By Aston Brown
Community leaders and the public marched through Warwick Wednesday night, May 1, demanding an end to violence against women.
About 130 people gathered at the Warwick Town Hall before marching down Palmerin Street and then along Fitzroy Street. It was the largest turnout since the event began about a decade ago.
The rally concluded at Uniting Church Hall, where support worker, Jo Rathmell and Sgt Sharon Morgan spoke about their experiences with domestic violence.
Warwick Safe Haven, a local domestic violence support group that assists people accessing short-term emergency accommodation, organised the event.
Its president, Bette Bonney said the community support for the event was incredible. “It was an amazing crowd,” she told The Town and Country Journal. “We had great representation from our local police force, they are so supportive of everything we stand for in our community.”
“It was just a beautiful, reflective time,” she said, “Even those who feel too vulnerable to attend … it certainly gives them a great sense of support.”
The event followed mass protests across Australia last week in outrage over gender-based violence following the deaths of dozens of Australian women this year.
“We are making a stand, we want the community to make a stand, we are remembering those who have died from DV, those who have been impacted by it,” Ms Bonney said.
At least 27 Australian women have been killed so far this year with men alleged to have been involved in their deaths. That’s almost double the number of women killed compared to the same period last year.
“There were people there last night that had lost loved ones to DV. It’s about remembering those who have died and coming together as a community,” Ms Bonney said.
The rally coincided with a federal government announcement pledging almost $1 billion to help women leave violence relationships, including a new “leaving violence payment” of $5,000 to assist women escaping abuse.
Ms Bonney said Warwick Safe Haven is hoping to build on the momentum and host events in the future to raise awareness and address domestic violence.
“Watch this space, we’ll be out there looking for ways to support the community in the future … we want to work together with other organisations and make things happen.”
