This program is an initiative of Maryborough Rotary that commenced in 2014. The aim of the program is to raise awareness of the problems associated with Family violence in our community. MARYBOROUGH ROTARY’S INTERVENTION in 2013, was prompted by increasing reports of family violence in the region, Maryborough Rotary was moved into action, based on the premise that remedying the issue was the responsibility of everyone in the community who could help. Among its first tasks was to link and consult with government and non-government agencies, to become informed about the issues and determine what Maryborough Rotary could do. It found a significant barrier to successfully tackling family violence was reluctance, and often fear within the community to openly discuss the issue. The broad cross section of rationale for ‘silence’ as anecdotally collated included:

• Not wanting to make the situation worse.
• A ‘what happens in the family, stays in the family’ attitude.
• ‘It’s none of my business’ response.
• Concerns about stigmatising the town socially and economically.
•  Despair in the system: ‘it will come to nothing, just more grief for me’.

There was sufficient information to indicate that for some people, talking about the issue was regarded as taboo. Others, although recognising that family violence was unacceptable and wanted it dealt with, nonetheless preferred the issue not to be overly exposed within their district. These revelations provided a call to action by Maryborough Rotary. The organisation strongly believed that the lack of open conversation was a key causal factor for the problem remaining prevalent and largely untreated. As Maryborough Rotary is an organisation which believes in leading by example, one of its first steps was to make a public statement in the form of a White Ribbon oath, pledging to take a stand against family violence and to become strong advocates for its eradication. That experience seeded the motivation to put words into action. We decided that the campaign needed to focus on safety and providing a safe environment. We developed what we have named the ‘SAFE model’. SAFE stands for:

• Support (via information, education and delivery of specified projects);
• Advice (provision of expert advice, especially regarding marketing communications);
• Facilitation (bridging stakeholders and assisting comprehension of strategy and priorities);
• Early intervention (encouraging a proactive, collaborative community-based response).

The SAFE project aims to prevent or reduce the prevalence of family violence by mitigating its consequences through a number of initiatives, aimed to increase understanding of family violence, promote non-violent relationships and encourage conversation about the issue.