The Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS) will mark 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November to 10 December) beginning today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

“It’s a day to stand in solidarity with people who have experienced violence,” DVCS CEO Sue Webeck said. “To say we hear you, we respect you, and we will commit to creating a safer world.

“As the only specialist family violence service in the ACT, DVCS knows the extent of the family violence crisis facing the Canberra community.

“Every week, hundreds of people call or text our crisis support line, seeking help around the violence they are experiencing. In the last two years, the number of Canberrans who access our services has increased from about 850 to nearly 1,100 per month.

“Family and domestic violence touches too many lives.

“Preventing violence starts with changing the culture that enables it. The root cause of violence is gender inequality, and how it intersects with sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia.”

Over the next 16 days, DVCS will host a series of events to raise awareness and support the broader Canberra community to understand domestic and family violence, and tackle the attitudes and behaviours that allow it to thrive.

• Monday 27 November: An online education session around the intersection of domestic and family violence and technology. Technology is increasingly being weaponised by users of violence to perpetrate control and abuse.
• Thursday 30 November: DVCS and family law firm Parker Coles Curtis will shed light on the diverse forms and risks of domestic and family violence in the LGBTIQA+ community, and the barriers LGBTIQA+ people face in seeking support.
• Monday 4 December: A panel discussion on the intersections of disability and domestic and family violence, in light of the findings of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.

All events are open to the community. More information is available at Events – DVCS.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family and domestic violence, you can call DVCS’s 24-Hour Crisis Line on 02 6280 0900.