Akolade hosts event for breaking the cycle of domestic violence in the community

“Community power is the driving force for success.”

These are the words of Libby Davies, White Ribbon CEO, at Akolades recent event on domestic violence.

Third Sector attended Akolade’s event ‘ Breaking the Cycle of Domestic and Family Violence- Interagency response and intervention’ on Wednesday.

The conference looked at how frontline service providers can embed interagency response and intervention strategies in their organisations.

Jonty Bush is an anti-violence advocate, Young Australian of the Year 2009, and was in YMCA’S list of 125 most inspiring women.

Bush spoke about losing her sister and father to violence and strength in the face of adversity.

“Tough times bring hardships but they also offer an opportunity for reflection and new beginnings,” said Bush.

Bush said that in order to tackle the issue of violence against women, individuals need to unite together with strength and unity.

Alison McCann, National Manager at the Department of Human Services said, “we have three main priorities when tackling the issue of domestic violence; awareness, consistency and availability.”

“We will only be able to make a difference if we all work together.

“We embed our support for staff and customers- this needs to be an ongoing environment.”

Libby Davies, White Ribbon CEO said, “We get hardly any funds from the government, we are 90 cent funded by the community,”

“Men are now mobilised to stand up, speak out and act to drive positive social change.”

The event was an opportunity for professionals from the sector to get together and share their thoughts and opinions on ending violence against women.

Check out our twitter for coverage on the event https://twitter.com/ThirdSectorMag.