WOMEN IN MEDIA CONFERENCE SHEDS LIGHT ON THE RISE IN VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The Panel for Women in Media discussing the family violence against women

BY ASAD KHAN

The Women in Media National Conference was held in Sydney last week on the 9th of August.

The event hosted women in media from all across Australia and a panel of accomplished women who discussed the difficulties and rise of family violence faced by women.

The panel, which included Amanda Rishworth, Federal Minister for Social Services, Moo Baulch, the Chair of Our Watch, and Leah Purcell, screenwriter, director, and actress, discussed the issues.

Ms Purcell said, when discussing the complexities of understanding violence against women, emphasises the important role of art and theatre in making the stories fictional in order to make people feel more comfortable.

She said she wanted the scenes in ‘The Drover’s Wife’ to be raw, as the perpetrators do not see themselves when the action happens.

“If they could visualize and see,

She said when leaving the theatre, there'd be men sort of with their heads in their glass of red wine, and when asked if they were okay, they responded that they now worry for their daughter’s future.

“There's a lot we don't know about people who choose to use violence in relationships. There is some early research being done. We're starting to understand the perpetrators,” she said.

Federal Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth,  made a startling revelation while speaking about one incident that shook her when she visited the town of Kununurra in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.

“I visited a shelter in Kununurra, and the perpetrators were able to get through the roof and attack the women,

“I said, how is that possible?” she said.

Ms Rishworth said she was told they were children in that refuge, and so they knew the whole building.

She said jail time is the right thing to do in some instances, but she also acknowledged the importance of the behavioural change programs for the perpetrators.

“Put them all in jail,”

“And absolutely, I've got to be clear that is the right Justice response in some places, but there are other responses we must be looking at as well,” she said.

Listen to the full panel speaking at the Conference: