Shining a light on family violence

Council staff members Mel Fowler and Sarah Gradie are getting ready to highlight the role that gender inequality plays in driving family violence during the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
Council staff members Mel Fowler and Sarah Gradie are getting ready to highlight the role that gender inequality plays in driving family violence during the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

A stunning nightly light show on the facade of Castlemaine’s Town Hall will lead Mount Alexander Shire Council’s support for the annual global 16 Days of Activism campaign to end gender-based violence.
The light show, starting next Thursday November 25, will feature an artistic representation of the impact of family and gender-based violence in the shire.
In the last year alone, there were 201 incidents of family violence reported to the police in Mount Alexander Shire.
Council’s community projects officer Mel Fowler said the light show would be a visual vigil to acknowledge and show support for local families impacted by family violence and to encourage people to reflect on and address the causes.
“This campaign, led by the United Nations, aims to empower our communities and organisations to address gender inequalities and ultimately eradicate violence against women and girls,” Ms Fowler said.
“During the sixteen days we are inviting the community to be immersed in the beauty of the show and reflect on how we can come together to end gender-based violence and violence against women and children. See the Mail for more…

Lisa Dennis
Editor of the Castlemaine Mail newspaper and senior journalist on our sister paper the Midland Express. Over the last 24 years Lisa been proudly reporting news in the Mount Alexander and Macedon Ranges communities.