Candlelight Vigil to honour victims of family violence

Published on 01 May 2024

The City of Hobart is supporting the 2024 Candlelight Vigil, organised by the Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee, to be held on Parliament Lawns on Wednesday 1 May at 5.30pm via a community grant to help cover operational costs.

The event provides the Hobart community a chance to gather and contemplate the devastation domestic violence is having on our communities and consider how we as a community can work together to prevent it.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the vigil was significant in light of the recent tragic loss of lives from domestic violence and nation-wide protests.

“This event is particularly important at this time when we are seeing a sharp rise in the number of women killed by a violent attack so far this year,” Cr Reynolds said.

“In 2023 there was an average of one woman being killed each week by an intimate partner in Australia, and in 2024 there have already been 27 lives lost with an Australian woman being violently killed every four days."

The annual Candlelight Vigil serves as a poignant remembrance and tribute to those who have tragically lost their lives to family violence.

Since 2009, this event has been a pillar of support for communities grappling with the impacts of domestic and family violence in Tasmania.

Engender Equality, the co-organiser of the vigil, is committed to addressing the root causes and impacts of violence in Tasmania.

Through their provision of family violence support services and awareness-raising initiatives, they strive to reduce the prevalence and impact of family violence in the community. Engender Equality Chief Executive Officer Alina Thomas said: “It is important for us, as a community, to join together against family violence.

“This is an issue that we need to face together so we can stop the violence from happening in the first place.

“We also need victim-survivors and their families know that we care, that we believe them and that we will make a stand.

“For every woman who is killed there are thousands who live their lives in fear, walking on eggshells, trying to keep themselves and their children safe.

“The vigils share the message that victim-survivors are not alone, that there is a community that cares and that we want to see an end to all family and domestic violence.”

Cr Reynolds said the Candlelight Vigil aimed to create a space to acknowledge the impact of domestic and family violence within our community.

“By providing a platform to people with lived experience of family and domestic violence, the event builds connections that can assist with the process,” Cr Reynolds said.

“Raising awareness about these issues also helps to change policy and attitudes to improve the safety of our community."

The vigil aligns with the City’s A City for All: Community Inclusion and Equity Framework and Community Safety Commitment, fostering a space free of stigma, discrimination, and prejudice for those impacted by family violence and homicide.

It underscores the City’s commitment to fostering community care and facilitating healing and recovery for survivors of family and domestic violence.