When Maddy Wright laces her running shoes for the Canberra Times Fun Run next month it will be with more than usual adrenaline.
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Ms Wright now knows too well a home can become a war zone.
Her decision to speak out on behalf of her mother, assulted at home, is one not everyone in this situation makes.
Ms Wright made the decison to speak plainly and loudly about the wider issue of domestic violence because she has discovered it affects many more families than she first believed.
In recent months, the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner has published several articles on family violence, including the forum organised in Batemans Bay by the Country Women’s Association.
We have reported the views of police, lawyers, refuge workers and covered the visit to the shire of NRL players, who hoped to open the eyes of high school students to the issue.
One lawyer shared an important point: even if someone who has been assaulted wishes in a few weeks not to be involved in police proceedings, it is important, over time, that a body of evidence be built.
It may take someone a long time to finally make the decision to leave an abusive relationship, but when they do it is important that they have documentation to back them up.
If you have never, or rarely, reported assaults, in a legal sense you run the risk of them becoming invisible.
Effectively, they may never have happened.
Ms Wright, by drawing attention to the wider issue of family violence and calling on everyone to take part in the discussion, is helping to lift the curtain and encourage people to seek help - even if they are not yet ready to make a final break.
The White Ribbon Foundation’s strategy of engaging everyone in this discussion - men and women - is an acknowledgement that cultural change is essential.
Changes such as wearing seat belts and widespread disapproval of drink drivers have required cultural shifts.
The same cultural shift is required when it comes to family violence - assaults on partners and children are never OK.
Frontline services that keep such families housed and supported need effective, long-term funding.