I suspect there was not a dry eye in the country last night, listening to the courageous Rosie Batty accept the Australian of the Year Award. It is unimaginable how this person could have the strength to become one of Australia’s leading advocates on domestic and family violence, having lost her son Luke at the hands of her violent ex-partner less than 12 months ago.
Just in case you missed it, in her acceptance speech, Rosie listed a range of statistics – statistics which may shock you, including:
– One in six women has experienced physical or sexual abuse by a current or former partner
– One in four children has experienced family violence
– At least one woman a week is killed at the hands of a partner or former partner
– In Australia, a 2004 study commissioned by the Office for the Status of Women, estimates that the annual cost of domestic violence to the Australian economy was over $8 billion
And as horrified as we were when Luke Batty was killed, as sad as we feel for how our systems let down Rosie, and so many women like her, research also shows that as a community, there are still a lot of misperceptions about violence against women. Here are just a few from the 2014 Vic Health Survey on attitudes:
– 1 in 10 people believe it is a woman’s duty to stay in a violent relationship
– nearly 20 percent of people believe that if a woman is raped when she is drunk it is her fault
– Up to 1 in 5 people believe that there are circumstances in which women bear some responsibility for violence. There has been no change since 2009.
If we are ever going to eliminate violence against women, we need to change the way the community understands power, control and gender inequality. In a society where one in 10 people believe a woman should stay in a violent relationship out of ‘duty’ it is not hard to understand how so many women find it impossible to leave.
If we are serious about eliminating violence, we must:
– Address the root causes of gender inequality and the lower status of women in all spheres of life. Whether it is in the economy or in the political sphere, women continue to be disadvantaged and marginalized. Instead, we need families, communities and nations where women and men are equally valued and where women can participate fully.
– Fund better services for women surviving violence. Hotlines, shelters, legal advice, access to justice, counselling, police protection, and health services should be readily available, without fear of stigmatization or discrimination.
– Prioritise accurate reporting, better data collection, and strengthened analyses of risk and prevalence factors. Data should also be used to raise community awareness of the prevalence of violence.
– Ask men and boys to stand up against violence, denounce it, and stop it. Male leaders, including traditional and religious leaders, must show the way. They must support efforts to end impunity and ensure justice for those attacked. UN Women has launched #HeForShe, a global campaign to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights. Close to 200,000 men have already signed up. We need men who believe in gender equality to take action now.
– Boys and girls must be educated about respectful relationships and be brought up to understand that violence against women is not ever acceptable
I am the first to call for adequate, if not significant, government funding for these services and programs, but I think it is important to recognise that Government cannot solve this issue alone. The private sector has a role in educating employees, ensuring that workplaces are safe spaces for women experiencing violence to raise their voice. Every large Australian company should be supporting a local shelter or awareness campaign. Individuals, like you and I, can also invest in a future for our children that is not characterised by violence – by donating to a women’s organisation which is working to support women experiencing violence.
Rosie – your courage is inspiring. If it falters, we will be there, supporting you. 2015 is a year when we will stand beside you to ensure that women experiencing domestic and family violence receive the respect, support and services they deserve. Violence against women is not inevitable. It is not something that we are ignorant of – not anymore. It is part of every community. It is part of our lives – and each of us must take responsibility for ending it. Rosie Batty – we stand with you.