By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
BLOKES, competing fiercely on the soccer field, will be leading the charge to extinguish family violence off the field.
On Sunday, 13 teams will be vying for two White Ribbon Cup trophies in Dandenong – the day before White Ribbon Day.
The event will bring together a police side with teams of Afghani, Sudanese, Persian, Burmese, Tamil and Australian-born players.
Many of the men, who had not heard of White Ribbon, have become enthusiastic for the concept.
All will sign an oath “never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women”.
Some have been signed up as White Ribbon ambassadors to spread the word in their communities.
Men’s peer-pressure is a key ingredient to ending the family violence scourge said organiser Joanna Palatsides of the Nikolaos Institute of Philanthropy.
“The aim is for men to get the message out to other men – violence is not OK.”
Ms Palatsides has been a victim of domestic violence – believed to affect three in five women.
It can include physical violence as well as emotional and financial domineering.
She said “standing up” now heals the trauma caused by her ex-partner’s brutality 20 years ago.
“Back in those days, we didn’t have the support of police. There wasn’t the publicity around it. You didn’t talk about it. People said it must be your fault.
“My parents said to me to go overseas for a year. Come back and it will be OK.
“But it became a nasty incident. The relationship had finished but then there was stalking and an attempted kidnap.”
She said she didn’t take out an intervention order because she was “terrified by the police”.
Police, who have set up a dedicated family violence unit, are more proactive and supportive to victims now, but newly-arrived women perhaps suffer the same apprehension, Ms Palatsides said.
“When I look at women from other communities now with a lack of English language, I can see a similar situation. Do they know where to go? Do they know there’s support?
“The police are absolutely amazing. They take it seriously. Women shouldn’t be afraid of them.
“The main thing any victim should do is contact the police.”
Ms Palatsides has also organised an art exhibition Behind the Veil to highlight the issue.
It is at Laurel Lodge, Heritage Hill, 66 McCrae Street, Dandenong, 22 November to 6 December.
The White Ribbon Cup is at Pop Up Park, Foster Street, Dandenong, on Sunday, 10am-3pm.
Skills clinics will be provided for underage players on the day.
