Vigil to highlight family violence impacts

The West Gippsland Arts Centre will be lit up purple tonight for a candlelight vigil in memory of those killed by domestic and family violence.
The event will begin in the WGAC forecourt at 6pm and include an address from Baw Baw Shire mayor Annemarie McCabe.
The event is led by Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre, Victoria's state-wide response service for women, young people and children experiencing family violence, and is presented in collaboration with Gippsland Women's Health.
Vigils will be held state-wide in an effort to draw attention to the issue and will be highlighted on social media with the hashtag "LightACandle2023".
Community members are also encouraged to get involved by sharing candlelight vigil social media posts across their platforms, using additional hashtags: #GippslandFreeFromViolence #CandlelightVigil.
Local businesses and organisation are also collaborating and as part of the Gippsland Free From Violence initiative, will light up public spaces in purple.
In the past 10 years in Australia, one woman has been killed almost every week and one child killed each fortnight as a result of domestic and family violence. According to Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre, the vigil provides a space for people to come together to grieve for them, share messages of hope, and ensure that those represented in the statistics are never forgotten.
Cr McCabe said council was "proud" to collaborate with Gippsland Women's Health and Safe Steps to honour and remember those who have lost their lives to family violence.
"Events like these serve to remind us that there is much work yet to do in moving towards a safer Baw Baw Shire," she said.
"I invite community members to join us at the event in memory of the women and children who are no longer with us because of family violence."
Gippsland consistently has some of Victoria's highest rates of intimate partner and family violence. Victoria Police recorded 928 family violence-related call outs in Baw Baw in 2022, which is a 7.5 per cent decrease from comparable recorded incidents in 2021. This puts Baw Baw at number 30 out of 79 local government areas in Victoria for family violence responses.
The WGAC vigil will conclude at 6.45pm.
If you are experiencing family violence, please contact Safe Steps on 1800 015 188, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in immediate danger, please contact police on 000.
If you are concerned about your behaviour, please contact the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491.