Candlelight Vigil to be held to remember victims of family violence

Safe Steps is acceptable to big its yearly Candlelight Vigil and is calling connected each Victorians to stand together arsenic they honour the lives mislaid to household and home violence.

The lawsuit will take spot connected Family Violence Remembrance Day (Wednesday 7 May) astatine the Family Violence Memorial Garden successful Melbourne.

Safe Steps, Victoria’s lone 24/7 support work for victim-survivors of Domestic Family Violence (DFV), stressed the value of holding such events to rise consciousness connected the issue.

The support work noted successful a property released that so acold successful 2025, 12 women and 5 children person been killed successful acts of household violence.

Since June 2024, 66 lives person been mislaid crossed Australia and incidents successful Victoria person reached an all-time high, rising 9.5 per cent successful the past year.

The support work noted that 28 per cent of calls to them are from radical from from culturally and linguistically divers backgrounds, with much than three callers requesting to speak successful Greek implicit the past 12 months.

“Many successful these communities look added barriers to seeking help, including constricted section support networks, connection difficulties, visa dependencies, and fearfulness of jeopardising their residency status,” they said successful their property release.

“Often, they are acold from household members who mightiness different supply support, expanding their isolation and vulnerability.”

Dr Chelsea Tobin, CEO of Safe Steps, stated that home and household violence is still a nationalist crisis, affecting 21 per cent of big Australians and leaving a devastating toll connected individuals, families, and communities.

The contented is seemingly not improving as, according to the Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, household incidents accrued by 9.5 per cent successful the past 12 months.

The household incidental complaint besides increased, up 7.1 per cent, reaching an all-time high. This follows an 11.3 per cent surge successful 2023, marking the highest reported incidents connected record.

The support work highlighted that victims tend to marque 7-12 attempts to permission their abuser, typically aft aggregate calls for help, illustrating an urgent request to rise consciousness astir available support services and guarantee victim-survivors cognize where to question help.

Safe Steps shared the story of 1 of thousands of Victorians they person helped successful Farah Mak, who was trapped successful an abusive narration that saw her go victim to verbal abuse, gaslighting, coercive control, and relentless belittling which escalated into carnal violence.

For 7 years, Farah battled systemic barriers and endured repeated breaches of involution orders.

“There’s a increasing request for a judicial process that doesn’t marque victims consciousness similar they’re perpetually warring to beryllium believed,” she said.

Farah besides highlights the ripple effect of violence, particularly connected children who transportation unseen scars.

“With the close support, similar that provided by Safe Steps, survivors tin transform their symptom into almighty stories of healing and empowerment,” Farah said.

*If you oregon a idiosyncratic you cognize is experiencing household oregon home violence, scope retired to Safe Steps astatine immoderate clip by calling 1800 015 188, emailing [email protected] or done unrecorded chat at safesteps.org.au/live-chat.