Wollongong to host Australia-first domestic violence conference focused on healing

The inaugural Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery and Healing Conference next month will feature more than 30 speakers, panellists and facilitators, include 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty and prominent activist Tarang Chawla.

Also attending the conference are Australia's first Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin, and former Neighbours star and Victim Survivor Advisory Council chair, Kym Valentine.

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At least 50 per cent of presenters and facilitators have lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence, to centre the voices of those affected and provide insights into what is needed to reduce such violence.

The event will focus on the theme 'Right to Recovery'.

The event is hosted by the Illawarra Women's Health Centre on behalf of the Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance.

Conference coordinator and executive director of the Illawarra Women's Health Centre, Sally Stevenson, said the conference was born from the establishment of the national alliance, which set out the event as one of its objectives for the year.

When the alliance was formed ahead of last year's federal election, she said, it was discovered that many services and practitioners felt alone in their work on recovery and healing.

Ms Stevenson said recovery and healing was also an important part of the response to domestic and family violence, but received little attention.

She said this was due to a lack of understanding around such violence, including the mistaken perception that once a relationship ended, the issue was over.

However, Ms Stevenson said post-separation abuse continued, on average, for two to two and a half years, and the systems themselves could add to and perpetrate trauma.

Meanwhile, the impact of trauma could last a lifetime if not properly treated, she said, but it was often seen as the problem of the health system and not a response to gendered violence.

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"It's just complex and hard, and people find that difficult to deal with," she said.

But Ms Stevenson said there was a demand to shine a spotlight on healing.

"What we've found is that there is a deep interesting and concern and willingness to invest in this area," she said.

To that end, organisers hope the conference will raise awareness of the need for investment in this area, particularly for the government as it funds the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.

Ms Stevenson said she also hoped it would foster connections between services and practitioners in this space.

With at least half of those participating having had lived experience of such violence, Ms Stevenson said it also aimed to elevate women's voices.

But she also hoped the conference would highlight the experiences of young people and children in their own right, and what they needed to heal.

The conference will be held at the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach on May 4 and 5.

For more information or tickets, visit the conference website.

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