An anti-violence event on Sunday night has highlighted the 698 incidents of family violence reported in Horsham last year – 44 more than the previous year – and heard from survivors and support agencies.

Wimmera Committee Against Family Violence’s Shine the Light campaign, which started at Horsham’s Ward Street with a torchlit walk to Sawyer Park, aims to raise community awareness and understanding of male violence against women and children.

Speaking at the event, WCAFV member and family violence survivor Simone O’Brien said  to save women, men needed to be helped through education during early adolescence.

“There are good men out there, I do want to reiterate that, but at present, to save women, we do need to help men,” she said.

“I want to implement domestic violence in education, that’s where we need to make a change. 

“We can look at it in a positive way and turn it around to a conversation. We don’t have to creep around about domestic violence, people are not alone. 

“Speaking to men’s behaviour change programs, one guy self-referred because he could see himself doing to his partner and his five-year-old, what his dad used to do to him and his mum when he was five.”

Ms O’Brien said her passion for highlighting family violence and changing laws to allow transparency, resulted from a violent  attack that left her critically injured.

“I’m trying to implement different changes – I’ve just had the Federal Government approve a petition for Clare’s Law, which is the right to ask and the right to know if your partner has a history of violence or abuse,” she said.

“My message is to please report, speak up, let’s keep working with domestic violence and work together to help stamp out domestic violence.”

WCAFV committee chair Geoff Miller said there were 98,816 reported family violence incidents in Victoria last year and more than 250,000 reported family violence incidents across Australia, of which 91 women and children did not survive.

“Tonight’s event provides a space for people to come together to grieve for those lost as a result of family violence,” he said. 

“It’s an opportunity to share messages of hope and ensure we never forget the people behind the shocking family violence statistics.”

Horsham police family violence unit’s Mitchell Gallop and Alex Baldock spoke to their roles. 

Ms Baldock said in the past 12 months there were 472 breaches of family violence intervention orders reported to Horsham police. 

“That is 472 times a victim survivor has had incredible courage to stand up and call out a perpetrator,” she said. 

“We turn fear into power by having evenings like tonight, so I thank you all for coming.”

WCAFV has shared the night’s video presentation on its Facebook page – it honoured those who lost their lives last year as a result of family violence, and featured messages from Horsham-based support agencies as well as a song written and performed by Georges Hall Public School in an Outlook project.

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