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In between an interview with a caller who was in an abusive relationship and an interview with domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, radio presenter Bianca Dye revealed her own terrifying experience with domestic violence.
The segment on 97.3 FM Brisbane was in response to the horrific murder of Gold Coast mother Teresa Bradford in the news this week. Bianca Dye described an experience she had had in her early 20s after breaking up with a man who ‘couldn’t handle’ her confidence. He showed up at her house intoxicated, punched her twice and choked her, then passed out.
“I was terrified. I was crying in the kitchen with a knife in my hand because he punched me twice, he threw my Jack Russell up against the wall, he cracked a rib and he choked me.”
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She added that she was okay and she didn’t end up pressing charges, but she says that she was shaken.
“It was a horrible situation and it was only the one time,” she said. “I stayed in the kitchen wrapped in a towel with a knife and just sat there all night shivering and scared.
“The next morning I woke up and he was gone, and I never saw him again.”
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She emphasised that it can happen to anyone, and that you live in hope that it won’t happen again. But she was most shocked by the victim-blaming.
“But this is what’s frightening,” she said. “One of my family members actually said to me, ‘Yeah but you must have done something to provoke him.'”
Bianca then interviewed Rosie Batty about Teresa Bradford’s story and what women can do to get out of an abusive situation.
“The system has failed so many women who are trying to escape violence in their homes,” Batty said.
She said that the first step for people living in fear should be to call 1800 RESPECT.
“It is incredibly important to speak to someone who understands and can connect you with the right people.”
Listen to the full interview here:
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact 1800 Respect (1800 737 732)
