Coercive control is now a crime in NSW, a powerful shift in narrative from single incidents of abuse to the establishment of patterns of abusive behaviours which, cumulatively, rob victim-survivors of their autonomy and independence. Also known as “intimate terrorism”, coercive control is a significant predictor of intimate partner homicide. This is great news for…

Pictured at an event last July at Addi Road to promote “No Laughing Matter” podcast which raises awareness of incest by pairing survivors with well-known personalities to narrate their stories. From left to right, the panel consisted of Dr. Catharine Lumby, Stepping Out CEO Melissa Holmes, the podcast’s creator Tanya Lee and moderator Sam Mostyn,…

Stepping Out is running programs for adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Groups are small, kind and trauma-informed yet there is so much power to sitting with other survivors after feeling so alone for so long. Facilitated by specialist counsellors, groups are psychoeducational with a side benefit of peer support. We focus on trauma…

Fifty years ago, a feminist collective of academics got sick of waiting for a government response to domestic violence. They changed the locks on two abandoned houses in Westmoreland Street, Glebe to set up the first refuge for women fleeing DV with their children. By changing the locks, they changed the lot of women. This…