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The charity needs as many phones as it can get in the lead up to Christmas when domestic violence offences sadly ramp up. (A Current Affair)<\/p>\nA spring clean out could save a life.<\/p>\n
Charity DV Safe Phones is urging all Australians to check their drawers and cupboards for old mobile phones.<\/p>\n
“We need every phone we can get,” chief executive and founder Ashton Wood said.<\/p>\n
“These phones save lives.”<\/p>\n
The charity needs as many phones as it can get in the lead up to Christmas when domestic violence offences sadly ramp up. (A Current Affair)<\/p>\n
Ashton Wood used to work in the corporate IT industry, now he repurposes old mobiles for domestic violence victims.<\/p>\n
“We give these phones to police, to domestic violence agencies, to shelters, to hospitals, anyone who is dealing directly with the survivor,” Wood explained.<\/p>\n
“These have been given to people who have literally left with nothing but the clothes on their back. If they were to go back home, it would have been deadly.”<\/p>\n
Jonathan McBride from Queensland Police told A Current Affair many offenders destroy or hide victims’ phones to prevent them from calling for help.<\/p>\n
“The number one reason that we hand them out is that they can call someone that may be able to help,” McBride said.<\/p>\n
The program started when Wood cleaned out his own cupboards in 2020 and a few personal phones grew into his life’s mission.<\/p>\n
“So out of 42,000 phones that we’ve had come in, we’ve managed to get 15,000 out,” he said.<\/p>\n
In five years, Wood has slowly created a nationwide catchment of more than 500 front line partners and places the public can drop off phones.<\/p>\n
Big corporations like the National Australia Bank are also on board.<\/p>\n
NAB has donated 550 phones this year.<\/p>\n
“Quite often the feedback we get is that it’s better than any phone they’ve ever owned in the past,” Wood told A Current Affair.<\/p>\n
Right now, the charity needs as many phones as it can get in the lead up to Christmas when domestic violence offences sadly ramp up.<\/p>\n
“This is when families are mixing that don’t normally mix. There’s alcohol involved. People are on leave instead of being at work, so they can’t get away from the harassment… So we’re going to need more phones than ever ready to go for Christmas,” he explained.<\/p>\n