54 No More: Nationwide “What Were You Wearing” Rallies Have One Message. It’s Time to End Violence Against Women.
“54, NO MORE!” was just one of the many chants echoed through the latest nationwide rally organised by not-for-profit organisation, What Were You Wearing, calling for an end to violence against women in memory of the 54 women who have been reportedly killed at the hands of male violence.
Whether it be keynote speakers, volunteers or people who just came down to march, one thing was clear, the time for violence against women has to end.
Founder and CEO of What Were You Wearing, Sarah Williams, is a proud Awabakal woman who has been at the forefront of these rallies as well as leading a successful nightlife campaign in New South Wales during 2023. Her efforts brought about the ammendments of Responsible Service of Alchohol (RSA) laws. When asked about the turnout at the Brisbane Rally she said, “it was a crazy turnout and so great to see so many people show up — particularly men in the fight to end domestic and family violence”.
Oliver was one of the many men down at the rally, and when asked why he was down at the rally he said it was to show his solidarity and support to women, and that, as a transgender man who was raised and socialised as a woman he partially understands these experiences. But it was moreso thinking about what kind of man he wanted to be and bringing attention back to the fact that men have a duty and obligation to keep their mates in check.
“It’s all about thinking what kind of man I want to be.”
What Were You Wearing’s Claire and Charlene were just two of the many volunteers present at the Brisbane rally. When asked why they wanted to join the organisation they shared that the cause was close to their hearts and they wanted to make a change; something that volunteering with this group has allowed them to do.
People of all different ages marched together across the country calling for an end to violence against women (Image Credit: Jaya Lichy)
Whether they be young or old, people of all ages were marching across the country in a demonstration that has been called nothing short of powerful.
Ally and Eden were two young girls who were down at the rally who own a small business selling jewellery and accessories to raise awareness around gendered violence. It is an issue that has affected them and their families personally, and even though they were only teenagers, they wanted to highlight the importannce of coming together as a community and raise awareness.
Founder of Kaleidoscope News and Faternise Demi Lynch with her poster bringing attention to the sensationalised language mainstream media uses when reporting the death of women at the hands of male violence (Image Credit: rvn.streetphotography)
The mainstream media has often come under fire from activists for taking the deaths of women and twisting them into clickbait headlines with the sole purpose of gaining views. Founder of Kaleidoscope News and Faternise, Demi Lynch, came to the protest with a poster on her back drawing attention to this fact.
She spoke about how the language the mainstream media sensationalises these tragedies, ignoring the harm and consequences their words can have. This, she feels, not only dehumanises women and victims but also reduces their entire life to the manner in which they died.
“All they focus on is a clickbait headline.”
Larissa Waters, Greens Senator and Spokesperson for Women, spoke of the role that government needs to play in addressing what she calls a “national crisis”. The current stastics of how many women are killed by gender-based violence is recorded only by volunteer organisations, so the accuracy of those numbers are unclear. Senator Waters says that while the work that organisations such as Counting Dead Women is vital, it shouldn’t be up to them as it is a “huge trauma load”. It should be up to the Government.
She argues that Australia already has a similar system in place for road tolls, which act to prevent roadside deaths through the observation of frequent patterns and behaviours. She asks why a similar government funded toll couldn’t be put in place for women’s deaths at the hands of gendered violence.
“We’ve got a road toll for heaven’s sake, why don’t we have a toll of women killed by violence?”
With the statistics of violence against women reaching one woman killed approximatley every four days many are saying that the current approach isn’t enough to to tackle this nationwide epidemic, and something has to change.
It didn’t matter if it was a protestor, volunteer or politician, the message was the same in the form of two clear demands. The first is the call for more funding to specialist domestic and family violence services, mens behaviour change programs and women’s refuges. The second is the implementation of mandatory trauma informed training for all first responders, Sarah Williams argues that this is key as victims shouldn’t go to the people that are meant to protect them only to be retraumitised.
“We don’t want victims going to the people that are supposed to protect us to then be retraumitised.”
54 Women killed at the hands of gender based violence in seven months, one woman every four days. As devastating as it is, nothing can be done to change their story, but that doesn’t have to be our future and we can change her story, whether she be your mum, daughter or neighbour down the road we can live in a world where gendered violence is a thing of the past, we just can’t sit and watch this moment go by.
Right now that reality, it may sound utopian, sure, but it is possible, because if there’s one thing that can be learnt from these protests it’s this. “54 No More” is much more than a chant at a rally, it is about women who for too long have been ignored, it is about survivors who have used their unfatomable hurt to demand change, and at its core it is about hope, so we can move forward into a world where the next generation of girls get to live.
If you or anyone you know needs support please call 1800RESPECT or get in touch with DV Connect on 1800 811 811.
