Riding Against Violence

Stephanie Bofinger is best known for her achievements as an international professional swimmer, having represented both Germany and Australia before retiring from the sport after the Sydney Olympic trials in 2000. These days, however, she’s taking her experience as a professional athlete and survivor of domestic violence, and ploughing her energies into ‘DV Free’; an organisation she recently established as a vehicle to help raise awareness about one of the most prevalent social issues of our time: domestic violence.

Aside from the fact that Bofinger plans to ride around Australia, and then the world, to help raise awareness for the cause, the interesting thing about DV Free is that it’s gender-neutral. In other words, DV Free is about tackling domestic violence against both women and men. And in a world that tends to assume women are the universal victims of domestic violence, that genuinely reframes the conversation.
But with a bunch of well-established charities already set up to focus attention on domestic violence in Australia, why doesn’t Bofinger simply join their ranks? “Because DV Free will complement what’s already out there,” she explains. “Also, organisations such as White Ribbon, Lifeline, DC Connect and the Luke Betty Foundation are all very good, but they are predominantly focused on support for DV victims, not on DV prevention. And they are very female oriented. My objective is for DV Free to fill that gap; to help with awareness and education for both the victims and the offenders, and to do that in a gender-neutral way. After all, the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that, on average, eight Australian males die of suicide each day, and half of those are directly attributable to a relationship or family breakdown.
“While those organisations I mentioned primarily deal with people who are already in crisis,” Bofinger went on to say, “DV Free aims to enter the picture before the problem escalates; to reduce domestic and family violence through education programs, public awareness and inspiring those who are experiencing abuse to take the first step in seeking help. By connecting people with life coaches, psychologists and financial advisors, for example, it gives them the tools to deal with their situation and avoid violent behaviour.”

So how do motorcycles fit into the DV Free picture? Well, Bofinger is fairly new to riding, but she’s found that motorcycles have given her a great sense of personal empowerment, and that they’re also an effective means to deliver her message about education and prevention of DV.
“When I am on a motorcycle, it’s all about the adventure of the present moment, and my past with domestic violence is simply not there,” she says. “I love riding a motorcycle so much, I’m now involved with a rider training facility in Queensland, so I can help other people make their adventure dreams comes true – whether that’s on a motorcycle or something else entirely – and ensure that they are not defined by their experience with domestic violence. I want to create a stepping-stone for change so that in 10 to 20 years, the world is much more free of domestic violence.”

Having already fallen in love with KTM’s new 1290 Adventure R, Bofinger is doing a regional tour of Queensland in the next few months. Then, in early 2020, she plans to team up with her teenage son, Josh, to ride their motorcycles around the world. “I am passionate about empowering others to find their own inner strength, resilience, love and compassion to overcome life’s obstacles,” she says, with more than a hint of excitement, “and embarking on these rides – especially what I’m calling the ‘mum and son adventure’ with Josh in 2020 – is the perfect way for me to highlight the issues of domestic violence against both women and men.”

For more information, check out DV Free’s Facebook page, or come and have a chat to Stephanie Bofinger at this coming weekend’s 2018 Transmoto 12-Hour.