‘Young people are invisible’: family violence survivors falling through cracks at crisis services

Very limited progress had been made in services for children and young people experiencing family violence, Victorian commissioner for children and young people, Liana Buchanan, says. Illustration: Greedy Hen/The Guardian

Matilda* was well into her 20s before she fully recognised that she had experienced family violence growing up.

“I didn’t really know what it was, I just knew something wasn’t right,” she says. “It wasn’t physical violence; it was emotional, psychological and financial. And it was impacting the whole family dynamic.”