THIS week just received added significance for the Carlton Football Club with Saturday’s game against Richmond confirmed as the 2021 AFLW Carlton Respects game.

For the fourth consecutive season the Game Changers will run out in orange socks, the international colour of harmony, in what has now become a recognisable sign of the Club’s profound commitment to promoting gender equality for the prevention of violence against women.

This commitment has been the cornerstone of Carlton Respects – the Club’s community initiative launched in 2016 in response to the alarming statistics around family violence in the community.

See below the devastating statistics:

• One woman a week on average dies at the hands of her current or former partner.
• One in three Australian women has experienced physical abuse, since the age of 15.
• One in four Australian women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner.
• One in five Australian women has experienced sexual violence.
• One in four Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Two thirds of women who experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former cohabitating partner said the violence had started or escalated during this time.
• Calls to the Safe Step Crisis Line have increased to 200-300 calls a day.
• An average of 100 women and children stay safe through Safe Steps in refuge of crisis accommodation every night of the week.

Gender inequality is considered to be the most significant factor in leading to domestic violence, which is why the Carlton Respects program has worked extensively for nearly six years to address this issue.

This has been done by reaching 4,000 school students annually and implementing its workplace charter throughout Victoria, as well as delivering awareness-raising campaigns on a national scale.

Carlton CEO Cain Liddle affirmed the Club’s unwavering commitment to help tackle an issue that is having a damaging effect on families across the country.

“In our five-year strategic plan The Carlton Way, right there alongside winning premierships and reaching 100,000 members, we have pledged to make Carlton Respects the most influential gender equality program in Australian sport,” Liddle said.

“It is a proud moment for our entire football club when our AFLW and AFL sides run out in the orange socks. This cause has become part of who we are as a club, raising awareness of an issue that has become so important for us.

“It is more than just a two-game commitment though. The work of Carlton Respects has continued every day and every week for nearly six years now and will continue as long as domestic violence has such a devastating effect on our society.”

If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence or sexual assault, contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au. Counsellors are available 24/7 for phone and web chat. In an emergency, call 000.