With more than 40 per cent of our country's young people under the age of 16 being exposed to family and domestic violence[1], Safe Steps will today launch Unanswered Calls – a short documentary that highlights the plight of this group of vulnerable Australians.
In Unanswered Calls, two young people bravely share their lived experience of family and domestic violence. Their stories are accompanied by insights and commentary from leading industry experts and community safety champions, including:
- Women's Safety Commissioner, Dr Hannah Tonkin
- National Children's Commissioner, Anne Hollonds
- NSW Minister for prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, The Hon. Jodie Harrison
- NSW Minister for Families and Communities, The Hon. Kate Washington.
Unanswered Calls will have its Sydney premiere on Monday 17 March 2025 (5:30pm to 8pm) at State Library of New South Wales. There will be a number of screenings available to the public to ensure the message is circulated far and wide. It will also be shown in Brisbane and Adelaide next month, with Perth to follow.
Safe Steps CEO Dr Chelsea Tobin said that this is not just a film – it's a wake-up call needing to be urgently answered.
"It's more than 10 years since the murder of Luke Batty shocked the nation. This documentary highlights how we have built response systems for adults experiencing family violence, but not children," Dr Tobin said.
"Our system still largely views children as extensions of their protective parent in family violence situations, and young Australians are telling us it's unclear where to find support that's relevant to them.
"Young people are in critical stages of cognitive, emotional and social development, making them particularly vulnerable to the effects of trauma. If not addressed, this can become intergenerational trauma.
"We need to actively support them so they can have a life free from violence and know that fear is not love.
"We need dedicated national services for youth, to ensure they have somewhere to turn to escape family violence. We need to ensure their voices are heard."
Women's Safety Commissioner Dr Hannah Tonkin commended the film makers for amplifying the voices of children and young people with lived experience, and drawing on research and best practice from around the world.
"Unanswered Calls is a powerful documentary, highlighting the urgent need to do more to meet the needs of children and young people who experience family violence and to treat them as victim survivors in their own right," Dr Tonkin said.
"It makes the case for adopting more trauma-informed, youth-focused and integrated responses to family violence. Anyone interested in better supporting children and breaking the cycle of intergenerational violence needs to see Unanswered Calls."
National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said the documentary highlights that if we listen carefully to children, we will hear things we would not otherwise know.
"Listening to children, and making child safety and wellbeing our priority, this is how we can ensure that support services are designed to meet their needs.
"If we are serious about ending gender-based violence, we need to get serious about stopping violence in childhood.
"Children and childhood are the hidden prevention opportunity we have ignored."
Interested parties can register to attend a free premiere screening here.
Safe Steps is calling for a dedicated, national response that works with young people to co-design a future where they have the supports they need, at the time and in the places they need it – particularly on the digital platforms they use.
In the documentary, one young person explains: "I also needed someone to sit me down and tell me I wasn't the problem, because throughout my whole experience, that's all I've ever felt, that I was the problem."
About us:
Safe Steps is Victoria's only 24/7 family violence crisis response service, delivering support and pathways to safety for people experiencing domestic and family violence. Safe Steps provides information, safety planning and risk assessment, and access to crisis accommodation. It also delivers part of the national 1800 RESPECT support service. Safe Steps makes and takes over 130,000 calls every year – which can be up to 400 calls a day – to assist people fleeing family or domestic violence. Last year, Safe Steps provided 33,000 nights of secure accommodation for people who were not safe to go home.
