The Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service, together with partner organisations: Tagari lia, 24 Carrot Gardens, Kutalayna Collective, Uniting, Australian Red Cross, Karadi Aboriginal Corporation and HIPPY (54 Reasons) and yourtown, invites the Tasmanian media to the White Ribbon Day - Let's Be the Change Vigil at 11.15am, Friday, November 18.

Support, Information & Strength (SiS) Managing Lawyer Emma Smith of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service (TALS) said the event will be held at the Botanical Institute in Bridgewater.

“This is a day where organisations have come together to say no to violence – White Ribbon Day aims to end men’s violence against women and children,” Ms Smith said.

“TALS and our partners will hold a free lunch with guest speakers and kids' activities at the Botanical Institute.

“Statistically, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more likely to face family violence. This is an issue where everyone in the community should be involved – including men.”

“The vigil will remember those who have lost their lives to gendered violence.”

WHAT: White Ribbon Day - Let's Be the Change Vigil

WHEN: 11.15am, Friday, November 18

WHERE: Botanical Institute - 2A Eddington Street, Bridgewater, Tas

Special Note: SIS Managing Lawyer Emma Smith will be available for media interview.

“We will have a speaker who will share her story. We will talk about how family violence extends beyond physical violence – so often in discussions with people we find they don’t realise it can be emotional, financial, and more. We will ask people to take an oath not to commit family violence, and there will be a vigil,” Ms Smith said.

Follow the Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/2qKI6yrHd

Disaggregated data on violence against indigenous women and girls

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience disproportionally high levels of violence compared to non-Indigenous women. The impact of the violence on families is often more severe.

• For all experiences of physical harm in 2018-2019, a higher proportion of Indigenous females (74%) than Indigenous males (56%) identified an intimate partner/family member as at least one of the offenders.
• Indigenous Australian adults are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised from family violence than non-Indigenous Australians.
• Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of assault:
  • were female (64-75%)
  • knew the offender (87–91%)
  • experienced family and domestic violence (FDV) related incidents (68–78%).

Media Contact: A.Mark Thomas, M&M Communications, 0422 006 732