Hi everyone, Yesterday it was revealed that 83 kids have died from domestic violence in NSW this past decade. That figure is so scary. It is so wrong - kids are the silent sufferers who desperately need to be taught there is help! I wanted to share with you a copy of a speech (posted below) I recently gave about domestic violence and what it means to be a child sufferer. Feel free to read and/or share it on social media, to empower other kids who have been through my hell. My determination to see education on domestic violence in schools gets stronger day by day. Thank you xx My speech: 'Men don’t hurt women.. only COWARDS do, and contrary to popular belief, Domestic violence doesn’t always leave victims with visible damage. It leaves its victims traumatised, with memories that can continue to taunt them until the day they die. Each year, too many lives are lost due to DV, including my own mum’s. She recently passed away after taking her own life. Why? The effect of Domestic violence is why. I grew up in a home where violence was normal, whether it be physical, emotional or verbal. On numerous occasions I have seen my own siblings getting beaten up just because of such small things. I saw my mum get thrown to the ground in an attempt to help one of my siblings- only to have Knives held at her. My family and I have lived in a refuge and were once homeless for a solid nine months, skipping from one friend’s house to another. I was at the age of 12 turning thirteen. I developed an eating disorder which I am still struggling with to this day, along with depression and anxiety issues holding me back. Hard to believe it was all due to domestic violence right? So many other families are dealing with domestic violence silently, I just want to know when it will all come to an end. A few weeks after my mums death, I decided to start a Change.org petition about trying to get awareness of domestic violence to be brought into the schools curriculum and the feedback I have received is overwhelming. I’ve had girls my age telling me that I’ve helped them, and others sharing their story with me. I realised that I was definitely not alone, but that’s a good thing. It’s horrible. There are too many struggling. But you can make a change.. If you are a perpetrator of dv and happen to hear this, Please get help. What you’re doing is not manly or something to be proud of, you should be ashamed. Continue doing what you’re doing and know that you can’t erase the damage you’ve done. Do you want your child contemplating suicide, leaving a note that blames you? Do you want your partner to fear your presence? And most importantly, do you want to carry guilt for the rest of your life, knowing that you ruined another’s? Save your family, and save yourself. Stand up to domestic violence, we will not tolerate it.'