A simple-looking house tucked away in a quiet Warrnambool side street served as a powerful symbol for a crowd that gathered outside it on Friday morning.
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The house, the starting point of a walk against violence led by Emma House, was the region’s first domestic violence shelter in the 1970s, providing a safe space for women and children escaping abusive situations.
The event on Friday was one of the last in the region to contribute to a 16-day global campaign challenging violence against women, which draws to a close on Saturday.
The campaign began on November 26, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and involved a swathe of activities and awareness-raising efforts across the entire region.
Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West executive officer Emily Lee-Ack said she felt the campaign had been “extremely successful”.
The organisation distributed coffee cups bearing messages about gender and violence through the region.
“The 16 days of activism is all about ensuring that people understand the link between gender inequity and violence,” she said.
“We’re having conversations within the community that at other times we simply wouldn’t have had. The feedback that we’ve had across all the activities we’ve been involved in … all of those things have started conversations between friends, family members and colleagues about what it is we do every day that either can contribute to or prevent violence within our community.”