Light a candle for violence

The West Gippsland Arts Centre forecourt will be lit up purple and a candlelight vigil held to remember of the lives of women and children lost to domestic and family violence on May 1.

The annual candlelight vigil was started by Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre and is held in communities around Australia on the first Wednesday in May to honour and remember the lives of women and children taken by domestic and family violence.

Gippsland consistently has some of Victoria’s highest rates of intimate partner and family violence.

According to the Gippsland Family Violence Alliance, Baw Baw is currently ranked 25th in the state for family violence police call-outs, with a 21.21 per cent increase in reported incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Baw Baw Shire is partnering with Quantum Support Services, Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault and Gippsland Women’s Health for the vigil to raise awareness of the high levels of domestic violence in the community. All three organisations will attend night to provide support.

Mayor Annemarie McCabe said encouraged community members to attend the vigil to publicly remember and honour the women and children who lost their lives because of family violence.

“Events like these serve to remind us that there is much work yet to do in moving towards a safer and more equitable Baw Baw Shire,” she said.

The vigil will be held in the forecourt at 6pm.

Community members are encouraged to get involved by sharing candlelight vigil social media posts across their platforms, using the hashtags: #LightACandle2024, #Vigil2024, #WeRememberYou, #NeverForgotten.