Businesses Call To Wear Purple For DFV

By Sonia Isaacs

THE ROTARY club of Glasshouse Country (GC) is calling on local businesses to wear purple on Fridays to raise awareness around Domestic and Family Violence (DFV).
Speaking with GC&M News, incoming club president, Steve Newton, said he hoped to launch the initiative over the coming months and interested businesses could jump on board and purchase the T-shirts anytime.
“We’d been hearing about the rising rates of DFV activity and wanted to help raise awareness around the issue,” Mr Newton said.
“We also want to show our solidarity for those impacted by standing up together as a community to show we will not accept DFV behaviour.”
Mr Newton said last month he had attended a seminar hosted by North Coast Rotary Clubs where Police representatives described the severity of the DFV problem and asked community members to assist. “Members of those northern Clubs commenced the campaign being allied to ‘Rotarians for Mental Health’. Local businesses have come on board by wearing Purple DFV T-shirts on Fridays and now we are looking to instigate a similar campaign locally,” he said.
Mr Newton said the Rotary club of Glasshouse Country belonged to a ‘cluster’ of 12 Clubs from Bribie Island to Alexandra Headland and inland to Buderim and Maleny.
He said he hoped at the first cluster meeting of the new Rotary year on July 21, all 12 clubs would jump on board to help amplify the ‘No to DFV’ message.
“This campaign is not just a one-club wonder, the real impact will be if the whole Rotary cluster becomes involved to spread the message throughout the community,” he said.
“ Although the commencement of a local campaign has been positively spoken about informally amongst incoming presidents, it is our hope that the campaign will be formalised by July,” Mr Newton said.
In Australia, Domestic and Family Violence is disturbingly common, with many DFV victims never reporting their experience.
This initiative aims to raise awareness and support. T-shirts can be purchased for around $30, more details email glasshouserotary2024@gmail.com .