Australian female leaders, including Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, have launched the Safety. Respect. Equity. campaign to demand action from leaders to end inequality against women.
The women wrote an open letter, which calls for Australians to demand real change in the treatment of women and children, and to protect them from violence, harassment and discrimination.
“Over the years there have been countless reviews, inquiries, promises, conferences and bodies established to assess and report on the inequity and injustice women face, but there has been no meaningful change,” the letter reads.
The campaign demands nine reforms be implemented, including all 55 recommendations from the 2020 Respect@Work report on preventing workplace sexual harassment and bullying. It also calls for action on the seven recommendations made in the Wiyi Yani U Thangani report, the national plan for Australian First Nations Women and Girls.
According to the letter, statistics show one in five women will be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime, and two in five women have faced sexual harassment in the workplace in the last five years.
Campaign member Yasmin Poole said in a tweet on Sunday that she is “proud” to stand with these women and their message.
“Inequality is built into the structures around us. For First Nations and diverse women, those barriers are even higher. Transformation and justice. Together,” she wrote.
Photo: I Use My Privilege To Stand With My Sisters by risingthermals available HERE and used under a Creative Commons licence. The photo has not been modified.