A peaceful, yet emotionally-charged, rally against gender-based violence was held in Cobram on Sunday as part of a series of rallies across the country at the weekend coordinated by national community organisation What Were You Wearing? (WWYW).
Cobram resident and local rally organiser Ash Ladgrove addressed the crowd of an estimated 400 people in the town’s Federation Park with a powerful opening speech, which included reading out the names of the 32 women in Australia who have lost their lives to violence this year, followed by a minute’s silence to remember them and calling on men for support in the nationwide crisis.
“It is not fair to be asking women how we can reduce this violence because it is not our responsibility,” she said.
“We have been fighting this for far too long.
“I am tired, I am angry and I’m not doing it anymore.
“We need men to do it.”
After Ms Ladgrove’s speech and an Acknowledgment of Country by Jett Robbins, Nicole Wells told her impactful stories of surviving violence.
The microphone was then opened up to the crowd and one by one, several members of the community bravely stepped up to share their unscripted stories of the men’s violence they had experienced and witnessed in their lives.
There were cheers, tears and emphatic applause from the supportive crowd, which included women, men and children, many of whom held handmade placards calling for change.
The events, named No More! Rally Against Gender-Based Violence, were held throughout Australia from Friday to Sunday in capital cities and regional centres and were orchestrated by WWYM after a dramatic rise in gender-based violent deaths of women this year.
The community organisation advocates against gender-based violence and is pushing five main agendas throughout the No More! campaign.
They include the government declaring a national emergency and taking immediate action; the media being prevented from publishing images of women killed by men for 48 hours following the murder; mandatory victim-blaming prevention training for first responders and media personnel; more funding for domestic, family and sexual violence services (including refuges and behaviour change programs), and; alternative reporting options and specialist courts for sexual, domestic and family violence matters.
Following the final rally of the weekend on Sunday, WWYW is now calling for a national strike on May 20 after the five demands were met with zero immediate commitments by the government.
Womensline: 1800 811 811
MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978
Lifeline: 13 1144
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24hr helpline: 1800 RESPECT