The worldwide campaign 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence begins on Saturday 25 November 2023 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and the campaign runs up until World Human Rights Day, 10 December 2023.
We are proud to join the 16 Days of Activism campaign and encourage everyone to work together to prevent violence against women.
How you can get involved
- Engage in awareness-raising activities and events in the community.
- Participate in the reimagined Walk against Family Violence 2023.
- Promote the leadership of women and girls.
- Borrow books from Bayside Library Services ’16 Days’ booklist.
The problem is local too – VAWG statistics in Bayside
- Family incidents reported within Bayside in the year 2023 were 797, a 4.6% increase from 2022.
- Five in ten family violence incidents within Bayside occurred between current or former partners.
- Across Victoria, women are three times more likely than men to experience violence from a current or former partner.
- The risk of violence was greater for women with intellectual/psychological disability than those without disability.
- 1 in 3 LGBTIQ+ people have experienced violence from a partner, ex-partner or family member.
Community attitudes matter
Findings from the National Community Attitudes Survey highlight the attitudes that are still prevalent in matters relating to gender-based violence.
- Many Australians do not think violence against women occurs in all communities including their own.
- 23% believed domestic violence is a normal reaction to day-to-day stress.
- Many Australians do not know where to get help, and only 2 in 5 respondents know how to access domestic violence services.
- 34% of respondents have a mistrust of women’s reports of violence.
A short history of 16 Days of Activism
On 25 November 1960, three sisters from the Dominican Republic were beaten to death and dumped at the bottom of a cliff by President Rafael Trujillo’s secret police. The Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa, who had been activists who actively opposed the cruelty and systematic violence of the Trujillo dictatorship, became symbols of the feminist resistance.
In commemorating their deaths, 25 November was declared International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Latin America in 1980. The United Nations formally recognised this international day in 1999.
The Mirabal Sisters, political activists whose deaths were commemorated with the establishment of The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Our role in preventing family violence
We are working towards a community free from family violence. We are committed to a community approach to prevent and support those affected. We continue to stand in partnership with the community to put an end to family violence.
