The road to recovery for many of those who have suffered domestic violence can often be a long and winding one.
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As Wollongong domestic violence survivor Vickie Roach said, the path is often one a victim treads for the rest of their life.
"The thing with trauma is that it can be lifelong," Vickie told the Illawarra Mercury.
"It takes a lot of unpacking. And you need to be in a safe space to do that unpacking."
Today the Illawarra Mercury has launched the #RoadToRecovery campaign.
We are calling for government funding to support the design of the proposed Illawarra Women's Trauma Recovery Centre.
The llawarra Women's Health Centre is behind the push to establish the centre, which needs an initial funding injection of $60,000 for concept and design.
We are calling on government to get behind the proposal which promises to bring a unique approaching to assisting victims of domestic violence see the help and services they need.
"It will be a specialised centre offering a whole-of-organisation trauma-sensitive approach that enables recovery from DFV trauma and helps to break the intergenerational cycle of violence," Illawarra Women's Health Centre general manager Sally Stevenson said.
As part of the campaign in coming weeks we will share with you the stories of local survivors of domestic violence and some incredible images of those people taken by the Mercury photographer Sylvia Liber.
Those images will form part of a special exhibition to be unveiled in April.
That exhibition will go on display in public areas around the Illawarra.
Please help us give survivors a better, smoother #RoadToRecovery.
HELPLINE NUMBERS
- Call triple zero for emergency assistance
- Kids helpline 1800 551 800
- Lifeline 131114
- 1800 respect 1800 737 732
- Domestic violence helpline 1800 811 811
- Illawarra Women's Health Centre 42556800
