The Purple Bench Project
What is the Purple Bench Project?
In Nova Scotia, Canada, Purple Benches are located in public parks to honour the memory of women murdered by their partners and to provide help numbers for people experiencing Domestic and Family Violence.
They are known as Barb’s Benches and were launched in 2015 to mark the 25-year anniversary of the murder of Barb Baillie by her husband.
At Harris Park Community Centre, the bench
which is the first of its kind in New South Wales,
is a reminder of the many peoples lives
that have been lost due to Family and Domestic Violence. “The Main focus of the BENCH is to START a conversation.
A conversation that you might not otherwise have had with someone. A Conversation that will continue. A conversation that can impact”, adds Patrick Louis Soosay, Centre Manager, who started and created this idea and project back in 2019.
Purple is associated worldwide with the Domestic and Family Violence awareness movement.
How do purple benches make a difference?
Changing public perception of violence against women and children in particular requires a commitment from all levels of government and the community at large.
The Purple Bench acts as a stark reminder that as a society we can make a difference, with both little and large steps. The purple bench is a reminder of these sobering facts and an opportunity for our community to confront this important issue.
The presence of the Purple Bench in a location where events have been held to raise public awareness would provide the opportunity for this important issue to remain visible as well as providing a physical place to reflect about the important work achieved to date and how we can move over the next generations to bring an end to domestic and family violence.
The First Inaugural Purple Bench in NSW sitting at the Harris Park Community Centre.
The more that people are aware about it and the more that our kids learn how to stop the pattern, that’s the only way that we’re going to affect real change, to lead by changing our views and perception from the family setup.
Patrick Soosay with a neighbour and the BENCH