But it's hoped a collection of endearing characters, rhyming verse and gorgeous illustrations will help change this in the form of a new children's book called Raindrops and Dreams.
The inspiration for the groundbreaking project came to author Katrina Tsaftaropoulos long before beginning her role as a domestic violence case worker for Legal Aid NSW.
Having previously been employed in court advocacy, she'd often seen women attend hearings with young children in tow and wondered how they were explaining to them why they were there and what was happening.
"It was clear children were very much a reason why clients make decisions that they make and I thought it would be really difficult (for mums) to find the language to explain what they were going through," Ms Tsaftaropoulos told AAP.
"The book is written in a way that shows if you are experiencing this, there are people who can help and it gives people a way to start the conversation."
The story is composed entirely in verse, with Ms Tsaftaropoulos wanting to integrate key words and phrases relevant to the domestic violence sector.
"Kids who experience domestic violence are not just witnesses, they are impacted by it," she said.
"I really wanted (the story) to be true to form and for children to not feel so alone."
Ms Tsaftaropoulos' words were brought to life by colleague Marina Wilkinson who, although describing herself as arty, illustrated the book having not undertaken a project like it before.
The topic was deeply personal for her after experiencing domestic violence as a child and having "walked through the storm" with her mum.
"The inspiration came from the strength women hold when they are protecting children at all costs," she said.
"A lot of the book is my personal memory in the visual form which was a benefit ... I tried to make it look like a fairytale even though the topic is heavy."
The book follows the crocodile family of mummy, daddy and kids Bubbles and Lillygator who live in a swamp.
But daddy crocodile sometimes gets very angry and bites mummy which means the police have to be called.
The children stay with their aunt and daddy has to be removed from the swamp until he agrees to change his behaviour.
Animals who feature alongside the crocodiles include turtles, kookaburras, kangaroos and quokkas who are recognisable to Australian children.
"There was no way I could draw humans because I didn't want to put bruises on them," Ms Wikinson said.
"In my mind, my thoughts just went to my mum with her bruises so I thought having animals would create a gap between a very harsh reality and the images."
Both the author and illustrator wanted to ensure the book was a way into a conversation on a difficult topic.
"Sometimes conversations that are hardest to have are the ones that are needed the most," Ms Tsaftaropoulos said.
The domestic violence unit within Legal Aid NSW was established a decade ago and is described as a "heavy lifter" in the sector.
It's a "one stop shop" for domestic violence survivors to get the support they need, according to family law director Katie Kelso.
"We have seen a 700 per cent increase in demand since we were first established it and in the last two years alone there has been a 70 per cent increase," she said.
"The role of Legal Aid is not only to provide representation services but we also see our role in raising awareness of issues in the community."
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