Preventing violence against women will be promoted through a 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Violence global campaign.
The campaign will be joined in the western region by a partnership of 16 councils and health and community groups that will focus on gender violence as a violation of human rights.
The campaign begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 and ends on International Human Rights Day on December 10.
According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, one woman is killed every week in Australia by a current or former partner.
As well, data collected from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that every year, between five and 10 per cent of Australian women experience at least one incident of sexual or physical violence by a man.
Women’s Health West health promotion co-ordinator Sally Camilleri said gender inequality and rigid stereotypes needed to change for violence against women to become a thing of the past.
“Changing attitudes is central,” she said.
The campaign’s theme, “16 Partners, 16 Actions, 16 Days of Activism”, points to the work local leaders are doing to embed cultural change in the western region.
“Each day, we’ll distribute one photograph of a lord mayor, councillor, executive officer, manager, committee and other champions across the western region declaring their commitment to prevent violence against women by highlighting an action their organisations are undertaking,” Ms Camilleri said.
“These actions highlight our efforts to promote equality between women and men and dismantle the barriers to leadership and other opportunities for women in workplaces and the wider community.”
