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Sunday, Mar 16, 2025
Outside the box.
Australia Protests Demand Action Against Violence Towards Women
Hundreds rally across the country, urging political leaders to prioritize measures combatting domestic violence.
Hundreds of Australians gathered in 14 cities and towns over the weekend to protest against violence towards women, calling for urgent government action and honoring the memory of victims.
Despite soaring temperatures in many areas, demonstrators turned out in cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Alice Springs, with organiser Sherele Moody expressing disappointment over the lack of attendance from invited political leaders, notably Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Moody, a journalist and founder of Australian Femicide Watch, reported that about 500 people attended the Melbourne rally alone.
She stated that no politicians attended the significant gatherings in locations such as Perth and Canberra, raising concerns that their absence signifies a lack of consideration for the issue.
The rally aimed not only to memorialize the lives lost to gender-based violence but also to demand measurable action from the government.
According to Moody’s research, 117 women have reportedly lost their lives to violence since January 2024, with 14 deaths occurring in early 2025. Advocacy groups such as Destroy the Joint's Counting Dead Women project corroborate Moody's figures, noting that 79 women were killed due to violence throughout 2024.
Rallies were accompanied by calls for more robust policies and services to address domestic violence.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth's office reiterated that the Albanese government has prioritized the issue since its inauguration, highlighting more than $4 billion allocated to over 113 initiatives aimed at enhancing women's safety under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
Rishworth indicated her continuous commitment to engaging with women’s safety leaders and organizations to understand community needs, emphasizing the government's efforts to address this critical issue while responding to Moody’s concerns regarding the sufficiency of current funding and programs.
Greens senator Dorinda Cox, scheduled to speak at the Perth rally, echoed the urgent need for political commitment to this cause, describing the current situation as a national emergency.
She called for a unified approach across all levels of government to combat femicide in Australia, citing the necessity of improved data tracking.
A recent government initiative aimed at enhancing reporting mechanisms for female victims of domestic violence was introduced in November 2023 with the launch of an online system by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
The system aims to provide timely statistics on intimate partner homicides, which highlighted 37 female victims recorded in 2024 alone.
All of these developments underline the pressing need for comprehensive strategies to combat violence against women in Australia, with advocates calling for the implementation of a national register to accurately document such occurrences and enable effective responses.
Despite soaring temperatures in many areas, demonstrators turned out in cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Alice Springs, with organiser Sherele Moody expressing disappointment over the lack of attendance from invited political leaders, notably Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Moody, a journalist and founder of Australian Femicide Watch, reported that about 500 people attended the Melbourne rally alone.
She stated that no politicians attended the significant gatherings in locations such as Perth and Canberra, raising concerns that their absence signifies a lack of consideration for the issue.
The rally aimed not only to memorialize the lives lost to gender-based violence but also to demand measurable action from the government.
According to Moody’s research, 117 women have reportedly lost their lives to violence since January 2024, with 14 deaths occurring in early 2025. Advocacy groups such as Destroy the Joint's Counting Dead Women project corroborate Moody's figures, noting that 79 women were killed due to violence throughout 2024.
Rallies were accompanied by calls for more robust policies and services to address domestic violence.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth's office reiterated that the Albanese government has prioritized the issue since its inauguration, highlighting more than $4 billion allocated to over 113 initiatives aimed at enhancing women's safety under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
Rishworth indicated her continuous commitment to engaging with women’s safety leaders and organizations to understand community needs, emphasizing the government's efforts to address this critical issue while responding to Moody’s concerns regarding the sufficiency of current funding and programs.
Greens senator Dorinda Cox, scheduled to speak at the Perth rally, echoed the urgent need for political commitment to this cause, describing the current situation as a national emergency.
She called for a unified approach across all levels of government to combat femicide in Australia, citing the necessity of improved data tracking.
A recent government initiative aimed at enhancing reporting mechanisms for female victims of domestic violence was introduced in November 2023 with the launch of an online system by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
The system aims to provide timely statistics on intimate partner homicides, which highlighted 37 female victims recorded in 2024 alone.
All of these developments underline the pressing need for comprehensive strategies to combat violence against women in Australia, with advocates calling for the implementation of a national register to accurately document such occurrences and enable effective responses.
