2015 Australian of the Year and domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty is in the country to raise awareness on family violence and what the key stakeholders in the country can do to address the issue.
Leadership Fiji has organized a public symposium from 9am to 11.30am at Grand Pacific Hotel tomorrow and there is a fundraising gala dinner at GPH tomorrow night.
Batty’s role as a campaigner began in 2014 after her 11‑year‑old son Luke Batty was murdered by his father at cricket practice on a sports oval in Melbourne.
Batty began speaking publicly about her experience. She became an advocate for domestic violence survivors and victims.
In 2014, Batty established the Luke Batty Foundation to assist women and children affected by domestic violence.
In September 2015 she called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to close Australian immigration detention facilities due to the incidence of rape and sexual assault.
Turnbull had said of domestic violence in Australia that it requires a great advocate and Rosie Batty has been able to do that in a way that he thinks nobody has done before.
Batty met with two prime ministers, and was instrumental in frontline family violence resources being dramatically boosted both at the federal and state level.
Leadership Fiji says attendees will hear as Batty shares her knowledge and experiences in the area of family violence, law and policy reform, along with on‑going works towards the elimination of Family Violence in various communities.
A recent survey conducted by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, published in 2013 states that overall, 72% of women have experienced at least one or more of three forms of violence (physical, sexual or emotional) by their husband or partner in their lifetime. Most of these women experienced multiple types of violence.
For the majority of women living with physical violence by their husband or partner, the violence occurs repeatedly and is often severe, including being punched, kicked, dragged, beaten up, choked, burned, threatened with a weapon, or actually having a weapon used against them.
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