Mass demonstrations have swept across Australia in response to a surge in recent incidents of violence against women, with protestors demanding urgent action from the government.
Calls for gender-based violence to be declared a national emergency and for stricter legislation to combat it echoed through the streets as thousands gathered in various cities across the country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the severity of the issue, labelling it a national crisis. He conceded that both the federal and state governments needed to do more to address the root causes of the problem.
At a march in Canberra attended by a large turnout of demonstrators, Albanese emphasised the need for widespread cultural and systemic change. He stressed that addressing gender-based violence required collective effort and a fundamental shift in societal attitudes.
Responding to demands for the classification of violence against women as a national emergency, Albanese noted that such classifications were typically reserved for natural disasters, but he underscored the need for sustained and comprehensive action to combat the issue.
However, the rejection of calls for a royal commission into gender-based violence by Australia’s federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has sparked controversy.
Despite Albanese’s repeated assertions of gender-based violence as an epidemic, Dreyfus dismissed the need for further inquiries.
Recent high-profile cases, including a tragic stabbing incident in a Sydney shopping centre where five out of six victims were women, have reignited public outrage and intensified calls for action.
According to data compiled by the campaign group Destroy the Joint, 27 women have lost their lives to violence in the first 119 days of 2024, underscoring the urgent need for decisive measures to address this pressing issue.
Chioma Kalu
Follow us on:
