The WHY Campaign - Day 1 2 of 16 Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

Join us for We Hear You - The W.H.Y. Campaign's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence - Our Social Impact Events to raise global public awareness and education on DFV: Survivors using their lived expertise to make systems & social change. Our upcoming educational, awareness and solidarity events are to acknowledge the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25 November & Human Rights Day 10 December 2021.

"The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

Register for FREE any or all our sixteen online global public awareness and solidarity events. We have hand selected a variety of relevant curated topics, with diverse speakers both nationally and international guest speakers from around the world to connect and broaden the perspective, include the lived experience, expert knowledge to contribution to prevent and end deaths related to DFV and advocate for change.

Event Topic: 'Using lived expertise to make systems & social change'

Key Focus:

· Credibility and valuing of lived experience in people who work as professionals

· Victim-survivor advocacy

· Social impact projects and campaigns by survivors-advocates and much more.

Our Guest Speakers

Lula is a passionate advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, childhood and adult domestic violence, and lends her voice to raising awareness as part of the Voices for Change program and as a Bravehearts Ambassador. Combining lived experience and professional expertise in strategic policy and gender mainstreaming, Lula is dedicating her efforts to working on systemic and cultural change to prevent and reduce violence against women. In 2018, Lula established the Accountability Matters Project to re-frame domestic violence from being seen as ‘women’s issue’, and to drive collective national efforts to reduce men’s use of sexual, domestic and family violence.

Geraldine Bilston is a victim-survivor of family violence. In 2015 she escaped an abusive relationship. She had spent half a decade loving and living with a man who she should have felt safe, secure and happy with, but she left bruised and broken. She would spend a further 2 years dealing with police, courts and ‘the system’. Geraldine is determined to help make a difference to the way we approach family violence in Australia. She recently completed her Graduate Certificate in Family Violence and was appointed as the Deputy Chair of the Victim Survivors Advisory Council in May 2020. She is committed to helping create better outcomes for victim survivors, including in areas like victim support, technology-based abuse, and sexual violence.

A familiar face to many after sharing her experience of family violence on ABC's ‘You Can’t Ask That’ in 2019, ‘Q&A’ in March 2020, and ‘The Drum’ in December 2020.  She has also published her own writing through the website ‘Mamamia’.

Geraldine has been both a client and an advocate at Safe Steps, Victoria’s 24/7 family violence support service and is an active advocate for the prevention of family violence through the media, at corporate, community and fundraising events. She is also a member of the White Ribbon National Advisory Council and is board member of Kara House.

RSVP & Register for Free today to attend and receive your zoom link. Please share and invite others to register and join us, would really be an act of kindness that would make a real difference to all our volunteer efforts. Thank you in advance.

Disclaimer: We Hear You -The W.H.Y. Campaign is not a charity or legal entity. We are global citizens who out of the 2020 lockdowns acted and came together to volunteer our time, skills, passion, and commitment to make a small difference and be part of the solution by becoming 'Upstanders' in our communities. #By the People for the People, because enough is enough. We want to live in a world where this type of violence does not exist and is rare not the norm.