Many Australians like you are deeply concerned about the high rates of violence against women and children in our country. That’s why it is crucial that we focus on prevention.
In addition to ensuring responses that prioritise women’s and children’s safety, Women's Forum Australia is particularly concerned about identifying and treating the root causes behind domestic violence in our nation.
This includes addressing some of the serious underlying issues that men are facing, such as drugs and alcoholism or abuse they may have suffered themselves, as well as the things in our wider culture that promote violence against women.
This is not to remove responsibility from men, but rather to recognise that until we address these deeper problems in our society, we will never be able to properly tackle the issue of domestic violence.
While men are also affected by domestic violence, the victims are overwhelmingly women and their children, and the perpetrators are overwhelmingly men. Women are not only disproportionately affected by violence in their private lives, but also in public, whether by physical, sexual or emotional assault or harassment.
Violence against women and their children is everybody's problem, as it not only has immense and long-term consequences for their health and wellbeing, but also for families, communities and society as a whole.
That’s why Australia must do more to stop violence against women, by addressing the root causes of the issue and ensuring that perpetrators are held to account for their actions.
Sign your name today, and show that you want women in Australia to be safe from violence and harassment.
Rachael Wong
CEO | Women’s Forum Australia