The murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children in February 2020 sparked a national outcry over the prevalence of domestic violence in Australia.
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It also provided the catalyst for one domestic violence survivor to begin helping others remove themselves from life threatening situations until they can get back on their feet.
Stacy Jane is the creator and CEO of Escabags, a service that provides domestic violence victims with free tote bags containing short-term, everyday essentials needed when fleeing their home.
"It was to bridge that gap between not having to go back into the family home for those essential items and getting into a place of safety," Stacy said.
The bags contain a range of items such as soap, toothbrushes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, tissues, pen and notebook, and more. There is also a teddy bear included for the Parent and Child bag option.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports an estimated 4.2 million Australian adults - 21 per cent or one in five - have experienced violence, emotional abuse or economic abuse by a partner, as documented in the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey.
It is a story Stacy Jane is all too familiar with.
After fleeing her native England due to an abusive relationship, she set about creating a service to help others facing similar situations here in Australia.
Since launching in 2020, Escabags have distributed almost 10,000 escape-bags free of charge throughout the country, and now boast more than 1600 stockists nationwide.
Along with women's shelters, hospitals, and police stations, every Service NSW branch across the state now stock the escape-bags.
However, the availability of the bags isn't limited to emergency services, shelters, and government offices, with more and more private businesses coming on board to stock the bags.
"We always say, you don't have to be a particular type of business to become a stockist - just a kind one," Stacy said.
To find your nearest Escabag stockist, go to their website escabags.org/escabags-stockists/