www.firstnationstelegraph.com
Peachey joins ‘Voice Against Violence’
by Tracie Edmondson avid Peachey is one of the NRL stars who will add their voices to Rugby League’s ongoing commitment to tackling violence against women. He joins Willie Mason, Nathan Hindmarsh and Mark O’Neill. On the eve of White Ribbon Night (July 26), the NRL today launched ‘Voice Against Violence’, a Federally-funded community program encouraging men from more than 1300 grassroots Rugby League Clubs across Australia to help break the silence around violence against women. At the same time, the NRL is also continuing to support the NSW Government’s ‘Tackling Violence’ program which launched a series of television advertisements today in Newcastle featuring Knights players Mason and Roberts and local Newcastle club players taking a public stand against violence towards women and children. Interim NRL Community, Culture and Diversity General Manager, Mr Mark deWeerd, said Rugby League is committed to helping change attitudes and behaviours on domestic violence with damning statistics revealing that “one in three Australian women over the age of 15 have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence at some time in their lives”. “Both ‘Voice Against Violence’ and ‘Tackling Violence’ draw on the power and popularity of Rugby League as a positive vehicle to talk to the community and help change attitudes about the serious issue of domestic violence,” Mr deWeerd said.
D
David Peachey with his mum, Irene. Image: www.digitalready.gov.au next week. “Research shows that in order Rugby League Development to reduce violence against women, staff and Ambassadors including men need to be involved in the Hindmarsh, Peachey and O’Neill, solutions. Both programs allow have also been trained to deliver men to do this. information and facts on domestic “The NRL is proud to continue violence and its impact on the its association with the ‘Tackling community. Violence’ program which has Hindmarsh said: “If it’s your shown what a positive impact mate, if it’s a friend or neighbour, Rugby League can have on helping if you do know something, we are to reduce domestic violence in the just asking you to speak up and put community. a stop to it. “Following the success of “Report it or confront your mate ‘Tackling Violence’ in NSW, the or the person in a safe way, ask him national ‘Voice Against Violence’ program was developed to give the what the situation is and if he needs help and also show support to the Rugby League family Australiawoman who is, or who you believe, wide an opportunity to use their may be suffering from domestic voice against violence.” violence. As part of the ‘Voice Against “In Australia at the moment Violence’ program, the NRL, in there is an alarming statistic that partnership with Mudgin-Gal one woman every week is killed Aboriginal Corporation, has produced an anti-violence education by a current or former partner. It’s kit which will be made available to time for men to speak out against violence and campaigns like ‘Voice more than 1300 grassroots Rugby League clubs across Australia from Against Violence’ empower men to Page 1
www.firstnationstelegraph.com
do that.” Already, thousands of men have been reached through Rugby League’s anti-domestic violence messages which are being delivered at all levels of the game from the Kangaroos and NRL Clubs through their support of the White Ribbon Foundation since 2008; education of NRL, Holden Cup and NRL club staff and players through the
Page 2
‘Respectful Relationships’ program, since 2004; to the grassroots ‘Tackling Violence’ program, which started in 2009. The new ‘Tackling Violence’ advertisements featuring Mason, will be broadcast in the Newcastle region from today. The ‘Tackling Violence’ program is a community education, early intervention and prevention
program, using local Rugby League clubs to promote changed attitudes and behaviours to domestic violence in regional NSW communities. Since the project began in 2009, 1500 men from 28 Rugby League clubs have completed the workshop and 1800 have signed the code of conduct to refrain from domestic violence.