Jade Chelman, Dan Morrison, Ruth Sumpner, Laurie Clay, Jo Shipp, Natasha Donovan, Nerida McLeod and Robyn Martin at the Ochre Ribbon Week event at Port Macquarie.

Ochre Week seeks to end violence in Aboriginal communities

Feb 16, 2024

Ochre Ribbon Week is an Indigenous-led national campaign to come together to raise awareness and educate about ways to end violence in Aboriginal communities.

The Mid North Coast Local Health District is a well-known leader in the primary prevention space of domestic family violence and a supporter of Ochre Ribbon Week.

The Domestic Violence Prevention Education Program (DVPEP) team and Aboriginal Wellbeing and Violence Prevention Team invited staff and community service partners to join them for Ochre Ribbon Week morning teas at Port Macquarie and Kempsey community health centres this week.

The events featured ochre face painting, ochre ribbon making and yarning to raise awareness and help prevent violence in Aboriginal communities.

MNCLHD Aboriginal Health Worker Jade Chelman plans to create a gentle collation of the ochre ribbons made by participants and exhibit them in a display of solidarity.

Violence, abuse and neglect occur across all of Australia’s communities, however, some people are more vulnerable because of discrimination and disadvantage.

Other contextual factors can undermine prevention and response efforts and increase the risk of harm by discouraging help-seeking and compounding existing experiences of discrimination and disadvantage. 

If you need support, call 1800 RESPECT, 13 YARN or if you are in an emergency call 000.

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