May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month – and at a recent candlelight vigil for survivors outside the Logan Entertainment Centre, I had a chance to reflect on what that means for our city.
On average this year, a man kills a woman in Australia every four days.
At that rate, we can expect more than 90 women to be killed by men this year.
This is not the society we want to be living in and we need to do everything we can to change it.
Women just want to be safe, to go about their day without fear, and live without being hurt or killed.
These are not unreasonable demands in a country like Australia or anywhere in the world, but a fundamental human right to live safely and without fear.
Sexual, domestic and family violence, especially coercive control, is overwhelmingly committed by men.
Often, they are men like me, who are well spoken, successful, ‘good blokes’ who no one would ever suspect.
It means men like me also have a critical role to play in breaking the cycle of violence and control, and that starts with standing up at times like these and calling for change.
A large portion of men who are using violence in their relationship have never had their beliefs or actions challenged by another man in their life.
When this happens, we need to be asking difficult questions of our mates, our peers and our family members.
My commitment is that I will call out any ‘joke’ or comment which degrades or devalues women.
By challenging such thinking, we can make meaningful change and save lives.
Let’s not forget to call it what it is. If we remove the words domestic and family, it’s violence, plain and simple.
And that’s not what I think about, when I think of Logan.
For the rest of this month, lights around our city will be purple as an important symbol of support and recognition.
Not just for victims and survivors – but for all women.
Change is on the way and everyone here is a part of that. We all have a responsibility to make sure you’re safe.
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