CASSANDRA PALMER-FIELD
The MVP lecture will be held tonight at Griffith University, Nathan.
Among the high profile speakers at the event will be one of the founders of Women’s Legal Service and lecturer at Griffith University, Zoe Rathus AM.
Ms Rathus said that the lecture is focusing on an issue that is socially important and is happy to be involved in the lecture and draw on her time at the Women’s Legal Service.
“I suppose I will talk about and reflect on the period of time when I was one of the founders, one of the things I see, it’s like what Shakespeare said ‘nothing new under the sun’,” she said.
“Feels like what I saw then, women still finding it difficult to leave, still problems in the way police and family law systems respond. These issues are on the public agenda.”
Ms Rathus acknowledges that organisations such as MVP aren’t necessarily going to rid women of violence however they are a step in the right direction and help in eliminating it from society.
“I think that what I’ve learnt in thirty years in working in the area, there is no one thing you can do that will bring an end towards violence against women” she said.
“However we can continue to approach from different angles, one of which is community education, like MVP.”
Also speaking at the public lecture is Officer in Charge of Domestic and Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Unit South Brisbane District, Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Gardner as well as Project Officer for Children by Choice, Liz Price, among others.
Mike Bidwell, who is also a member of MVP said that as a man he feels it is important for men to involved in organisations like MVP and thinks Griffith is the perfect venue for the event.
“I think it’s important to have it at Griffith and within the community as the statistics show that university students are highly likely to be subjected to gender based violence,” he said.
“It is important to effectively show survivors that they aren’t alone and that they can talk about their experiences.”
In a society where gender based violence is prevalent, the public lecture seeks to foster a community where everyone feels safe to talk about violence against women.
If this article has raised any concerns for yourself or someone you know in relation to gender based violence you can seek help from 1800 Respect on 1800 737 732, if a life is in danger please call 000.