As more women seek help for domestic violence, South Australia’s system is struggling to support those who have made the challenging and often dangerous decision to leave.
Emma Olivia spent years living in constant fear of her violent abuser.
“My ex-partner strangled me three times to the point that I blacked out and (thought) this is how I’m going to die,” she said.
She was rushed to hospital and after a few hours she was told she could leave.
“I was then discharged without any questions,” she said.
“Not ‘are you ok?’, ‘are you safe?’, ‘how are you getting home?’, ‘do you need anything?’.
“Not even ‘can we call you a taxi?’.
“I was just given a pamphlet and (they) said there’s no social workers because it’s a weekend, call 1800 Respect.
“I didn’t have a phone because my ex-partner had smashed my phone so I couldn’t call for help.”
When people hear about Emma’s story from back in 2021, she said they often ask one question.
“We tend to blame the victim a lot. Why didn’t she leave? Why did she stay?” she said.
“That needs to stop, there are so many reasons women don’t leave.”
For women who do make the often dangerous decision to escape, a refuge can become their safe haven.
One woman who is currently in hiding after fleeing her abusive partner of seven years said she tried to get help “again and again”.
“You feel like you’re trapped, pretty much,” she said.
Alex Miller from the Salvation Army said the service’s facility is “always full”.
“We never, ever have a vacancy,” Miller said.
“If somebody moves out today, somebody else will move in tomorrow.”
Across Adelaide there are around 60 beds in crisis accommodation but those on the frontline say they could easily fill double that every night.Â
Those who are turned away are offered hotel vouchers but it is a short term solution for those escaping violence.
Other times they are handed tents or forced onto the streets, which is a cycle that often sends women back to their abusive partner.
Miller said she is “deeply, deeply concerned about the state of service provision” in South Australia and the capacity for services to respond to the depth of need.
Close to 2397 offences against a person were reported to police in South Australia in February this year.
Of those, close to half were domestic and family abuse related, which has climbed by 13 per cent in a year.
“We’ve seen the average calls each month to the domestic violence crisis line more than double over the last five years,” anti-domestic violence advocate Mary Leaker said.
Currently about 20 percent of calls to that line are going unanswered.Â
Those on the frontline are pleading for more money to support these services.
“South Australia as a state in terms of funding per capita is woefully behind every other state at this stage, it’s really dire,” Miller said.
However Leaker said it shouldn’t deter those in danger from reaching out.
“It’s really important that they know that there are services they can contact for help and support,” she said.
