Perth Voice Interactive

SHE was punched so hard, her right eye ruptured.

It’s been two years since Sarah Kelly’s ex-husband, the father of her two children, beat her in public at Hillarys Boat Harbour.

Now empowered after gruelling months of court and medical appointments, Ms Kelly helps others identify and escape the cycle of domestic violence. She’s part of a three-woman team running Morley’s new Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, Australia’s first private firm with a focus on domestic violence.

Ms Kelly will be in once a fortnight to share a cuppa with survivors and support them emotionally.

“I want to give them the courage to get out of the situation,” she says. “I had low self-esteem and I think that’s why I didn’t leave before the attack.”

She cites stockholm syndrome, a psychological phenomenon where victims come to empathise with those controlling their actions, and believe they are deserving of the treatment they receive.

Clinic fees are based on an individual’s income. Hourly rates start at as low as $125, but no-one is turned away if that’s out of reach: a client can pay in smaller increments over a longer timeframe — with no interest.

Clinic founder Shirley McMurdo says it’s a fraction of the $500 per hour many firms charge. “Most domestic violence victims can’t afford that,” she says. “In some cases, they have an income of less than $30,000.”

Ms McMurdo is also a director at Swift Legal Services, which helps to offset fees at the Morley clinic.

Lucette Combo-Matsiona, who’s deferred studying law and psychology at Murdoch University to work at the clinic, says the place isn’t for profit, it’s about making a difference.

In five years, the group expects to have collected enough anecdotal evidence to make a submission to the federal government asking it to tweak laws that make it difficult for domestic violence survivors to navigate the system.

The clinic is at 14/15 Collier Road. For more information, find Domestic Violence Legal Clinic on Facebook or visit domesticviolencelegalclinic.com.au.

by EMMIE DOWLING