2. Smarty Pants, Kitty or Tiger?
The impact of family violence on the child
Presenter: Nicole Rotaru RSM

3. 95% are male perpetrators, 5% are female perpetrators
Victoria police respond to over 600 calls a day related to family violence
95% are male perpetrators, 5% are female perpetrators
at least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former
partner
every three hours a woman is admitted to hospital as a result of family violence
over 400,000 women in Australia has experienced violence by a
partner during pregnancy
close to 750,000 women had children in their care when they experienced violence by a former partner they lived with. More than three-quarters of these women (78%) said their children saw or heard the violence
Horizons - Re s e a r c h re p o r t | O c t o b e r , Violence against women in Australia:
Additional analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Personal Safety Survey, 2012

5. Presentation Overview
what moved the children’s mothers to flee from their situation of family violence
what I did when working with the children
the themes that emerged from their art and stories
some examples of the children’s art works and stories

6. What moved the mothers to flee
When he kicked my daughter out it was time for me to act. Mother of Willow, Holly and David
I didn’t want the kids to see it anymore. Mother of Cray, Ella and Maisie
He takes the children by the feet and holds them upside down. Mother of Amal and Nawal
The children saw the violence. They tried to protect me. Mother of Dania and Keisha

7. What I did non-directive – the child chose the art medium
established a trusting safe space through ordinariness
non-directive – the child chose the art medium
attentive companioning – a listening, seeing presence
wrote down the child’s words about the artwork story
asked the child to give the story a title
respected that the child held the meanings embedded
in their art work and story
gave the child a copy of their art work and story

8. Themes The Creepy World Smarty Pants, Kitty or Tiger?
Story of God and I am invisible
Big Storm
Heaven and Hell
Mother Love
Happy

9. The Creepy World – David 7

10. The Creepy World
The Super Hero is helping the world by saving the fairies and the Skylanders. The dinosaur is going to eat their house.
There are lots of baddies coming: snakes and rockets and lady bugs and a gorilla and sharks and evil star fishes and evil feathers.
The dinosaur is going to eat the whole entire world. The Bear cards say the dinosaur is cheeky and angry.

11. The dinosaur is going to eat their house
There are lots of baddies coming
The dinosaur is going to eat the whole entire world.

12. Nawal’s Story – Nawal 3

13. Nawal’s Story The baby and three flowers and a balloon.
Bear is looking. Bear wants to wee.
Bear is going to punch Bear. Bear is punching.
Bear is funny.
Bear is punching, punching he does not want any one. Bear is looking at baby.

14. looking wants to wee is going to punch punching punching, punching
baby three flowers
a balloon
looking
wants to wee
is going to punch
punching
punching, punching
he does not want any one
looking at baby

15. Mother Love – Keisha 7

16. Mother Love This love heart means love for mother love.
The hands mean one is a kid and the other is the mother and mother always says, ‘I love you so
much.’
Mum is always happy when we are happy. How kind. I like you. A smile for mum. Mum’s heart is always happy when we are happy. I love my mum so much ever in the whole world.

17. heart means love for mother love
mother says, ‘I love you so much’
I love my mum so much ever in the whole world

18. © Nicole Rotaru rsm nicolerotaru0@gmail.com
Out of respect for the children who have shared their stories with me, please me if you wish to use any of material for professional purposes.
Thank you.