Community and business get behind domestic violence safe phone initiative

COFFS City Rotary, in partnership with local hotels and domestic violence agencies Warrina Women’s Refuge and Bluesky,  launched the Domestic Violence (DV) Safe Phone initiative on Thursday 12 June at the Toormina Hotel.

Since 2020, the charity DV Safe Phone has collected, repaired and distributed free mobile phones to domestic violence victims through their nationwide network of more than 400 agency partners, including domestic violence agencies, police stations, hospitals and safe houses.

Coffs City Rotary and a group of local hotels are getting behind an initiative to supply free mobile phones to domestic violence victims.

Collection boxes for unwanted or unused phones are being placed in the Toormina, Coffs, Sawtell and Moonee Beach Hotels to be refurbished and then distributed through DV Safe Phone.

Relationship violence is known to increase in the wake of natural disasters said the Founder and CEO of DV Safe Phone, Ashton Wood

“In Australia, we have witnessed this first-hand with COVID-19, as extended lockdowns exacerbated an existing problem of domestic violence in our community.

“And now, potentially, we are on the verge of an additional and urgent need from those vulnerable within our community, in the wake of floods across NSW.”

While millions of dollars are currently being invested in emergency hotline and online support for victims of domestic violence, that support is reliant on access to a working mobile phone.

“The underlying problem is that the mobile phone is often the first thing smashed, taken or monitored by a perpetrator,” Mr Wood said.

Coffs City Rotary President Bob Carle, said domestic violence impacts people of all genders, ages, sexualities, cultures and beliefs, and something as simple as a phone can change lives.

“Having access to a phone, something we all take for granted these days, can make a real difference to a domestic violence victim’s life,” he said.

A spokesperson from Bluesky told News Of The Area, “We’re supporting this great initiative, as it’s really important that people affected by domestic violence have devices that provide safe channels [of communication].”

By Andrea FERRARI