$1 MILLION TO SUPPORT WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGN
November 22, 2013
Efforts by the White Ribbon organisation to reduce and prevent family violence will receive a $1 million boost from the Federal Government.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester confirmed the commitment this morning at a Gippsland Community Network Breakfast to support White Ribbon Day in Morwell.
Mr Chester was a guest speaker at the function along with fellow White Ribbon Ambassador and long-time advocate for the prevention of violence against women, Phil Cleary.
He told the audience that Latrobe City was the highest ranked local government area in terms of call-outs for family violence per 100,000 people in Victoria.
“The most common location for physical assaults and sexual assaults for women is in their own homes meaning many women have more to fear in their own kitchen, in their own lounge room or in their own bedroom than they do in the roughest pub or the worst nightclub,” Mr Chester said.
“As a nation, we should be ashamed of these figures. Domestic violence is a cancer on our community.”
Mr Chester this week also spoke in Federal Parliament in support of White Ribbon Day, to be held on Monday, November 25.
He said all MPs must keep working together to achieve a community response of zero tolerance towards violence against women.
“In taking the White Ribbon Day oath never to commit, to excuse or to remain silent about violence against women we are making a stand for our wives, for our girlfriends, for our daughters, for our mothers, for our aunties and for our female work colleagues,” Mr Chester told Parliament.
“We need to recognise that this is not a women’s problem, it is not a problem for the police and it is not a problem for community health workers; it is a problem for our nation.”
Anyone seeking further information should log on to www.whiteribbon.org.au