After more than a decade of psychological abuse and intimidation, Rosie Batty did not know how to tell her family doctor she had been physically abused by her estranged partner.
She was suffering intense anxiety and her doctor was worried, but Ms Batty could not bring herself to say that just three weeks earlier the father of her son had assaulted her physically for the first time.
He had pulled her down and kicked her in an attack so violent she had to call the police.
Their son Luke was there to watch it all unfold, and would years later be murdered at a Tyabb sports oval by that same man.
Speaking at a Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners conference in Melbourne on Saturday, Ms Batty said she hoped sharing her experiences would help local doctors become more aware of the warning signs and ask the right questions at the right time.
"I didn't go in wanting to brandish around that I was in a violent relationship - it wasn't that I particularly wanted to keep it a secret either. I just didn't know how or even know if I should," she said.
Ms Batty said it was also important for doctors to know that violence did not come only in the form of bruises, broken bones and black eyes, but sexual, financial or psychological abuse and intimidation could be just as damaging.
Next Saturday marks what should have been Luke's 13th birthday.
Ms Batty will celebrate the occasion by launching her "Never Alone" campaign, something she says will keep the issue of family violence in the spotlight long after her time as Australian of the Year ends.
Women and children - just like her and Luke - should never feel alone when they face family violence, she said.
Share
