Domestic violence is the leading cause of preventable death, disability and illness for Victorian women aged 15 to 44 – and Brimbank council wants to change that.
The council has promised to promote gender equality in its draft plan to prevent violence against women.
The plan, released last week, said councils, including Brimbank, were working towards changing workplace culture and social norms to address the underlying causes of violence against women.
“Due to some social structures, traditions, stereotypical attitudes and behaviours about women and their role in society, the opportunities for women to realise the same rights and privileges as men are often limited,” the draft plan states.
Under the five-year plan, the council proposes to embed gender equity into plans, policies, programs and services; provide more leadership opportunities for female council staff and measure community attitudes towards violence against women through the council’s community survey.
The draft plan comes six months after Fiona Joy Warzywoda was stabbed to death in a daylight attack on the corner of Hampshire and Devonshire roads in Sunshine.
Her partner, Craig McDermott, has been charged with murder and is awaiting trial.
Victoria Police crime statistics for the 2013-14 financial year reveal 957 family violence incidents were reported across Brimbank.
Brimbank’s top cop, Inspector Chris Gilbert, said it was good to see more reporting of family violence, but police wanted to see actual offending decline.
Council administrator Jane Nathan said violence against women was a pervasive and costly problem. “We need to ensure that violence in the home is seen as not acceptable, not only in Brimbank, not only in Victoria and not only in Australia,” she said.
Administrators chairman John Watson, who is involved in a mayors’ campaign to raise awareness of violence against women, agreed.
“It’s a very, very important subject and something that needs to be improved immediately,” he said.
