Latest news with #genderedviolence
ABC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Super Netballer and Diamond Cara Koenen opens up about violence against women
Cara Koenen is universally adored in the Super Netball world. The foundation Sunshine Coast Lightning player has precision under the net and a charismatic approach to life both in and out of the shooters' circle. But beneath the surface, the 29-year-old has been consumed by an experience that she says rocked her existence. Koenen is a victim of sexual assault, and she is speaking out against gendered violence. Netball is the highest participation sport for women and girls in Australia, a fact that fills Koenen with pride. But with it, comes a set of heart-sinking numbers on the sideline, one in four of them will have experienced domestic violence. Koenen knows her position at the top level brings power to speak to a captive audience. "We know that sport has the power to change attitudes and shape culture. So, we want to be role models, not just in how we play, but in how we lead," Koenen said. "I had an experience that really rocked my whole world to be honest." Koenen says that experience affected her confidence, and from there, came a flow on effect. Koenen says a big part of gendered violence is the misconception that it will happen at the hands of a stranger. "Statistically, the perpetrator is way more likely to be someone known to you, or an intimate partner. "We hear so much about how our actions lead to these violent acts … that rhetoric that there's something you've done wrong that led to the abuse. "That was something I really grappled with." Koenen says it impacted her netball and the ability to study. "It became all-consuming in all parts of my life … I couldn't escape it," she said. Koenen says concentration and sleep were her two biggest struggles after her experience. "My confidence on court was deteriorating and training and playing was no longer an escape or a place I could use to distract myself," she said. Koenen sat with the experience on her own for a period of time, because she felt embarrassment about what had happened but eventually found the strength to reach out to friends and family, who she says she is "extremely grateful for." Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us abcsport5050@ Koenen notched up her 100th national league match in April this year, is studying a Masters of Molecular Imaging Technology and sits in the top five for offensive rebounds in this season's Super Netball competition, but says it is important to know that domestic violence doesn't discriminate. "You never think it will happen to you," she said. "We grow up learning how to keep ourselves as safe as possible, even in Australia which is supposed to be one of the safest countries in the world. But even that isn't always enough." Her words follow a powerful statement released by the Australian Netball Players' Association (ANPA), in which they released a social media video calling domestic and family violence the most urgent social issue facing Australian women. One woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner. In 2024 alone, 37 women lost their lives to gendered violence and over 4,600 women were hospitalised due to family and domestic violence — an average of 13 women every single day. And domestic and family violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children in our country. The decision to become publicly vocal about the issue stemmed from a general survey conducted on SSN players, with the results showing over 98 per cent of players surveyed felt the need to address domestic violence. "I went back-and-forth a few times about whether I wanted to speak to my own personal experience," Koenen said. "But statistically there are many more people playing on an SSN court who are far more affected by this than we know." Koenen also challenged the public to examine the seemingly "harmless" behaviours and attitudes that could perpetuate a future of violence in younger generations. "It starts with those little misogynistic, patriarchal behaviours or comments, like telling a girl [a boy] pulls your hair because he likes you. "They seem harmless, but they contribute to this broader issue. It's our role to educate ourselves and others about what is and isn't acceptable." Koenen also urges men to have a part in the conversation. "We need to create a society where everyone calls out harmful behaviour, where we empower each other and especially the little girls who look up to us, to speak out and say, 'that's not okay', Koenen said. "No matter what that little voice in the back of your head tells you, it's never anything to do with the victim. "It has everything to do with society and how we educate people and provide safe spaces for those who've suffered through domestic and family violence. "No part of what happened to me was my fault." Koenen also emphasises that if you're not hearing about it, it doesn't mean it's not happening. "We haven't yet created a safe enough space for people to be able to come forward with their experiences," she said. "And ask for the help they need and deserve."
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Brittany Higgins breaks her silence on the 'brutalising' aftermath of her devastating rape allegations - and the hidden victims who suffered
Brittany Higgins has opened up about the years of trauma unleashed by her legal battle over her rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann, and the impact on her loved ones. She slammed the legal system that 'brutally' focused on the alleged victim over the accused - and demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese overhauls the process. 'There wouldn't have been a need for a #MeToo movement [in Australia] if our criminal justice system was actually working the way it was intended for victims,' she said on Thursday 'It's hard on you as the person going through that process 'It's also hard on your loved ones. Trauma is real and the people around you will also absorb a lot of what you're going through.' Ms Higgins revealed she had been asked to give advice to someone launching a legal case, but had warned them of what lay ahead. 'In the court, the focus shifts quickly and brutally not to the actions of the accused, but to the behavior, the history and the credibility of the complainant,' she added. 'Her sexual past, her alcohol abuse, her social media posts, her supposed motives: she becomes the one on trial. 'Why is it that our justice system demands perfection from traumatized but accepts silence from the accused?' Ms Higgins was addressing a crowd of 300 people about ending gendered violence at Conversations That Matter 2025 Geelong's GHMBA Stadium in Victoria. She called on the Albanese government, which proudly announced its caucus was 56 per cent women, to take more tangible action on the issue. '(Violence against women) was the preeminent election issue in 2022 and we're at a point where it was barely a blip on the radar,' Ms Higgins said. Citing the 12-month Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry responding to sexual violence, she criticised the $21.4 million government package to fund victim support. '(This) boils down to more reviews and more trials, both of which are necessary. (But) That's not a lot of action,' she told the audience, who had paid $130-a-head to attend. Alongside her advocacy Ms Higgins announced on Wednesday that she has re-entered the workforce, joining the same company where her husband is employed. Ms Higgins is now the director of public affairs at the public relations agency Third Hemisphere. Reflecting on how she has processed the legal battle now that she is a mother, Ms Higgins opened up about how she has a newfound respect for her own mum. The former political staffer shared how she sees her mother as a 'hero' for supporting her. 'My son had surgery not too long after he was born and my heart broke into a million pieces at seeing him in pain,' she told event MC and former ABC journalist Mary Gearin. 'So I extend so much more empathy to my own mother, who had to experience all this stuff (the legal battle) as a parent, not being able to do anything.' Her son Freddie, born in March, was in attendance, quietly sitting in the arms of her husband David Sharaz among the charity officials, experts and advocates. The proud mother has been a staunch advocate for ending violence against women, attending Brisbane's march to prevent the issue in early May. She said connecting with mental health support systems is important for survivors of violence to 'make it through to the outside of these processes'. It comes four years after she was awarded $2.4million from the federal government after claiming she was 'diagnosed as medically unfit for any form of employment'. Ms Higgins made a compensation claim for damages in March 2022 after alleging she was raped in parliament by former colleague Bruce Lehrmann. He has always denied the claims but was found to have raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities by Justice Michael Lee in April last year - a decision Lehrmann is currently appealing. The former Liberal staffer made a compensation claim for damages in March 2022 after the alleged rape. After settling the suit against the federal government for $2.4million, Ms Higgins fled to France after purchasing a three-bedroom chateau in 2023 in Lunas, a tiny village 100km east of Bordeaux. Higgins said she held onto about $1.9million after fees and taxes. The property has since been listed for sale, with the proceeds to cover costs of a defamation suit brought against her by former boss, Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds. Higgins and Sharaz now reportedly plan to live in Melbourne's east after marrying last year on the Gold Coast.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Respect Victoria challenges men to question masculinity stereotypes in new ad campaign
Alex Mills feels very comfortable with the kind of man he is. But it's taken until the age of 40, a serious run-in with anxiety and depression and plenty of introspection to get there. "I'd just internalised a lot of that, so when I found myself in a really vulnerable space, opening up about that sort of stuff was really hard," he says. "That experience has always really stuck with me." Opening up is hard — for men, in particular — because it's in stark opposition to social pressures and stereotypes that expect toughness and stoicism. These pressures are fleshed out in a new campaign by Respect Victoria that has boiled down 18 months of research and conversations with Victorian men. It found that men who subscribed to macho stereotypes that included aggression, suppressing emotion and hypersexuality were 17 times more likely to commit gendered violence. Research manager Dr Stephanie Lusby says the campaign is about showing men it is possible to buck those expectations. "It's not about calling men perpetrators as a general bloc," she says. "It's about saying we've all got a part to play in finding avenues to change, resetting the social norms that allow violence to happen." Alex Mills is one of the 12 Victorian men featured in the campaign. All of them speak openly and honestly about what kind of man they want to be. Some have been on the receiving end of violence while others, like Alex, have waded through mental health issues. "There's lots of men out there who are really wrestling with this stuff, either in their own lives or maybe working with young people, or other men around them," he says. "A lot of that gets drowned out by the really big, loud, toxic voices. "I mean, you can't kind of talk about masculinity in 2025 without someone like Andrew Tate or a similar online influencer coming up." Respect Victoria drew on surveys of 3,500 men aged 18 to 45 about their attitudes and behaviours around masculinity. Dr Lusby says many men feel pressure to live up to harmful stereotypes, even if they do not personally endorse them. And that throughout the study, it became clear many men wanted to help prevent gendered violence but were not sure how to go about it. "Lots of men in the focus groups we were doing were saying that they wanted to do more, but that they weren't perpetrators … and so what was their role?" Dr Lusby says. "Not wanting to do more harm came out as a theme quite a bit … and so one of the things that we want to show in this campaign is the stories of men who have gone on their own journeys of building relationships that feel safer." The figures around violence against women in Australia are staggering. According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, since the age of 15, more than 1 in 3 women in Australia have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a man. The growing list of murdered women's names feels unrelenting. Names like Jill Meagher, Aiia Maasarwe, Celeste Manno, and Samantha Murphy stoke rage and grief in the community. But there has also been some backlash. A Hosier Lane mural featuring the faces of women who have been killed was recently defaced with graffiti reading "war on men". Dr Lusby hopes this campaign will help engage men who might see themselves reflected in it and encourage them to push back against harmful behaviour and attitudes. "Lots of previous campaigns have been about teaching — do this and don't do that," she say. "This one is about listening and I think that that's a really important shift. Respect Victoria's campaign, called What Kind of Man Do You Want to Be? launches on Wednesday. Alex hopes that sharing his experience prompts other men to open up. "There're so many different ways to be a man," he says. "You can be strong, but you can also be vulnerable. You can be sensitive, you can be caring, compassionate, you can be scared. "I really hope this campaign … gets men thinking about how actually there's a whole bunch of ways that I can be. And they're all OK."
