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Police say their time and resources are being swamped dealing with the aftermath of domestic abuse – now, Women’s Health Loddon Mallee has laid out a plan to try and prevent violence in the home before it occurs.
“In an equitable world we wouldn't be dealing with this issue – because violence against women wouldn't occur,” health promotion leader Makenna Byron said.
“There's a really clear link between the prevalence of violence and gender inequity.”
Ms Byron was speaking at the launch of The Loddon Mallee Action Plan today, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day.
“Our role, and the report’s purpose, is making a difference in women’s lives before violence emerges – we focus on primary conditions like gender inequality,” she said.
Bendigo Police Sergeant Margaret Singe told the Bendigo Advertiser responding to that violence consumed up to 70 per cent of police time in the region.
“So much of our day is spent dealing with family violence,” Sergeant Singe said.
“It’s not just responding to an incident, it’s the follow up reports, it’s the referrals, it’s the intervention orders...”
To prevent relationships getting to the stage that requires police intervention, the Women’s Health report offers a five-point action strategy. They include the goal to strengthen and mobilise community leadership, enact workplace change and develop public awareness campaigns.
The plan also lays out four strategies focused on support, including conducting more research and establishing a stewardship group to lead, govern and monitor the action plan.
“We’ll be doing action research on this in the next year-and-a-half, we're having groups in the north, south, east and west of Loddon Mallee that will be coming together to put together action groups and we will be supporting those organisations throughout that period,” Ms Byron said.
“Once that time has wrapped up, we will then do an evaluation.”
Make contact with Women’s Health to join or start your local action group, Ms Byron said.
“There’s a lot of power in doing something for the community, by the community.”
Representatives from council, the AFL, the CFA and community groups gathered at the Women’s Health Loddon Mallee offices this morning to acknowledge the good work done to tackle violence against women and children – and recognise how much more still needed to be done.
CEO Linda Beilharz presented mayor Rod Fyffe with a plaque in recognition of council’s decision to sign up to a regional action plan for the prevention of violence against women earlier this year.
“We do see it as a highly significant action because that kind of leadership is going to contribute to reduced levels of violence in our region,” Ms Beilharz said.
She also said the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – ‘pledge for parity’ – was particularly relevant in our region, which has the second highest incidence of reported family violence in the state.
“For us at Women's Health that pledge for parity, it might be focusing on pay equity, but we think of it in more broad terms and know that we've got a lot more work to do.”