Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last Friday appropriately was not only Harmony Day but also national 'Bully Zero' day, so as the member for Brisbane said: we should take the time to consider that bullying comes in all shapes and sizes. And the shapes and sizes are not always what we expect.

We must be wary of falling into the path of only believing and supporting those who we typically expect to be the victims of bullying or domestic violence. We must also train our emergency service staff, social workers, doctors, teachers and others to look out for the unlikely victims, the ones who keep quiet and suffer in silence.

Schoolyard bullies are not always the big kids; often it is the reverse. Workplace bullies are not always the ones in authority. Not all victims of domestic violence are poor or uneducated. Not all bullies are the physically strong attacking the physically weak. Not all domestic violence involves a black eye or visible signs of abuse. Mental torture can be as damaging and sometimes has long lasting impacts and never heals. Not all domestic violence is perpetrated by strong men on vulnerable women.

The only way to eradicate bullying and violence from our culture is to put aside our preconceived ideas and to look at every victim as an individual not as a stereotype. We must give victims of violence the courage to speak up without the fear of ridicule or disbelief.

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