The south-west community has done its bit in throwing support behind the campaign, but when the leading cause of death, disability and illness for Australian women aged 15-44 is still intimate partner violence, a lot of work remains to be done.

The 16-day campaign began on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (also White Ribbon Day in Australia) and finishes today, on Human Rights Day.

Organisations and individuals across the region worked hard to instigate conversations about violence against women, including Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West, which distributed 120,000 vibrant orange coffee cups to cafes bearing messages challenging gender inequality.

The organisation’s executive officer Emily Lee-Ack said she had been “completely overwhelmed” by the community response to the campaign, which she said was down to individuals taking time to think about the role of their own attitudes and behaviour.

Data released earlier this year showed Warrnambool saw a 16.1 per cent increase in family violence incidents between the 2015 and 2016 financial years.

At the time, Warrnambool local area commander Gary Coombes said police were putting more effort into challenging family violence, with a crucial focus on addressing underlying causes such as changing men’s attitudes around violence.

Beyond the crucial safety and wellbeing of Australian women and girls, there is an economic case to be made as well.

In March, findings from the unprecedented Royal Commission into Family Violence revealed gender inequality was a key driver of violence against women.

That means factors such as the gender pay gap, the lack of women in leadership roles and limited opportunities for women in sport all contribute to the problem.

According to the state government, family violence costs the Victorian economy more than $3.4 billion each year, and closing Australia’s gender employment gap, which includes the pay gap and the number of women in the paid workforce, would provide our GDP with an 11 per cent boost.

The message is clear – addressing gender inequality will improve our society.

Now it’s the community’s turn to carry that message forward and help create a world that is safe and fair for everyone.