Dokic to speak at launch of anti-violence campaign

TENNIS star and commentator Jelena Dokic will speak at the launch of Bendigo’s 16 Days of Activism campaign on Monday.

The annual program runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November to Human Rights Day on 10 December, and is overseen globally by UN Women.

The Bendigo launch featuring Dokic will take place from 5pm to 7pm at the Ulumbarra Theatre.

A calendar of local events and activities has been released by the Greater Bendigo Against Family Violence group, and copies are available from library branches or can be downloaded at bendigo.vic.gov.au/events.

Apart from Monday’s launch, other events will include the opening of an art exhibition called The Future is in Our Hands at the Pennyweight Outdoor Story Gallery on 27 November, a ‘Walk for Respect’ at Barrack Reserve in Heathcote on 29 November, and various pop-up displays in and around the city until 10 December.

The ‘respect is’ displays will be at venues including Bendigo Marketplace, Lansell Square, libraries, neighbourhood houses and Red Energy Arena.

Greater Bendigo Against Family Violence committee chair Margaret Singe said this year’s campaign encourages the community to work together to prevent gender-based violence.

“We recognise all victims of gender-based violence but predominantly 80 per cent of victims are women,” Ms Singe said.

“One woman is killed every seven to 10 days in Australia by a partner or ex-partner and this statistic has not changed in a number of years.

“In Greater Bendigo, police attend approximately six incidents of gender-based violence a day.

“We encourage the community to attend our events and activities as this is a way for them to be better informed in relation to gender-based violence to know where to go for help either for themselves or for family and friends.

“Gender-based violence is prevalent in our community. It is preventable and something seen or heard at one of our events could be a step towards prevention.

“We need to continue trying to progress a future where all community members are safe, equal and respected.”

More information about the Bendigo campaign is available at the facebook.com/GBAAgainstFamilyViolence page.