The Gunnedah Domestic and Family Violence Committee has been granted $1000 in funding for its upcoming Reclaim My Freedom Art Project to aid in the awareness and reduction of domestic violence in the area.
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Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson presented Gunnedah Family Support caseworker Mel McCulloch and manager Robyn Gallen with the funding on Monday.
“This grant enables the committee to hold two events,” Mr Anderson said.
“The first exhibition is to coincide with Reclaim The Night marches throughout Australia and will be held at the Creative Arts Gallery, with a series of T-shirts painted by women who have experienced domestic violence.”
In the event, to be held before the end of the year, the gallery will also be lined with T-shirts in varying sizes and colours numbered from 1-52 to represent the number of women killed by a partner or ex-partner each year.
The second event will be held on White Ribbon Day on November 25, with school students asked to participate in the lead up by creating an artwork based on two quotes from the declaration of human rights: “We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety”; and “We have a duty to other people and we should protect their rights and freedoms. Nobody can take these rights from us”.
Committee member and caseworker Mel McCulloch said the project aimed to change the conversation in regards to people’s safety.
“Everyone has a right to live in safety, we want those questions to change from ‘why doesn’t she leave?’ to ‘why does he have the right to hurt her?’,” Ms McCulloch said.
“One woman is killed every week in Australia through domestic violence and we need to raise the community awareness of such an important issue.”
Mr Anderson said the funds would assist the community in keeping victims of domestic violence and their children safe by raising awareness of local services they could access along with supporting at-risk perpetrators to seek help.
To contact Gunnedah Family Support phone 6742 1515.