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| Virtual Tour Sydney 1998 IWD |
Benita Baudman Benita is one of 17 women funded by the NSW Attorney General's Office to work with local groups and organisations to prevent violence against women in the workplace and the home and stop violence against lesbians.
I am here to talk to you today about violence against lesbians. Anti-lesbian violence is all too common in our society. A survey by the NSW police in 1995 called "out of the blue" showed that lesbians are six times more likely to experience violence than our heterosexual sisters. Now that’s a frightening statistic and although research on the topic is quite scarce other studies have also found that lesbians are subject to a range of violent acts. I have to ask the question why! Is it the perceived threat to men if women challenge their roles in society, is it men’s perceived lack of power and control over lesbians, is it a fear of difference, is it homophobia or perhaps it’s a simple as a belief that lesbians are less than other women and therefore we deserve to be punished. Whatever the awnsers are, the important point is that the violence is happening and that we as a community are responsible for seeing that lesbians are receiving care and attention when dealing with their experiences. Also that we as a whole community are prepared to stand up for the inalienable rights for all women and children, to live free of fear, threat of violence and acts of violence. An how do we do that? I think that’s a more important question to awnser. I’ll quote here a woman called Chris Siska from Coalition of Activist Lesbians (COAL) in her research into violence against lesbians and she said … "The elimination of violence can only be preceded by the elimination of discrimination" I think that’s a pertinent point in relation to all forms of violence against women and to all the groups of women who suffer the double whammy of violence and discrimination. If you are in the caring professions or you know somebody who is ask yourself or them this question do you have lesbians presenting as service users on issues of violence? If you do are there images of them which are welcoming as a client group, is they language that you use considerate of lesbians as a client group and is your service doing everything possible to attract lesbians in the area. If you don’t have lesbian clients ask yourself why not? I doubt very much that the awnser is that there are no lesbians in your area and I doubt very much that there is no violence in your area. Services need to take a pro-active approach to ensure their agency sends out the message to lesbians that they are welcome, considered valuable and won’t be discriminated against. Also you may have friends who are lesbians who have experienced violence or harassment, offer them your understanding and your support, the shame is not theirs it belongs to the perpetrators of the violence. One highlight of the 1998 MardiGras film festival was the screening of a documentary on the Mary’s Place Project, a film made by the Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project, it’s about a woman called Mary who was raped and assaulted for being a lesbian, it was a crime of hate, the street where she was attacked has been transformed. It’s now the site of art installations a celebration of her survival, South Sydney has supported the project, they have actually named the road Mary’s Place, they have changed the traffic rules and the lighting and they have installed mirrors in what was previously a blind alley. Mary’s Place is now a place of safety, and the people who worked on it including Mary have transformed the site and we say that this will prevent further crimes of violence happening and it will offer empowerment to those women especially Mary. This is one example of the work of the lesbian and gay anti violence project and they welcome calls from everyone. They are an excellent place to refer lesbians who have experienced violence. The homophobia "what are you scared of campaign" will be conducted in May of this year, you can ask your schools and youth centres to become involved by contacting them. I need to make this world a safer place for my daughter to grow up in, and I am sure everyone here wants the same for future generations, and I challenge you all to take a stand against homophobia and let people know that violence and discrimination in all its forms must stop. |
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Hello everybody and I
would like to say peace and reconciliation to you all on
this International Woman’s Day. I work for the Attorney Generals Department on issues of violence against women, the NSW
strategy to reduce violence against women is in operation
all over the state. We intend to make a difference out
there. We are part of the crime prevention division,
which sends a dual message out about violence against
women, one that’s it’s a crime and two that
prevention is needed to keep women safe from all types of
violence. We recognise that violence can happen in all
walks of life and in all communities. The target groups,
we specifically acknowledge, have unequal access to
services if they experience violence include women who
are Aboriginal, women from non-English speaking countries
and backgrounds, women with disabilities, women with
mental illness, younger women older women and lesbian
women. We also acknowledge that some groups experience
greater levels of violence and that the experiences of
violence are different.