The book, titled #MeToo: Stories from the Australian movement, gives a local context to the international movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault.

While the movement gained traction in places like Hollywood and on social media, two of the anthology's editors - Miriam Sved and Christie Nieman - said the book delved into gendered violence in all its forms.

"It was an open submission for this book so we were led by the stories that came in," Ms Sved said. "We wanted to be led by the stories.

"Many of the stories that came in were about domestic situations - they were about family violence, many of them involved childhood trauma, and these things that don't get much of an airing in that Hollywood context."

Read more: Victoria Police responding to more family violence cases across Bendigo, central Victoria

Ms Nieman and Ms Sved spoke about the new anthology at the Bendigo Library on Thursday.

Ms Nieman, who lives and works in Castlemaine, said the group of editors made a conscious effort to look at regional and rural Australia.

"We were very careful about the stories we were assembling in this book," she said. "We were looking to find those stories that aren't often told.

"The inner city, metropolitan, white women in the work place - those are the stories that we're being told over and over. So for us that meant seeking out regional stories.

"We have Fleur McDonald in the book. She's one of Australia's leading authors on rural fiction, but she's also started an organisation called Breaking the Silence, which is about helping people in family violence situations in rural areas.

"So we really wanted to look to that. And I think the fact of it being a book and being an actual object that people can take home and have in their houses, it at least gives company, awareness, and solidarity. I think that has to count to something."

Victoria Police data released earlier this week showed central Victorian family violence cases have increased by more than 20 per cent in the past year.

Ms Nieman said while movements like #MeToo called out violence and inequality, the solution to the greater issue needed to be a twofold approach.

"It needs to be a pincer move - we need to come at it from both ends," she said.

"I think we need to develop a culture of storytelling and listening to women. But I also think we need to come at it from the other side and change legislation, systems, and opportunities for gender equity to be enacted.

"So we need to cultivate the will in the community and in our culture, and we need to put the structures in place to make it possible."

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