COMMUNITY members, including the mayor, were told everyone had a role to play in preventing violence against women, just as data revealed Swan Hill ranked the fifth highest in the state for rates of family violence.
Women’s Health Loddon Mallee held the ‘Violence Prevention – It’s Everybody’s Business’ conference at the Racecourse Bowls Club community hub last Thursday.
The conference addressed what people can do to prevent domestic violence and updated locals on progress in developing a regional plan on violence against women.
Dr Shannon Briggs-Murdoch, research fellow with the Violence Research and Prevention program at Griffith University, told the conference attendees that anyone could be considered a ‘bystander’ to domestic violence and had a responsibility to act to prevent it.
“I think it’s hard to prescribe options – you know, what you should do – because every situation and circumstance is different. But I think having that conversation about these issues is the critical first step,” Dr Briggs-Murdoch said.
The conference was coincidentally held the same week Victoria Police revealed data showing Swan Hill was the fifth highest in the state for reports and charges of family violence per capita, as well as International Women’s Day.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Monday’s Guardian (March 9).
