16 Days of Activism

DPV Health is partnering with Hume City Council, City of Whittlesea, and Whittlesea Community Connections to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.  

To help encourage community members to get involved we are offering activities which include: 

• Community Walk Against Family Violence
• Respect in Hume:A conversation with Tarang Chawla  
• YOUTH ART showcase. 

Ways to get involved 

Everyone has the right to be respected and treated equally, regardless of who they are. If you are victim/ survivor of violence or abuse, know that you are not alone! Your friend, neighbour, or family member may have experienced something similar. 

• Join in the Community Walk AgainstFamily Violence

  You can join the walk on 3 trails in either Epping/Lalor, Thomastown & Mernda, wear Orange to show your support for a future free from violence. 

•  ‘Respect in Hume: A conversation with Tarang Chawla’

  Tarang Chawla is a writer, speaker, MC, anti-violence campaigner and mental health advocate from Melbourne. Aligning with the key messages of 16 Days of Activism, Tarang will highlight the importance of ‘Respect’, and how this can contribute to a safe, healthy and equal Hume community. To watch the recording, please visit https://bit.ly/303SgpM 

• Participate in our YOUTH ART SHOWCASE

  If you are under 24 years of age, submit a piece of art that represents your views on gender-based violence, gender inequality or respectful relationships. 

• Be an active bystander

  When a third-party steps in and becomes an active bystander, it helps to discourage the perpetrator and emotionally support the victim-survivor. It’s not always easy, but it can make a big difference. Learn more about being an active bystander. https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/media-and-resources/publications/bystander-research-project 

• Know the facts

  Find out the facts and myths about violence against women, so you can challenge common beliefs and attitudes. Visit here to find out more!  

• Support victim-survivors

  If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, help is available. In case of immediate danger call Triple Zero (000) and ask for Police. 

You can also contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), 1800respect.org.au, the 24/7 national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 

Interpreting gender inequality through art

Young people from the Whittlesea community participated in the 16 Days of Activism Youth Art Showcase, organized by DPV Health, Whittlesea Community Connections and the City of Whittlesea.

Many submitted captivating art pieces with their interpretations of gender-based violence, gender inequality, respectful relationship and what it means to them.

The Youth Art Showcase event was facilitated and lead by the youth of Whittlesea, with 24 people attending.  At the launch, five artists demonstrated and spoke to their art pieces, which included a heart-rendering poem.​

A few participants shared what they thought of the event:

•  “I loved it; it was emotional listening to everyone’s stories about their art” ​
• “this event was inspiring and perfect”

Sometimes I wish I could forget my body
And all its implications.
This afternoon I read through an article
About violence against Asian women –
The Atlanta shooting at the top of the list
And South-Asian Kamala Harris
Was threatened by a white man standing
Outside her house.
I don’t really feel anything when I read this
Because this world is far away from me
That I can’t touch it with my own two feet.
I can’t even comprehend what will happen to me
When I look at my face but I know I should be afraid
That is what my mother taught me.
What does it mean to be a woman of colour,
Not just a woman,
And yet again, what does it mean to be an Asian woman?
When I look at my eyes I can’t comprehend the
Sexualisation and assault of my female kin.
And yet the statistics say that Asian women
Are more likely to be assaulted by non-Asians
Than other women.
I can’t really reveal anything else except
That I feel invisible to the world,
Along with the rest of my race,
Bad enough in the past two years there’s been
A so-called ‘China Virus’; kudos to Mr.Trump.
In the past two years I have walked the streets
Of my suburb with an underpinning fear
Of violence and hands.
Can’t I be back in my lands?
No, I don’t belong there either,
Where my gender and my Chinese eyes work against me.
I don’t have a country or a continent to protect my body
But what is a woman without a nation? Herself.