IN THE young boy’s mind, there are few things more important than Xbox and handball.
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They are the theatre of life’s greatest battles, the arena of its greatest triumphs.
They are also the starting point of a unique new program aimed at sowing the seeds of hope for the future.
In the searing spring sun, pupils at Mt Austin Primary School yesterday were confronted by men in uniform – police, army officers and footy players.
Their message could be summed up in one word – respect.
Respect is at the core of how you treat each other and yourself.
And respect is a lesson best learned early.
As part of White Ribbon Day, pupils were asked how they would handle an argument with another child on the handball court or around the gaming console.
Do they resort to violence or talk the issue through?
Most understood the importance of keeping their hands to themselves.
Sadly, many adults in our community do not.
The rate of domestic violence in Wagga should be a source of shame for all of us.
While drug-fuelled assaults and property crime dominate the headlines, the sad reality is that domestic issues soak up more than half of police time.
It’s a damning indictment on our community and it’s time the issue was confronted for what it is.
Perpetrators of domestic violence are not monsters, they are broken men.
They lack the emotional maturity to control their impulses and the capacity to exercise that most human of emotions – love.
How else could you commit acts of unspeakable violence against those you are meant to protect?
White Ribbon Day affords us the opportunity as a community to condemn those actions and vow to do everything in our power to stamp it out.
But the conversation cannot be confined to one day each year.
While local leaders have a role to play in highlighting the problem, the responsibility rests with us all – in particular men – to speak up .
Domestic violence is indiscriminate.
It casts a shadow of shame over every corner of the Riverina.
And it’s time it was dragged out into the light and exposed for what it is.