CALL FOR AWARENESS OF RED FLAG FOR VIOLENCE

The Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, has joined with the Wagga Women’s Health Centre in encouraging the local community to get behind a new campaign raising awareness of coercive control of women. 

  
The advertising campaign, which can be accessed here, uses video, audio and static advertisements to show coercive control as a pattern of abusive behaviour.     

Dr McGirr, who attended the launch of the campaign in Sydney this week, said it was important that local people became more aware of the issue, amid an alarming spiral in attacks by men on women.  
  
“One of the really worrying facts around this problem is that 97 per cent of domestic homicide victims killed by intimate partners had been subject to coercive control prior to their deaths,” he said.  
  
“This pattern of abusive behaviour can obviously lead to horrific attacks on women, so I think it’s very important for local people to know more about the behaviour and think about how it can escalate into tragedies that should be avoidable.” 
  
Wagga Women’s Health Centre director Johanna Elms has welcomed the awareness campaign as a positive measure among many needed to reduce violence against women. 
  
“The NSW government has shown leadership in launching this campaign. Locally, I believe there is a great opportunity for the Riverina to be an important regional leader in addressing violence against women in the community,” she said. 
  
“We have a very engaged community, as seen through the powerful response to our letter-writing campaign from last weekend’s ‘No More’ rally and together we can find ways of funding and leading efforts that will keep regional women and children safe.” 
  
Dr McGirr said local support for raising awareness of coercive control was a strong action that begins immediately. 
  
“It’s a confronting message but I encourage our community to look out for the ads on television and to share them with friends on social media so that we can all learn about the danger signs in coercive relationships,” he said. 
  
Coercive control may include financial abuse, threats against loved ones or pets, tracking someone’s movements or isolating them from friends and family.  
  
The importance of an awareness campaign on this topic was highlighted by market research that showed 32 percent of respondents had not heard of the term coercive control, and only 26 percent had both heard the term and understood what it meant. 
  
Dr McGirr said greater awareness could help to protect women at risk.  

“This is about the whole community learning more about the dangerous nature of this type of abuse and together, I think we can all play our part in protecting women by understanding more about the types of threats women can face,” he said. 
  
Ms Elms said greater community awareness would help to bring about change. 
  
“My message is, please be inquisitive about this issue. Learn about it, discuss it with family and friends and if you become aware that people are at risk, know that coercive control is a crime and that support services are available, including 1800 RESPECT or the WWHC as a first point of call,” she said.  
  
Under new laws coming into effect from 1 July, perpetrators of coercive control can face a maximum of seven years in prison.  
  

Help can be found online at https://waggawomen.org.au/black-and-blue/