Inside Film, 29 October, 2015
Journalist Sarah Ferguson will examine domestic violence in a two-part documentary series – Hitting Home – to air on ABC on November 24-25.
The In Films production will see Ferguson move into a women's refuge in search of answers.
Ferguson has also gained access to courts and safe rooms, domestic abuse programs in prison, forensic doctors and specialised police units for the series, which took six months to make.
Ferguson said she wanted to find out how domestic violence worked.
"Why men – and it is largely men – do it, and why their partners find it so hard to leave," she said.
"These are gripping, sometimes heartbreaking, stories of women and children caught up in extraordinary situations.
"Their courage in speaking out took my breath away.”
“All year we have been hearing stories of violent attacks on women, alone at home, in front of their children, in cars, in remote locations or in full view in public, but I didn’t have a good understanding of what domestic violence actually is."
Hitting Home is written and presented Ferguson, produced by Nial Fulton and directed by Ivan O’Mahoney.
ABC director of television, Richard Finlayson, said Hitting Home was a program for everyone – men and women, young and old.
“The Prime Minister rightly labels this crisis a national disgrace," he said.
"I hope Sarah’s unprecedented access to victims and their stories will not only enlighten viewers but reveal areas of hope for the future.”
The second episode will screen on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25.
It will be followed by a special edition of Q&A hosted by Virginia Trioli.