Call out domestic violence
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Mayor Asfour’s call comes as Council launches a new City-wide domestic violence campaign which shines a light on what healthy relationships look like. The message is simple: say YES to healthy relationships and NO to domestic violence.
He said domestic violence was not only physical but included emotional, psychological, financial, social and verbal abuse.
“Our community organisations do wonderful work for the most vulnerable people but have been overlooked for so long by State Government funding bodies,” Mayor Asfour said.
“The reality for them, and sadly for our community, is heartbreaking and completely unacceptable,” he said.
He said letting people know how to find and access support services is at the heart of the campaign.
“There is no shame in naming domestic violence and calling it out for what it is. Our campaign will educate everyone. We’ve got to be proactive leaders in this space, not passengers,” he said.
The Council has produced flyers, posters and adshells in areas with heavy foot traffic, such as entrance ways and exits to shopping centres and public transport hubs.
“We’ve got them in different languages with simple icons to deliver a strong visual message to bridge any communication barrier. This guarantees everyone, young and old, will be educated and reminded that family violence is never OK,” Mayor Asfour said.
Mayor Afour added the message of the campaign continues to be vital even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know social distancing and self-isolation measures mean those subjected to domestic violence are facing more risks than ever before,” he said.
“On average, one woman is murdered by a current or former partner a week, and exposure to domestic and family violence has devastating impacts on everyone. Let’s work to stop this.”
Support services are available if you, or someone you know, is experiencing domestic or family violence.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) is a confidential information, counselling and support service;NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63) is a state-wide telephone crisis counselling and referral service for women;Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) provide telephone counselling, information and referrals for men; andLifeline (13 11 14) is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.