Two-thirds of women escaping violence in Broome cannot access help
Anne says she felt safe at the Broome women's refuge and did not want to leave. (ABC Kimberley: Ruby Littler)
In short:
Western Australia's far north has the highest rates of family and domestic violence (FDV) in the state, with police responding to at least 16 incidents a day.
Two-thirds of women escaping violence in Broome cannot access help, with the only family and domestic violence shelter at capacity.
What's next?
The WA government has committed to opening a second FDV refuge in Broome.
Kiara* has been accessing family and domestic violence (FDV) refuges in Western Australia's far north since the 1990s.
She is stuck in a cycle of only being able to access help when the situation is at crisis point.
But what happens when even those safe havens are stretched beyond their limits?
Kiara has been accessing domestic violence crisis centres since the 1990s. (ABC Kimberley: Ruby Littler)
In the Kimberley town of Broome, 2,000 kilometres north of Perth, the local FDV refuge has been operated by interim provider MercyCare since February.
The service said since then it had received more than 500 calls from women for help but only had room to accommodate about 160.
Many of those women had children with them, who also needed support.
"It needs to stop," Kiara said.
"I know a lot of women who have passed away due to domestic violence. Some were my friends and family. I don't want that to happen to me."
Highest DV rates in WA
People working on the front line at the Broome Family and Domestic Violence Refuge said the region's remoteness, funding and fluctuating staffing levels were part of the problem.
Kiara says it can take multiple attempts to escape domestic violence. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
But the main issue identified by victim-survivors and industry workers alike was the stark lack of long-term community support and outreach.
"We've got nowhere to go. After we're done here [at the refuge] we've gotta go back home … to partners and get bashed, nowhere to run," Kiara said.
"In the communities you don't have outreaches, we just basically deal with it ourselves.
"But by coming into a refuge you can get help, and there is help there."
The Broome Family and Domestic Violence Refuge is a safe space for those who can access it. (ABC Kimberley: Ruby Littler)
Kiara said the violence felt normalised until she started accessing support.
"Then you had people concerned about women's domestic violence speaking up for you, and that's what made me come forward and start fighting back,"she said.
"I just want to say to women out there that you can get out. Things won't change overnight, but they will change."
Long-term solutions absent
The latest statistics show Kimberley police officers are sent to at least 16 FDV-related incidents a day — the highest rate in WA.
Kimberley FDV MercyCare manager Sian Hill said the "need just far outweighs the capacity of the service".
Sian Hill says there needs to be more long-term support options within the community. (ABC Kimberley: Ruby Littler)
"When you look at the number of people that are trying to come into this service that we can't support, that's really challenging," she said.
"We just wish we could support more people."
The refuge has four bedrooms and can accommodate seven adults and 10 children, with people able to stay for up to 21 days.
The lack of transitional accommodation in Broome meant the same women were often accessing the centre like a revolving door, Ms Hill said.
"The positive is when they do come back they are staying for a little bit longer and feel this is a safe place they can come to,"she said.
"When we're trying to link people with services, one of the challenges is they don't necessarily deliver those services in the communities they're returning to … [and] longer-term options are not really available in Broome."
Feeling silenced
This sentiment was echoed by Anne*, who accessed the centre earlier this year but has found it nearly impossible to adjust to life back in community.
Anne says long-term support within the community is largely non-existent. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
"When I first walked out of here, I felt really good in myself … soon as I walked out there it's like going back to the same cycle," Anne said.
"I felt like being here is safer; out there it doesn't feel like you're gonna get back on your feet again."
Anne said she was worried about seeing similar patterns with her daughter but felt she had to silence herself within the community.
"These ladies at the refuge actually have their ears to listen to us," Anne said.
Significant resources
Broome police officer in charge Blair Smith said every survivor "no matter where they live in WA" deserved support.
Blair Smith says every report of domestic violence in Broome is taken seriously and investigated. (ABC Kimberley: Ruby Littler)
"It is a lot of demand on our police resources but we do have the resources to attend every domestic violence issue that's reported," Senior Sergeant Smith said.
"A lot of them are alcohol-related so that is a big barrier."
He said the high numbers of reports reflected a greater trust between police and victim-survivors.
The WA government has committed $4.2 million to opening a second FDV refuge in Broome, with six units, as a part of a statewide $109.9 million package.
It will also be run by MercyCare and is slated to open next year.
MercyCare is serving as an interim provider of the Broome Family and Domestic Violence Refuge. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Jessica Stojkovski said "we are seeing rates of FDV that we don't want to be seeing" in the Kimberley.
"We are hoping this [the new refuge] will substantially impact the number of women needing to seek refuge," she said.
"This is not the end, we will continue working with the community, with the local member, with the sectors, to actually deliver the services that are going to make an impact on the ground."
MercyCare is serving as an interim provider of the current refuge until an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation takes carriage.
*The ABC has changed the women's names to protect their identity.