Emma Pritchard
An estimated 100 participants walked from Memorial Park in Grafton, across the Clarence River to South Grafton and back again on November 29, dressed in bright purple shirts and holding up banners and signs to show together, they all say no to domestic and family violence and yes to respectful relationships.
Organised by members of Grafton Rotary Club and Grafton Midday Rotary, the community walk was held as part of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism (November 25 – December 10), an annual event aimed at preventing violence against women and young girls, with the initiative striving to bring attention to the pervasive issue of domestic and family violence, and to foster a culture of respect and safety within the Clarence Valley.
Grafton Midday Rotary President Elect Skye Sear said she was pleased to welcome so many people to the event last week, adding every step taken helped to make an impact and raise awareness of domestic and family violence.
During the morning, a spokesperson for Clarence River Domestic and Family Violence Services (CRDFVS) said the Clarence Valley is (sadly) placed amongst the top three areas in the state for reported domestic violence assaults and Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO) applications.
They said it is important for people to come together and act now, and to encourage community members to lobby politicians for stronger laws to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable while supporting survivors of domestic and family abuse and the organisations which assist them.
In October, the Clarence Valley Independent published an article revealing rates of domestic and family violence in the Coffs/Clarence Police District were 1.8 times the state average between April 2023 and March 2024 according to recent data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics ABS Personal Safety Survey 2021-2022, an estimated 1.5 percent of Australian women aged 18 and above had experienced violence by an intimate partner in the past 12 months, and the survey also revealed 1 in 4 women (27 percent) and 1 in 8 men (12 percent) in Australia had experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15.
Clarence Valley Council (CVC) Mayor Ray Smith also joined in the community walk last week and is encouraging locals to wear purple shirts to work each Friday in an ongoing show of solidarity against domestic and family violence throughout the region.
A free community breakfast will be held in the carpark at the Clarence Regional Library in Grafton between 6:30-9am on Wednesday, December 4 to raise further awareness of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. All are welcome to attend.