End the silence, end the violence
You deserve to live in a country where ending violence against women and children is treated like the emergency it is.
But right now, domestic and family violence remains a national crisis, while leadership keeps shifting and responses stay stuck in announcements instead of prevention.
That is not leadership. It is failure to act on what we already know works.
Right now, 1 in 4 women in Australia have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner since the age of 14. This is preventable harm, not inevitability.
Prevention requires more than statements. It requires long-term investment, coordination, and a clear plan to reduce violence before it escalates.
And that starts earlier than most people realise.
Too many young people are leaving school without learning how to recognise domestic, family or sexual violence in real life.
So abuse goes unrecognised. Help is delayed. Harm continues.
Schools are not consistently teaching students how to recognise coercion, abuse or unsafe situations, or what to do when they happen.
If you can’t name abuse, you can’t recognise it.
If you can’t recognise it, you can’t seek help.
This gap is leaving young people vulnerable and allowing cycles of violence to continue.
We are calling on the Victorian Government to make domestic, family and sexual violence education mandatory for all Year 10 to 12 students.
This must include:
- Recognising domestic and family violence, including coercive control
- Understanding sexual violence beyond consent, including pressure and coercion
- Practical pathways to seek help, support others, and report abuse
- Language to identify abuse early
Sign the petition for mandatory domestic, family and sexual violence education in Victorian schools.
This is a joint petition with What Were You Wearing Australia and others already leading this work.
