The City of Boroondara is proud to be participating in the annual . The campaign aims to create awareness, facilitate conversations, and challenge the issues of violence against women and gender inequality.
This international campaign runs from 25 November to 10 December 2021 (). The campaign finishes on .
This year in Victoria, the 16 Days of Activism campaign will be focusing on the theme ‘Respect Women: Call It Out’. The campaign asks us to consider:
- what violence against women may look like
- safely taking action to call out inappropriate behaviour when we witness it.
Across the 16 days, we’ll be hosting a range of free online community workshops and activities to learn what gender-based violence means and how to support someone you may know experiencing violence.
Impact of COVID-19 on family violence
Family violence rates have increased in Boroondara during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the year ending March 2021, family violence reports to Boroondara police were up 16% with a total of 1,046 incidents reported.
Council is committed to working with Victoria Police and external agencies to prevent gender-based violence and stand together with the community on this important issue.
Council also actively participates in the Boroondara Family Violence Network, which provides an opportunity to collaborate with relevant agencies to address family violence in Boroondara.