Médecins Sans Frontières has moved to provide support for domestic violence services in centres of Australia that are struggling under funding pressure as demand for help triples through the pandemic.
Last year the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre in New South Wales saw its waiting list increase from 2 weeks to 4 months and the number of women seeking help has risen by 50%.
Médecins Sans Frontières head of programs in Australia Simon Eccleshall says the organisation is alarmed by the figures and that the trauma of going through a domestic violence situation parallels that of the trauma of a war zone.