Football identity Phil Cleary, who has spent over 30 years campaigning against family violence, will be speaking at a Council event as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
The international campaign starts on 25 November (UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
Phil’s 25-year-old sister Vicki was fatally stabbed by her ex-partner in 1987 as she arrived for work at a kindergarten. Phil went on to become an independent member of parliament and serve on the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council, providing formal advice to the Victorian Government.
“I’ve had 30-odd years of campaigning since my sister’s murder by an ex-boyfriend and I am now firmly convinced that sporting clubs can play a major role in the campaign to end violence against women,” Phil says.
“Traditionally, local football clubs were very much male dominated. They’ve now changed because of the engagement of girls and women, which has seen great benefits for local clubs. That’s opened the possibility of sporting clubs, in particular football clubs, taking a serious role in the gender-equity, anti-violence campaign whilst simultaneously drawing greater support from the community, especially from women.”
In October, six women in 10 days were killed in Australia, allegedly by intimate partners and people they knew. The statistics continue to grow, and urgent change is needed.
Phil will be speaking at a free event on Wednesday 29 November, from 7pm – 8:30pm at Carrington Park Leisure Centre in Knoxfield.
We encourage community members aged 16 and above to join.
For more information and any questions on the event, contact Dayna Nicholas at dayna.nicholas@knox.vic.gov.au.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, support is available: knox.vic.gov.au/familyviolence. If you are in immediate danger, call triple zero (000).
