Broome community gathers for vigil honouring lives lost to domestic violence this year

“No more, enough is enough,” Yawuru senior cultural consultant Dianne Appleby said as she addressed the crowd at Male Oval in Broome last Monday evening for a vigil honouring victims of domestic violence. Candles and orange crosses were placed between patches of grass to commemorate the women and children lost to violence this year on the first day of the annual 16 Days in WA – Stop Violence Against Women Campaign. WA Police data reveals there were 958 family assaults in Broome during the 2023-24 financial year, making it the second-highest annual figure recorded in the town over the past decade. The scourge of domestic violence in the town is reflective of a nationwide problem with 84 people killed in domestic homicides in Australia in 2022-23. This equates to one woman being killed every 11 days and one man every 91 days. In early September National Cabinet agreed to a five-year $4.7 billion plan to combat rising domestic and family violence in Australia. Aarnja chief executive (Kimberley regional body for Aboriginal people) Cherie Sibosado who also spoke at the vigil said: “We need to take a stance as family violence is everyone’s responsibility. “In Broome we don’t experience this in isolation, this isn’t just an Aboriginal thing, this is a whole community thing.” She stressed the importance of raising awareness about domestic violence and underscored the need to involve men at gatherings such as the vigil. “Seeing our men have more of a presence in spaces like this is really important, we need to move away from things that are behind closed doors and come into public spaces,” she said. Across the country 75 per cent of victims of domestic violence reported the perpetrator as male, while 25 per cent reported the perpetrator as female, according to statistics published by Mission Australia. Ms Sibosado is advocating for the intervention and rehabilitation of male perpetrators throughout the region. “We need more support, facilities and funding for our men, with more money invested in alcohol and substance abuse rehabilitation centres,” she said. “For our men, it’s about building their capacity to hold space differently and not resort to violence, and also to educate on having healthy relationships.” Men’s Outreach Services Aboriginal Corporation cultural guidance worker Nelson Bieundurry echoed Ms Sibosado’s sentiment, saying: “It’s our brothers, uncles and nephews who are committing these acts, and we need to step in and say enough is enough.” 13YARN 13 92 76 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14