Following the walk, a range of stalls staffed by bi-lingual workers will be available to provide information to women and girls about domestic and family violence and where to get advice and assistance.
SydWest Settlement and Community Programs Manager Clement Meru said the walk was being organised by the Outer West Domestic Violence Network.
The network includes representatives from local community groups, specialist domestic and family violence services, and others including Blacktown Police and Blacktown City Council.
According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research June 2023 quarterly statistics, the number of domestic violence assaults across NSW has increased by 8.7 per cent over the past two years. In the past 12 months, the Blacktown area recorded 2,134 incidents of domestic violence related assault.
“Of course domestic and family violence can take many forms, and is not just about physical violence,” said SydWest Women and Families Team Leader Sonia Kalsi.
“It is any type of ongoing behaviour that creates fear, threats and control within a relationship and can include things like emotional abuse, verbal abuse, child abuse, and financial abuse.
“We know that women and girls from diverse cultural backgrounds often experience a range of additional issues when trying to access services, and this is where SydWest, with its trained, bi-lingual workers, can assist.
“It is important for women and girls to know that they are not alone and that there is a lot of support available in the local community,” she said.
Details of the walk
The 15-minute walk kicks off at 10am at the Blacktown Village Green, with people of all ages and genders welcome. Participants are encouraged to wear something orange, the official colour of the international campaign, to show their support.
Information stalls about domestic and family violence prevention will be available at the Village Green between 10:30am and 2pm, with bilingual support workers on hand to provide advice in a range of community languages.
For more information
Women and girls from culturally diverse backgrounds can contact SydWest at any time for advice and information on matters of family violence on info@sydwestms.org.au. A list of all local support services available can be found on the Outer West Domestic Violence Network website.
For urgent assistance and 24-hour counselling support, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).
