16 Days in WA: Shire of Dardanup unveils purple benches to honour memory of domestic violence victims

In a bid to honour the memory of women killed as a result of domestic violence, a South West council has thrown its support behind an annual anti-domestic violence campaign utilising purple park benches. The Shire of Dardanup this week unveilled three bright and symbolic purple benches in Eaton to show support for the upcoming 16 Days in WA to Stop Violence Against Women campaign. The installation of purple benches in public parks to honour the memory of women killed as a result of family and domestic violence started in Canada 25 years ago and caught on in Australia and around WA with many local governments showing support. Dardanup Shire president Mick Bennett said there had been a necessary increase in attention to family and domestic violence in recent times as well as recognition of the role local governments could play in shaping the culture and attitudes of their communities through services and initiatives run at a local level. “As the closest level of government to the community, local governments are uniquely positioned to have these conversations with our community and to help raise awareness about initiatives to reduce violence against women,” he said. This year’s 16 Days in WA to Stop Violence Against Women campaign calls on everyone in the community to play a role in calling out violence and bad behaviour. While not all disrespect leads to violence, all violence starts with disrespect. The initiative was started by the State Government in 2017 and aims to raise awareness, motivate positive action and highlight organisations, agencies, communities and individuals taking action to end violence against women. Police statistics show WA recently recorded a 10-year high in reported incidents of domestic violence, mirroring national trends which saw spikes in FDV associated with the pandemic and particularly extended periods of lockdown.