THE task of reducing family violence in Melbourne’s west has received the welcome boost of a $600,000 state government grant.
Women’s Health West (WHW) will use the funding to roll out a United: Working Together to Prevent Violence Against Women in the West program to tackle factors causing men to commit violence against women.
The program will build on partnerships with local government, ISIS Primary Care, Djerriwarrh Community Health Service, Western Region Health Centre, and Doutta Galla Community Health Service.
WHW health promotion worker Ellen Kleimaker said an extra worker would be employed to work with the partners on improving policies that promoted greater respect for women and gender equity.
Practical steps will include making workplaces more accommodating for women and gauging attitudes about violence in the home among workers.
“We are a fairly violence-tolerant society and we have become accepting of a lot of violence,” Ms Kleimaker said. She said violence in the home was based on power imbalances that must be addressed at every level of society.
Violence against women is the state’s leading cause of ill health and premature death in women aged 15-44, a VicHealth study shows.
Crime figures show women in Melbourne’s west are at higher risk of violence from their partners than the state average.
Another WHW health promotion worker, Erin Richardson, said social inequality between women and men often drives the violence.
“The only way to prevent it is to improve gender equity and achieve cultural change,” she said. “For this type of work to be effective it must be long-term, sustained, planned and funded, and that’s what funding this project enables us to do.”
A total of $4.8 million was provided by the government in Reducing Violence Against Women and their Children grants.
Crime Prevention Minister Andrew McIntosh said family violence was the standout crime of concern to communities in every region.
