The city’s riverside will shine a light on domestic violence as it turns purple for the month of May, acknowledging Domestic and Family Violence Awareness (Prevention) Month.
CEO of Rockhampton Regional Council, Evan Pardon, said the organisation takes a strong stance against domestic violence and is committed to working together with the community, organisations and the police to address and raise awareness of the issue.
“Today marks National Domestic and Family Violence Remembrance, and while we can’t go out in force to raise awareness during this time, lighting Quay Street purple for the month of May is one way of showing our stance against domestic violence and a reminder that it should not be a hidden issue,” Mr Pardon said.
“The statistics for domestic violence are horrific and speak for themselves. Where we can, we want to play our part alongside local organisations who support victims and help raise awareness.”
On average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner, 1 in 6 Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence, and 1 in 4 have experience emotional abuse by a current or former partner.
Meanwhile, 1 in 19 Australian men experience physical abuse at the hands of a current or former partner.
“We know that this is an issue that affects people behind closed doors, and with a workforce of around 900 people, we are aware of our responsibility to our staff and the wider community to take a firm and public stance on the issue,” Mr Pardon said.
“That’s why Council made it mandatory for all staff to attend a session on domestic violence prevention and awareness late last year so that we can be educated on how prevalent this issue is and ways in which we can address it.”
The lights will remain purple on Quay Street until the end of May, with the exception of Wednesday 8 May when the lights will turn teal for the Light Up for Cancer – World Ovarian Cancer Day.
To contact the 24 hour Domestic Violence Helpline call 1800 811 811.
Statistics are sourced from https://www.dvconnect.org/.
