Each year, 16 days are set aside for a global campaign to take action against gender-based violence (25 November to 10 December). Many events and activities take place all around the world. As a way for the Christian community in Melbourne to engage meaningfully with this campaign, Holding the Light is held annually.
Awareness about the terrible experiences and impacts of domestic and family violence is growing, and Catholic parishes in Melbourne are taking up the challenge of addressing violence in our communities by asking ‘what can we do’? On Saturday 15 March 2025, over 50 people gathered in a hall at St Brigid’s Primary School, Mordialloc to attend a Domestic & Family Violence Forum organised by the Justice Action Group at St Mary of the Cross Parish, Mordialloc and Aspendale.
Alison Robinson. Nerol Doble. Bonnie-Lee Anderson. Keira Marshall. Alana Martin. These are just some of the known women killed in 2024 due to family and domestic-related violence. They were part of a list of known victims, and unnamed victims, from across Australia, who were remembered at the recent Holding the Light ecumenical service at Wesley Church in Melbourne’s CBD.
The Victorian Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee announced an Inquiry into data on perpetrators of Family Violence aims to address the gaps in capturing data on family violence perpetrators in Victoria. CSSV and member organisations were invited to address the Inquiry Committee.
Prevention of family and domestic violence continues to be a key strategic priority for Catholic Social Services Victoria and our Domestic Violence Working Group plays a central role in progressing work in this area.
As people gathered in silence, in a church in Melbourne’s CBD, a bell tolled 54 times—one toll for each women known to have been murdered in Australia since 1 January as a result of domestic and family violence. The ecumenical service, Holding the Light, is an annual opportunity to remember and pray for victims and survivors of family and domestic violence. It is also an occasion to name out loud, those who have died in the past year.
Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, the Hon. Vicki Ward MP, has shown her support for the work conducted by Catholic Social Services Victoria and the Catholic Diocese of Sale in helping to educate, inform and equip parish communities to address domestic and family violence. Together with Bishop Greg Bennet of the Diocese of Sale, Minister Ward launched the report, Shining a Light: A collaborative project working to build capacity for a whole-of-Church response to domestic and family violence last Friday in Warragul.
CSSV was pleased to join events held during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence including the Walk Against Family Violence and Holding the Light, an ecumenical service of lament.
This year's Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement was released in August and addresses the scourge of domestic and family violence in society.
Parish communities from across the Diocese of Sale have been participating in a pilot program since March 2022, enabling key parish community participants to be better informed and equipped to respond to domestic and family violence. The latest was held in Berwick on 19 July with 15 participants.