Gore Women's Refuge has had a steady flow of women through its doors during the festive period.
Refuge service co-ordinator Catherine Murphy said the flow of clients seeking the organisation's assistance was ‘‘very steady'' during the Christmas and New Year period.
While the Christmas period was generally the organisation's ‘‘quiet time'' - this year was an exception, Ms Murphy said.
The refuge traditionally did not start getting busy until the end of January, she said.
‘‘It didn't let up at all - it was just constant,'' Ms Murphy said.
There were also steady numbers using the refuge's safe houses and refuge staff were also working with many clients in their own homes, she said.
The refuge had also fielded inquiries from men who were seeking advice and support, she said.
Detective Sergeant Cynthia Fairley, of Gore Police, said from the police point of view it had been ‘‘relatively steady for domestic violence matters'' during January.
It was pleasing to see domestic violence matters were being reported by the victims, the victim's family or neighbours, Det Sgt Fairley said.
‘‘Early intervention by police and with the assistance and support of Women's Refuge, CYF and other agencies, [we] can address domestic issues before they escalate into serious violence towards the victims or property,'' Det Sgt Fairley said.
The ‘‘It's Not OK'' television campaign was having an effect, with more people seeking help after putting up with ongoing violence for several years, Ms Murphy said.
The message ‘‘it was not okay to witness, see or hear violence'' was an important one, she said.
The refuge's reporting, in November last year, of an almost doubling of the number of women referred by police to the refuge in the year ending October 31, was proof that antifamily violence campaigns were beginning to have an effect, Ms Murphy said.
In the year ending October 31, the refuge responded to 231 police referrals compared with 124 the previous year and 110 the year before that.
