Amy Sligar, 20-year-old Giants netballer, is the latest to join ChildFund Australia’s Ambassador program. Bright, ambitious, and determined, Amy’s love for netball began as a young girl.
Inspired by her Mum, an avid netballer, Amy and her twin sister started playing netball at school as soon as they were old enough to sign up. Like many other young girls around Australia, they spent most Saturday mornings of the winter months on the netball court.
As she got older, her passion for netball grew. Amy began to compete on a regional, state and then national level. Before long she was chosen as a training partner for the Giants Netball Squad and at the end of 2021, she signed her first professional netball contract with the team.
Amy first heard about ChildFund Australia through her teammate. “My teammate, who does a lot of work in the charity space, recommended me for the ambassadorship. She is someone I’ve always looked up to and seen as a role model. So, for her to have supported and encouraged me to take on this role was exciting,” said Amy.
She was particularly excited to learn about Sport for Development – a curriculum that uses sport to teach children and young people vital life skills. “Sport has been such a big part of my life, and if I can be a part of creating positive change, then that’s pretty cool.”
She believes that sport teaches teamwork and gives people a sense of community. Amy says she has experienced firsthand just how much sport can change and influence your life.
“The power that sport has, and the reach that it has, can truly change people’s lives. Whether you’re playing professionally or just playing with your mates, it has so much to offer. It teaches you so many different skills, not just the physical skills but the mental skills too.”
Both of Amy’s parents are teachers and her family spent living overseas throughout her childhood. Amy shared that this gave her the opportunity to learn about different cultures and meet people from diverse backgrounds.
Becoming a ChildFund Ambassador isn’t Amy’s first time working with children. Growing up she taught swimming. “I loved teaching swimming. It was fun but it was also teaching the kids such a vital life skill.”
She has also spent many hours coaching netball. “I just love seeing the kids just having fun and getting involved and learning about the sport.”
Off the court, Amy is studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at UTS. Amy thinks that one day she’d like to become a paediatric doctor and continue working with children.
Learn more about ChildFund Australia’s Ambassador program.
A tragedy behind closed doors
Millions of children across the Pacific are experiencing high levels of domestic violence, including in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. For the vast majority of children, this violence is happening in a place where they should feel safest: their homes and communities.
By ChildFund Australia
The following story contains content that may be distressing for some readers.
Elizabeth* is four years old but she already bears the painful scars of abuse that far too many people experience in life.
Elizabeth is from a poor community in Papua New Guinea, where domestic violence – mainly against women and children – is common in families and households. For months, Elizabeth, was physically abused by one of the people who should have loved her most – her father.
Elizabeth had been left in the care of her father when her mother needed to move far away for work.
It was about a year after Elizabeth had moved in with her father when her aunt, Maggie*, discovered the abuse. Elizabeth’s father had sent images of the abuse to Elizabeth’s mother, threatening to kill her and Elizabeth.
Maggie* was terrified for Elizabeth’s life. She had learnt about a phone counselling service for survivors of violence, the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain, through a text message campaign, and called the helpline.
Maggie shared her story and fears with a helpline counsellor, who provided her with support and reported Elizabeth’s case to police, and welfare and child protection services.
The counsellor helped Maggie access emergency funds so that Elizabeth could be removed from her father as soon as possible and move into a safe place with Maggie.
Today, Elizabeth is living with her mother again. Elizabeth’s father has been charged, and Elizabeth and her mother have protection orders in place.
Maggie has been in touch with the helpline counsellors, providing them with updates on Elizabeth’s wellbeing. She said Elizabeth and her mother were both safe and living at peace. All this would not have been possible, Maggie said, without the support of the counsellors and emergency funds that were secured through the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain service.
*Names have been changed to protect individuals’ identities.
‘Our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives are suffering from a weak protection system’
Millions of children like Elizabeth across the Pacific, including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, where ChildFund works, are experiencing high levels of domestic violence including physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. For the vast majority of children, this violence is happening in a place where they should feel safest: their homes and communities.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of domestic violence increased around the world along with social isolation, unemployment and alcohol use.
In Papua New Guinea, more than 2 in 3 women and girls experience some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
Ivodia Malio, a Senior Counsellor with the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain, said the rates of violence in Papua New Guinea were “concerning”.
“There is a great need for family and sexual violence services to work together to develop better strategies to address the high rates of violence in the country,” she said.
“The 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain is doing great work to assist vulnerable women and children to be safe. Perpetrators are also calling the helpline for support to change their abusive and violent behaviours.”
Ivodia’s colleague and fellow helpline counsellor, Simon Karapus, said domestic violence services in Papua New Guinea needed to be overhauled and strengthened: “Our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives are suffering from a weak protection system,” he said.
The 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain is the first toll-free helpline for survivors and perpetrators of violence in PNG. It was established in 2015 by ChildFund and local partners in response to PNG’s high rates of violence.
Helpline counsellors have received more than 50,000 calls since the service was launched in 2015. The success of the helpline has led to ChildFund supporting a similar crisis counselling service in the Solomon Islands.
In the Solomon Islands, 2 in 3 women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner. More than a third of these women experienced sexual abuse as a child.
The success of the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain service in Papua New Guinea has led to ChildFund supporting a similar crisis helpline in the Solomon Islands.
How your donation can protect children from domestic violence
Ensuring children are safe and free from domestic violence is a collaborative effort between development organisations such as ChildFund, and children, their communities, and local governments.
With your help, vulnerable children and their families can access the immediate and long-term support they need to be safe. ChildFund is working with local partners to provide not only services such as crisis counselling and referrals to safe houses, we are also working with governments and communities to strengthen child protection systems. Your donation will also help educate and empower young people to raise awareness and lead advocacy activities in their communities that focus on peace promotion, conflict prevention, and respectful relationships.
Helplines and counsellors: Train and upskill counsellors for Papua New Guinea’s 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain service, which provides immediate and long-term support to survivors of violence.
Youth Peace & Protection Champions: Educate and empower young people to raise awareness and lead advocacy activities in their communities that focus on preventing and resolving conflicts peacefully, prevention of violence, and respectful relationships.
Child protection frontline workers: Train social workers, counsellors, village court officials, and staff at safe shelters and family support centres, on women’s and children’s rights, and case management.
You can help stop violence against children.
