16 Days: Call to Action – Day 2 – Write your local Council – what ARE their current policies around Violence against Women? (template attached)

Violence against Women takes many forms.  Here in Australia it is primarily in the form of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault and it IS AN EPIDEMIC. Think we are being dramatic?

Have a look at some facts and figures recently compiled from Our Watch website (and well worth the read);

• On average, at least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner in Australia.¹  
• One in three Australian women has experienced physical violence, since the age of 15.² 
• One in five Australian women has experienced sexual violence.²
• One in four Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.²
• One in four Australian women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner.³
• Women are at least three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner.⁴ 
• Women are five times more likely than men to require medical attention or hospitalisation as a result of intimate partner violence, and five times more likely to report fearing for their lives.⁵ 
• Of those women who experience violence, more than half  have children in their care.⁶ 
• Violence against women is not limited to the home or intimate relationships. Every year in Australia, over 300,000 women experience violence – often sexual violence – from someone other than a partner.⁷ 
• Eight out of ten women aged 18 to 24 were harassed on the street in the past year.⁸ 
• Young women (18 – 24 years) experience significantly higher rates of physical and sexual violence than women in older age groups.⁹ 
• There is growing evidence that women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence.¹⁰  
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience both far higher rates and more severe forms of violence compared to other women.¹¹

So, how are local government policies aligning with current moves toward reducing these statistics? Are they helping or hindering? Time to ask the question.

See attached a template letter in word format to assist you in contacting your local Council.

template-letter-to-council-2016