Ross Blade

Our message on a 'Coffee Mug' is cheeky. When it comes to family abuse we're all mugs from time to time. Abusers are cunning, manipulative and highly deceptive. So if you don't know what to look for it's easy to be fooled.

Real world example from 2014 ...

We were moved to action by a recent incident in our area of Hornsby in Sydney. An 83 year old women said she feared physical harm while being pressured to leave her home by a family member. Despite advice from the NSW Elder Abuse Hotline the women's local GP refused to refer her to a social worker. Her psychologist however was so concerned about the women's claims that she reported them to Police. The Police response was that nothing could be done until this elderly lady was hit. The woman’s local Member of Parliament was contacted. He wrote to the NSW Police Minister requesting that Police look into the psychologist’s concerns. In the intervening weeks another family member had to stand up to the aggressive perpetrator. He was struck on the head with a glass bottle causing physical and emotional injury. 
 
How could this happen?

According to research by the Parliament of Australia "The Australian police and criminal justice systems are commonly criticised for not treating domestic violence seriously enough. Concerns have been commonly expressed about a lack of survivor support, failures to fully investigate incidents, and a lack of consistent policing. This lack of response is apparently largely due to a persistent public view that domestic violence is a private, individual issue not worthy of public action".

Perpetrators mostly avoid being named or shamed so keep perpetrating. Consequently, 1.5 people will be murdered every week in this ongoing cycle of violence during 2015. Injuries and other knock on effects will cost our economy $20 billion dollars.

In short, to some extent we're all guilty of being mugs when it comes to family violence. The messages on our 'Coffee Mugs' are designed to inform, generate discussion and improve our response to the scourge of family violence.

Our Coffee Mug designs

Our goal is to raise  $2,500 for the production of the first 200 mugs including packaging and labeling. When we have a better idea which mugs are popular we will be able to obtain better pricing.

How do you raise a hidden and distressing social problem without shutting down the conversation? For example, it's generally not understood that verbal abuse of a child (and an adult) can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and brain damage. A child's developing brain looses some of it's ability to produce serotonin - the feel good molecule. This leaves those children prone to depression and other disorders throughout adulthood. The challenge therefore is to bring uncomfortable facts like this to public attention in a way that generates an ongoing conversation as opposed to turning people off.