Ararat Rural City Council is supporting the 'Respect Women: Call it out' campaign to help create conversation about gender equality and violence against women.
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Respect Victoria's campaign is part of the global 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, beginning on November 25.
ARCC chief executive Dr Tim Harrison said the council was commited to standing against gender-based discrimination and violence towards women.
"We cannot as a community accept anything less," he said
"While a lot of fantastic work has been done to ensure that women have increased access to justice and support, these 16 days are about having meaningful discussions, understanding that there is still progress to be made."
Respect Victoria has partnered with the Municipal Association of Victoria to provide ARCC with a grant of $2,500 to participate in this year's campaign.
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Council has used this funding to purchase orange t-shirts and hats that will promote the campaign and encourage conversations about calling out inappropriate behaviour.
Displays featuring useful materials about how to support the 16 Days of Activism will also be located at the Ararat Library, Fitness Centre and ARCC reception.
"This year's campaign is 'Respect is...', which we will use to guide our discussions this year," Dr Harrison said.
"As part of this campaign people are encouraged to think about how others that face discrimination are treated and to finish the statement.
"We hope this will allow for these discussions to be had in the wider community, so we can build on our progress to ensure everybody has equal rights to safety and protection in their homes, workplaces and community.
"Through previous years of this campaign, we had some great discussions. It has furthered our awareness of the issues many women face and helped us focus on promoting equal and respectful relationships between men and women.
"It is especially important that we follow through with this to address the underlining causes of violence against women and embed our progress into how we treat all of those around us."
Over the last year, ARCC has updated their policies on Equal Employment Opportunity, Workplace Antidiscrimination and Harassment, and Domestic and Family Violence to ensure that their culture reflects what they display throughout the campaign.
For more information, visit ARCC's website and the Respect Victoria website.
If you are experiencing or at risk of experiencing violence, help is available. You can access help 24/7 by calling Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 or by visiting safesteps.org.au. If you are worried your behaviour might be harming your partner or family members, call the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491 to speak to a specialist counsellor.
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