Sure, there are commonalities to similar situations, however the experience of the individual is completely unique. Yet as journalists, reporting on the issue is extremely difficult.

We, like police, magistrates, counselors and advocacy services, can see the prevalence of the "blight on society" more than the average person on the street. We talk to the police who tell us of how many call outs they went to on the weekend.

We see the (most often) women sitting in court waiting for justice. We see the abusers sitting there waiting for judgement. We hear the hugely private tales of those who have been right there in fear of their lives.

However our reporting is not a simple matter.

If we outline the statistics without a face, there is a degree of separation which can disconnect a reader from reality.

If we outline detailed accounts of violent experiences, we risk adding and causing further trauma to women, mothers, children, and families.

In country areas like Griffith, reporting on specific incidents of domestic violence is fraught with difficulties.

Even reporting on a convicted abuser anonymously can "out" a victim or survivor through one small detail revealing of whom we speak.

MORE EDITORIALS

Every time we take to our key boards in a sincere bid to help raise awareness of the horrific reality of domestic violence in homes across our city, our region, our close-knit communities, we try hard to make the message hit home without doing it in a generic one-size-fits-all way.

It's not working as it should. It's a topic so often discussed in public in general terms, but one that continually faces the barrier of understanding.

Women go to public bathrooms and see the 1800 RESPECT hotline. It's out there, the messages are out there, but still people believe that it's "not here in my town" of that "it's not happening to me".

It is. As a community, it is our collective responsibility to stand up for these women.

And men. Saying that women are three times more likely to experience domestic violence in no way trivialises the experience of male victims or survivors.

Educate yourselves, change the way you think about domestic violence, become aware of signs, take the onus upon yourself to do what you can to end this war.