The organiser of Cobram’s ‘No More! Rally’, which took a stand against domestic and gender-related violence, is not finished doing what she can to address the issue.
Following the rally, held in Cobram on April 28, Ashleigh Ladgrove created a petition aimed at the “elected officials of Moira Shire”, in a bid to enhance the safety and well-being of local people.
Ms Ladgrove, who is an advocate for family violence survivors, said the petition was launched on May 20 and had already attracted nearly 150 signatures.
She said it challenged elected officials to improve preventative and reactive measures, such as increasing funding and improving access to men’s behaviour-change programs.
It also requested that the Yarrawonga, Cobram, Numurkah and Nathalia police stations be staffed 24/7, with at least one station to be upgraded with holding cells.
“Reporting isn’t the problem. We’ve had an increase in reports, so women are coming forward,” Ms Ladgrove said.
“The problem remains in areas such as police training, with a specific focus on basic communication strategies that can be utilised when attending to victims of family and gender-based violence, as well as simplified processes for intervention orders.”
Ms Ladgrove was motivated to start the rally and petition following the recent spate of high-profile cases of family violence nationwide.
She said she believed the community was keen to see positive change, with 400 people attending the No More! Rally, and hoped the conversations around family violence would continue.
To sign the petition or find out more, visit https://chng.it/TBCqkGdCLb/
If you are experiencing family violence, help is available by calling 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).