Candlelight vigil to highlight ripple effects of family violence

Iconic buildings across Melbourne will once again be lit purple on Wednesday, May 6 in recognition of the impacts of family and domestic violence and support of a vigil at the Family Violence Memorial garden in East Melbourne.

The 6 -6.45pm candlelit vigil, in addition to remembering the direct victims of family and intimate partner violence, will this year focus on the ripple effects of the crime, particularly its long-term impact on children, young people and families.

Last year 77 Australian women and 26 children were killed by their intimate partners or parents while this year 14 women, three children and an unborn baby have so far been killed in Australia due to domestic or associated violence, according to organisations that track the killings.

These statistics, and others, represent families and communities permanently altered, according to vigil organiser Safe Steps, a 24-hour support service and advocacy organisation.

Safe Steps’ Suzanne Paynter said more awareness was needed about what happened after someone fled.

“There are broader, often unseen ripple effects of family violence. It continues through generations and has immense long-term impacts on children and families,” she said.

Despite “the prevalent nature” of domestic and family violence – with contacts and requests for support to Safe Steps increasing year-on-year – there was still a lack of support for children and young people who grow up experiencing it, she said.

The co-founder of Yiayia Next Door, Daniel Mancuso, who had experienced the trauma of family violence firsthand, was working with Safe Steps to help raise awareness and encourage victim-survivors and their families to seek support, the organisation said.

After losing their mother to domestic violence perpetrated by their father, Daniel and his brother Luke spent years navigating fear, court processes and instability but were nurtured by small consistent acts of care and kindness by their next-door neighbour who cooked for them.

The brothers established an organisation named after their supportive Greek “grandmother”, which is now a nationally recognised voice in family violence education and prevention.

The Family Violence Memorial garden on the corner of St Andrews Place and Lansdowne St, is a joint initiative of the state government and City of Melbourne which was completed in 2022.

It contains flowers that bloom purple – the colour symbolising the global movement to end family violence – all year round and a pathway which leads to an English Elm tree representing the passing of time and renewal.

Among the buildings going purple for the occasion on May 6 are the Melbourne Town Hall, AAMI Park, Old Treasury Building Museum and Myer Melbourne.

Caption: Yiayia Next Door co-founder Daniel Mancuso and Safe Steps’ Suzanne Paynter.