Think of every woman you’ve ever loved.

Think of every woman you’ve ever known.

Think of every woman you’ve ever seen.

Think of every woman you’ve ever heard of.

If they are in Australia, more than half of them have been sexually harassed.

More than half of them.

Just read the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Is there any real mystery then as to why we as a nation largely accept domestic violence in our midst as “just the way things are”?

Sure we may despise it intellectually, morally and in earnest discussions over our skinny lattes. We may think that it is a terrible indictment on everybody else (but of course, not of us), because we think that it is wrong and unacceptable.

But that is precisely why we, as a community, share equal if not more responsibility for the apathy with which we “confront” it. We think it, yet do nothing.

Our politicians who parade before us with pious statements of intent and condemnation, those who have at least some power and ability to impact upon this terrible issue that causes more than half of us to live in perpetual fear, think it too.

But they do nothing.

We have elections coming up in various parts of our country, and indeed if things proceed as they are going in the asylum that is currently Federal Parliament, we may soon also have a federal election.

It is time to differentiate those who seek political office into those who think domestic violence is bad and those who have actually done something about it.

How do we do that?

Well, ask them. Ask every single candidate who wants our favour –

• What have you done (not thought) about domestic violence in your electorate?
• How many cases of domestic violence were reported/committed in your electorate last year? Do you know?
• How many women in your electorate have been forced to flee their homes because of domestic violence? Do you know?
• What has happened to the children in those cases? Do you know?
• How many arrests and prosecutions have occurred as a result of domestic violence in your electorate? Do you know?
• What facilities for medical, psychological, psychiatric or any other form of assistance for domestic violence victims exist in your electorate? Do you know?
• How much money from the budget has been allocated to your electorate towards the issues arising out of domestic violence? Do you know?

If they don’t know the answer to any ONE of the questions, do two things. Ask them

“WHY THE HELL DON’T YOU KNOW?”

and, ask them to leave.

There is a quantum leap from thinking to doing. If they won’t leap, then it’s up to the rest of us to push them out of the way.