The prevention of family and domestic violence was the subject of a community forum in Footscray on Friday.
Organised by family violence response service Safe Steps, Conversations That Matter: Voices for Change was held at the Victoria Hotel and featured speakers from the health, legal, finance, community, police and local government sectors.
The forum was hosted by financial adviser and survivor-advocate Amanda Thompson, who recalled her own experience in explaining how financial barriers keep women trapped in cycles of violence.
“Too scared to stay, but too scared to leave is the heart-breaking reality for so many,” Ms Thompson said.
“And at the heart of that fear are the practical barriers: housing, money, and the very real question of safety. Until we address these systemic obstacles, we can’t expect women to walk away from danger when there’s nowhere safe or secure to land.”
Ms Thompson said tackling inequality was the key to solving the problem.
However, founder and co-chief executive of the Equality Institute, Dr Emma Fulu, warned that change wouldn’t come easily or without risk.
“We’re witnessing a dangerous backlash against women’s rights, especially online,” Dr Fulu said.
“Young boys are being targeted by misogynistic influencers and platforms profiting from their harm. It’s a David and Goliath fight and we need to equip our young people with the tools, relationships, and role models to thrive.”
Goro Guptu from Ethical Investments said the property sector needed to step up and provide more crisis accommodation.
“There are literally millions of property investors in Australia. Imagine if we made a pathway for the average investor to choose to invest with their heart, and rather than building a property for the every day person, they purpose built a house which would be suitable as a shelter for those experiencing family violence,” Mr Gupta told the forum.
All proceeds from the forum went to Safe Steps, Victoria’s only 24-7 family violence response service.
“We are the crisis service for people who are scared to go home,” Safe Steps chief executive Suzanne Paynter said.
