Deluge of calls to crisis lines over Take A Stand campaign on family violence CALLS to family violence crisis lines have spiked after the launch of the Herald Sun's Take a Stand campaign. The campaign kicked off yesterday with powerful video messages from male community leaders calling on men to take responsibility for ending violence. Premier Denis Napthine, Chief Commissioner Ken Lay, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and AFL chief Andrew Demetriou launched the campaign after a Herald Sun investigation into family violence, which reached a record 50,382 police callouts last year. Phase one of the campaign aims to encourage community debate around the role of male perpetrators instead of female victims. Calls to the Men's Referral Service, which deals with male family violence perpetrators, went up by between 10-15 per cent yesterday. Executive officer Danny Blay said it was a good opportunity to speak to the men, assess the the risk they pose, and recommend strategies. However, he said a lack of funding for change programs meant there was nowhere to refer them to. "Not having anywhere near sufficient resources in the men's behaviour change system means a greater proportion of men don't get a response," Mr Blay said. This means an increased risk to women and children especially when women are told their former partner will attend a change program, only for him to be faced with a long waiting list. Women's Domestic Violence Crisis Service chief executive officer Annette Gillespie said it had been a busy day. "Our crisis line continued to receive a high number of calls from women needing urgent support and emergency accommodation following the launch of the Take a Stand campaign," Ms Gillespie said. It also gave many victims of abuse the confidence to make that first phone call. The Council to Homeless Persons welcomed the campaign and said family violence was the single biggest cause of homelessness in Victoria. "Until we as a community take a stand and say that family violence is totally unacceptable, we'll continue to see women and children left homeless as they're forced to flee their homes," chief executive Jenny Smith said. She said in 2011-2012 nearly 18,000 people cited family violence as their main reason for seeking housing assistance. State Opposition leader Daniel Andrews welcomed the campaign and said everyone had a role to play in prevention. "Family violence is a crime of the darkest kind," Mr Andrews said. He criticised the Napthine government for cutting funding to areas targeting family violence, including the BSafe program, which provided emergency GPS alarms to victims in rural areas.