Call out disrespect to prevent domestic violence, advocate says at Murray Bridge vigil

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We all need to speak up to prevent domestic violence, campaigner Glyn Scott says – and she should know.

Her teenage and early adult years, in the 1960s, were marked by violence at the hands of her then husband.

Only in 2012 did she win a landmark victory in the High Court, overturning a legal tradition which held that it was not possible to commit rape within a marriage.

So when she spoke at a domestic violence vigil on Murray Bridge’s riverfront last Wednesday, it was with a steely resolve.

“It’s a necessity that we call people out when they speak against women and against female children,” she said.

“It happens on the football field, it happens in workplaces, it happens everywhere.

“We need to make sure that when we hear it, we do something about it, because if we let it go then that’s the chance that somebody’s life is at risk.”

Around Australia, 18 women have died at the hands of their partners so far in 2022.

About 20 people cast roses into the River Murray during Wednesday’s vigil – police and community workers, public servants and teenagers – lamenting their loss.

Linda Martin, a member of the Murray Bridge Regional Collaboration on Violence Against Women and Children, read a poem.

Another member, Reg Budarick, reminded those present that moves were underway to establish a domestic violence memorial somewhere along the river.

The littlest actions could make a difference, Ms Scott said: checking on people, asking how they were going, giving them an opportunity to open up about their experiences if they chose.

Every time someone died by violence, the ripples of that event affected friends and family members for a lifetime, she said.

One more death would be too many.

• Get help: Visit the Haven at Murray Bridge Community Centre between 9am and 4pm on weekdays, or the DVINA Centre on Standen Street, Murray Bridge between 10am and 5pm Monday to Saturday; call the Domestic Violence Crisis Line on 1800 800 098, or Murray Mallee Adelaide Hills Domestic Violence Service on 8215 6320; or, in an emergency, dial 000.

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