Festive season safety
// December 25th, 2009 // AVP news, Within Victoria
The AVP wishes you a very safe and happy festive season and New Year.
2009 has been an excellent year in Victoria where we have moved forward in addressing homophobia the resulting hate and prejudice motivated crime that comes from homophobia. This year great partnerships have been strengthened between GLBT community organisations and between us and government – both local and state.
Even stronger partnerships have been forged with the other communities who also experience hate-crime. While the motivations there are based on cultural or faith differences, the similarities between hate-crime based on sexuality or gender orientation are strong.
Now is an excellent time to reflect that whenever and wherever we see violence occurring, whether it is prejudice motivated or spur-of-the-moment, we should always make a stand and do something. In Australia please call 000 and report violence to the police. In Victoria, when safe, please complete an on-line violence report to us so that we can continue our discussions fully aware of the impact violence has on our lives and in our community. To be silent about violence is the same as sanctioning it.
This coming year, 2010, will see further work take place to identify possible strengthening of laws to address hate-crime in Victoria. The AVP will continue to be a strong partner in the strategy development taking place with the ALSO Foundation and others about how to further address homophobia (for more information about the “With Respect Awareness Project” please contact ALSO’s interim-CEO, Kylie Smith by clicking here)
We are further progressing discussions with government about funding for the AVP to continue its great work with a much more longer-term focus which funding will provide. Work to-date, while significant in its scope and reach, has been vastly limited by the lack of funding.
Once again we would like to ask you to be safe and care for each other during this festive season and thank you for your involvement in our work addressing violence within and against the GLBT community in Victoria.
Greg, Jayne and Lauren,
AVP directors
