SUPPORT organisations from across Moree came together on Wednesday to host the domestic violence awareness initiative, the Clothesline Project, in the gardens of Bank Art Museum Moree.

The awareness event was the local launch of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign which began on Tuesday – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – and runs until Human Rights on December 10.

The Clothesline Project initiative in Moree was organised by Moree Family Support and SORA Community Services, with MFS, Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services, Thiya-Mali, Flourish and Hunter New England Health.

Moree Family Support program manager, Carla Milgate, said the Clothesline Project in Moree is part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign.

“We decided to do this project to open the 16 days and we’ll do another event to close the 16 days,” Ms Milgate said.

“Other towns, such as Inverell, are doing walks and marches, and this event is a type of collaboration with those communities.”

The Clothesline Project brought together many of Moree’s support organisations to create awareness in a relaxed, informal setting.

“It’s good for all the services to work together like this,” Ms Milgate said.

“We usually have shared clients but we only really come together in a united front in the court room or at the police station – it’s nice to have a positive event like this, where we all meet informally.”

Ms Milgate said events like the Clothesline Project will prompt referrals that may not have happened formally.

“A conversation will start and you can usually grasp when someone has been through something, and the conversations sitting around these tables is when you start to learn about people’s stories,” she said.

“Also, this helps community members realise there are services that can help with what they’re going through.

“A lot of women in Moree going through domestic violence aren’t actually aware of what services are in town to support them or know what the services do or how easy it is to access them,” she said.

“Some women may think they need to be referred to us through police or have police involvement, and a lot of women feel their DV situation is not serious enough to receive assistance, but that’s certainly not the case.

“These women can self-refer and walk in at any time and have a chat. We have a ‘no-wrong-door’ approach, and if we can’t help, we can certainly refer them to other services who can,” Ms Milgate said.

Crime co-ordinator for the New England Police District, Sergeant Chris Pieterse, said domestic violence was widespread, domestically and globally.

“Unfortunately, domestic violence occurs everywhere and it’s unfortunate Moree has large incidents of it,” Stg Pieterse said.

“But Moree is certainly not alone, and neither are other rural towns. It’s something all community organisations, such as ourselves, Moree Family Support and Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services are all working together to target the issue.”

Stg Pieterse said events like the Clothesline Project have two purposes.

“One of those purposes is that it allows organisations to meet on a less formal level,” he said.

“We have our meetings fortnightly or weekly, depending on the nature of the meetings, but this type of event allows us to have a much more informal meeting.

“Also, it allows the community to see us in a less formal environment as well – it’s not confronting,” Stg Pieterse said.

“A lot of times the police get called to incidents and we’re dealing with people on that formal level.”

NSW Police is supporting the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which is held in partnership with Rotary South Pacific, to increase awareness, promote advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations to end violence against women.

The campaign was first launched in 1991 and has since become a United Nations-led movement.

As part of the campaign, NSW Police officers from each police region will host and support events to stand with the community, denounce domestic violence and connect victims with support services.

“It’s fantastic to have this event for the community to have access to the police – it allows people to know that we are here, and we’re happy to talk about it,” he said.

Domestic Violence National Support

If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, call the Police on Triple Zero.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, call the NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 65 64 63 for free counselling and referrals, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.