White Ribbon Day co-founder Michael Kaufman has implored Whittlesea’s men to stand up and speak out to prevent violence against women.
Mr Kaufman joined mayor Ricky Kirkham at the city’s White Ribbon Day event on November 24, helping to spread the message of ending family violence.
Whittlesea has one of the highest family violence rates in the state, with 2868 incidents reported to police in 2015-16 – a 4.1 per cent increase from 2014-15.
Attendees pledged to do their part to put an end to violence against women.
Cr Kirkham said Whittlesea’s family violence rate was unacceptable.
“Violence against women is the leading cause of death and disability in women aged 15-45 years [in Australia],” he said.
“The cost of violence against women is extremely high in our community and it’s something we are passionate about changing.”
