Domestic violence numbers in Griffith are refusing to go down.
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There were 220 domestic violence incidents reported to police last year, a number which has hovered between about 200 and 240 each year since 2016 with no signs of dropping.
The head of Griffith's women's refuge says while more people than ever are recognising domestic violence as a serious issue, numbers won't drop until a national framework is established to tackle the crisis.
The numbers aren't going down and I think maybe they won't until there is a huge culture shift
- Kirrilly Salvestro, Linking Communities Network
Kirrilly Salvestro, the deputy CEO of the Linking Communities Network, said Griffith and Australia have to stop tackling the issue "in silos".
"The numbers aren't going down and I think maybe they won't until there is a huge culture shift," Ms Salvestro said.
"We need a nationally recognised framework for dealing with domestic violence. We can't continue with this situation where laws are different in each state."
Earlier this month, a report into the Federal Government's response to domestic and family violence found the government had failed to reduce violence.
The bipartisan report made 88 recommendations to help shape the next National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children, due to commence in mid-2022.
One of the key suggestions is to adopt a 'universal definition' of domestic and family violence.
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Ms Salvestro said the recommendations made in the report are "fantastic" and reflect what Griffith's women's refuge has been suggesting for the past 40 years.
"A whole of systems approach is needed, and so is a whole of community response," she said.
"For far too long, the community has been sheltering themselves from domestic violence thinking of it as not their problem when they hear a neighbour fighting or arguing."
"Domestic violence is everybody's business and if it's safe they should intervene or contact the authorities."
Ms Salvestro said that children need to be educated on what a healthy relationship looks like from as early as primary school, and this educations needs to be reinforced by positive role models at home.
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