The anti-violence educator and former Newcastle Knight Clint Newton delivered two workshops in the last week as part of the NSW Government’s statewide Tackling Violence program.

The pair addressed Newton’s junior club South Newcastle Rugby League and students at Hunter Sports High School.

Donohue said the program uses rugby league as a vehicle to get the domestic violence message out into the public arena.

“When these men [like Clint Newton] speak, men listen,” she said.

“Getting men to speak about that it’s not OK to hit women, it’s not OK to control all the money and all the things that make up domestic violence ... when you hear it from a man’s perspective men listen.”

The Tackling Violence program helps teenagers to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy relationships and to identify warning signs for the latter. 

“We do that because young people at that age don’t listen to their mums and dads but they will listen to their friends,” Donohue said.

They also show the very “confronting and hard-hitting” DVD Loves me, loves me not, which tells the story of Victorian lady Angela Barker, who was brutally bashed by her then boyfriend when she was 16.

“I always say it’s something that nobody wants to listen to but everybody needs to hear because the statistics from domestic violence are just off the chart,” Donohue said. “It’s the silence that kills.”

The Tackling Violence program has been running for seven years and is now being delivered in 21 clubs across the state.

Donohue said the anti-violence program was “enlightening” to teenagers.

“I will ask the question, ‘Have any of your parents sat down with you and spoke about domestic violence and what does that relationship look like?’, and the sad fact is rarely do you get five kids put up their hand,” she said.

Newton, who played 173 NRL games, is an ambassador for anti-violence organisation White Ribbon. 

“In 2015, 21 women in NSW were killed by a current or former partner,” Newton said. “The rates of violence against women in the Hunter are already high and they are rising. Men are responsible for the violence and as men we have to set the standard for women and children’s safety in our communities.

“I’m not talking to the footy club because it’s a rugby league problem. I’m talking to them because they have respect in the community and can stand up and do something about it.”

Newton said there were 675 incidents of domestic violence assault in Newcastle in the past year.