By DANIELLE GALVIN
FAMILY violence is not just a policing issue and councils must work together to curb the worrying trends in the south-east.
That’s the message from Richard Amon, the co-chair of the Casey Men’s Action team, who said the group had been meeting for two years to respond to the issue.
Mr Amon, who is also the City of Casey manager of Sport and Leisure, said the statistics were damning and that he felt “personally challenged” to address it.
Cardinia Shire mayor Graeme Moore, Crime Prevention Minister Ed O’Donohue and Mr Amon were among the speakers at the Men’s White Ribbon Day breakfast in Pakenham on Monday.
He said that when the issue was first raised, the group met in cognito and on their breaks.
“There were a number of questions raised – is it a policing issue? Is this our business?”
Men at the event signed the south east metropolitan sub regional accord to prevent men’s violence against women. By signing, each pledged their commitment to prevent such violence and to challenge behaviour from others that leads to it.
Casey mayor Geoff Ablett believes the project will help to improve the region’s troubling family violence statistics. He said there was hope for change with the Challenge Family Violence project.
“Twenty male mentors and 70 male community leaders are participating in the project from across our three municipalities, many of them here at today’s breakfast,” he said.
“These leaders come from many different backgrounds and vocations, including health, law enforcement, education, faith, government and business. All are being trained to confront behaviours which lead to violence against women.”
Mr Amon said the council had changed its thinking and there was a number of ways to address the issue.
“I have been able to apply it in my current role as manager for Sport and Leisure,” he said.
When the organisers of the Lingerie Football League approached the council to host the grid-iron game in Casey, Mr Amon said he knew it was not appropriate to support such an event in the municipality.
He said he found the event demeaning to women and not female-friendly.
There was also a greater focus within Casey council about the need to recognise staff who might be dealing with family violence.
Casey Inspector Wayne Viney said family violence was not just a problem for the police.
“As some people would have you think it is not your stereo typical beer-drinking, low socio-economic thug,” he said.
“I know of several extremely well-respected men within the broader community who have recently been perpetrators of violence against women and children.
“If there was 7185 reports of random violence in our streets there would be a community outcry, and rightly so.
“So why does the community tolerate this constant violence against women and children behind closed doors?”
Mr Amon said he had found most men were very concerned about the problem in the region.