SBS Australia
10-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
'Stop killing us': Nationwide protests call for action on gendered and sexual violence
No More: National Rally Against Violence events were held in Australian capital cities and regional towns on Saturday. Source: Getty / Lisa Maree Williams Tens of thousands of men, women and children have marched across Australian capital cities and regional towns calling for determined action to end gendered and sexual violence. The No More: National Rally Against Violence saw attendees gather in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and regional centres in between. Organiser Sarah Williams called for more funding, training, and law reform to combat violence. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she told a 2,000-strong crowd on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne on Saturday. "We need more funding for primary prevention, more trauma-informed response training for police, increased crisis housing, bail law reform and uniform consent laws," she said. Similar rallies played out almost simultaneously in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Hundreds met in Sydney's Hyde Park, while the regional centres of Newcastle and Wollongong saw a similar turnout, including the family and friends of Mackenzie Anderson, a young mother who was stabbed 78 times and brutally murdered by her former partner in 2022. Hundreds more rallied in Brisbane, carrying signs reading "We weren't asking for it" and "Weak laws cost lives". In the lead-up to the rallies, organisers urged more men to attend and take accountability for violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education should be expanded to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations, she said. A total of 128 women have been killed since January 2024, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. Its founder, Sherele Moody, read aloud the names of the women as images of their faces were laid before Melbourne's Parliament steps. "We're here because men keep killing us," she said. "Violence against women is primarily a male problem ... it's not a women's problem to solve but it's women who are the ones who do the work." Advocates say a government-run national domestic violence register is desperately needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies also called for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing the tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. But Moody said ministers and leaders needed to sit down with frontline services to figure out what works. "All the safety nets have holes in them, and the funding barely even hits the sides," she said. Williams also said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
SBS Australia
10-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Some photos from the rallies against gendered and sexual violence held across Australia
No More: National Rally Against Violence events were held in Australian capital cities and regional towns on Saturday. Source: Getty / Lisa Maree Williams Tens of thousands of men, women and children have marched across Australian capital cities and regional towns calling for determined action to end gendered and sexual violence. The No More: National Rally Against Violence saw attendees gather in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and regional centres in between. Organiser Sarah Williams called for more funding, training, and law reform to combat violence. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she told a 2,000-strong crowd on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne on Saturday. "We need more funding for primary prevention, more trauma-informed response training for police, increased crisis housing, bail law reform and uniform consent laws," she said. Similar rallies played out almost simultaneously in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Hundreds met in Sydney's Hyde Park, while the regional centres of Newcastle and Wollongong saw a similar turnout, including the family and friends of Mackenzie Anderson, a young mother who was stabbed 78 times and brutally murdered by her former partner in 2022. Hundreds more rallied in Brisbane, carrying signs reading "We weren't asking for it" and "Weak laws cost lives". In the lead-up to the rallies, organisers urged more men to attend and take accountability for violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education should be expanded to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations, she said. A total of 128 women have been killed since January 2024, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. Its founder, Sherele Moody, read aloud the names of the women as images of their faces were laid before Melbourne's Parliament steps. "We're here because men keep killing us," she said. "Violence against women is primarily a male problem ... it's not a women's problem to solve but it's women who are the ones who do the work." Advocates say a government-run national domestic violence register is desperately needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies also called for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing the tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. But Moody said ministers and leaders needed to sit down with frontline services to figure out what works. "All the safety nets have holes in them, and the funding barely even hits the sides," she said. Williams also said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
