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Each week two women are killed in Australia by a current or former partner, but everyday conversations can help change that.
That’s why 120,000 coffee cups inscribed with messages linking gender inequality and violence against women will be used at more than 35 south-west cafes from Friday to challenge the status quo.
The orange cups, carrying messages such as, ‘All violence against women begins with disrespect’ and ‘You play like a girl … should not be an insult’ are part of 16 days of global activism starting on November 25 – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The vivid colour they bear signifies the movement.
It’s among a statewide campaign, sparked by the state government’s Royal Commission into Family Violence.
Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West executive officer Emily Lee-Ack said she hoped the messages got people talking.
“They’re not just about the experience of violence, they’re also about how we talk about women and girls, how we interact between each other and it’s just a bit of a prompt for people to think about what difference the things they say and do can make in everyday life, and to encourage them to have that conversation with other people as well,” she said.
Ms Lee-Ack said attitude change was crucial – particularly because gender inequality was recognised as a driver of violence against women.
“There can be all kinds of interventions in the community which seek to change the way that people behave, but without a fundamental shift in attitudes you’ll never see a sustained decrease in the rates of violence against women,” she said.
“Attitude change is a slow process – it doesn’t happen overnight and we certainly wouldn’t be assuming that any one thing is enough to remodel people’s life-long beliefs.
“Fundamentally, at its core, reducing gender inequity is important in itself, but at a community level it’s important because if we reduce gender inequality, we reduce violence against women and I think that’s an idea that everyone can get behind.”
Warrnambool police local area commander Gary Coombes said disrespect lies at the core of family violence.
“It is about (having) respect for one another. It’s about trying to equal that balance between male and female so we don’t have this unhealthy concept around the power part of a relationship,” he said.
Inspector Coombes said a culture shift was occurring, but there was a way to go.
“We would hope at the end of the day we get to a space where we’re not dealing with as many (cases) as we are at the moment,” he said.
The campaign, involving activities across the region and the state, ends on December 10. To show your support on social media, use #16dayscoffeecups
- Confidential domestic violence counselling is available on 1800 737 732.