Women in much of the South East feel less safe than the state average, says the organiser of a forum on preventing violence against women.
Kit McMahon, chief executive of Women’s Health in the South East, said police call out data showed that the violence was increasing in the region but recently, it had dropped in some pockets.
“We … know from publicly available data on perceptions of safety, that in six out of the 10 municipalities in the South East women report feeling less safe than the state average.”
An upcoming community forum Preventing Violence Together invites the public and practitioners to focus on what works and what can be done better, Ms McMahon said.
One of the aims is for more collaboration and partnerships between health services, councils and non-government organisations to help prevent violence.
“The partnership represents the key people on the ground in the region making a difference and taking action,” Ms McMahon said.
“We are very much looking forward to the outcomes of the forum and to supporting our partners to continue their great work, finding more ways to prevent violence against women and making the South East safer for all women in our community.”
The forum’s key speaker is VicHealth programs group executive manager Kirstan Corben.
The forum is at Springvale City Hall supper room, 397-405 Springvale Road, Springvale on Wednesday 8 May, 10am-1pm.
Register at https://bit.ly/2GJEM4T
