.com/bridget-holland
PS. Those men my friend and I dated? They weren’t bad men. They just had bad ways of dealing with difficult emotions and situations. They needed help too, but that’s another story, for another day.