‘My call to arms
on violence
against women
came in 2012
when Jill Meagher
made a choice any
one of us could
have made. A
woman my age,
in Melbourne,
decided to walk
home – a 10-
minute journey –
after a night out
with friends, on
a Saturday night.
She never came
back. This could
have been me,this could have
been any one of
us. How could it
have happened
in Australia?
Violence against
women, in all its
forms – physical,
verbal, financial,
or emotional – is
unacceptable, and
more often than
not is a pre-cursor
to further acts of
violence. I have
spoken to victims
of gender-based
violence, and the
evidence is clearhink about this for a minute; think
about you and your three closest
friends. According to the most recent
ABS Personal Safety Survey, one
of you either has or will experience
physical or sexual violence. Does
that enrage you? It should.
Every single day we read a new
fact about violence against women
and it breaks our hearts. Did you
know that women are at least three
times more likely than men to
experience violence from a partner?
Scarily, young women experience
significantly higher rates of physical
and sexual violence than any other
group of women. In fact, eight out of
10 women aged 18-24 were harassed
on the street in the past year. We
can’t deny the severity of violence
against women. That’s why Cosmo
is campaigning to put an end to it
once and for all.
Violence against women includes
domestic violence, family violence,
sexual harassment and sexual assault.
And it does not discriminate. Just
read the stories of the incrediblesurvivors we interviewed – they all
come from different walks of life,
but share an awful bond. Khadija
Gbla was beaten by her husband,
Ally Sanford was drugged and raped
after a night out with friends, Lilly
Perrott was punched in the face for
calling out a man who groped her
at a festival, and Nina Funnell was
brutally attacked by a stranger while
walking home. It can happen to any
one of us, our friends, our family, at
any time, and the perpetrator can be
anyone from your high-school boy-
friend to your businessman fiancé,
to a complete stranger.
Imagine a world where girls
and women live free from violence.
It shouldn’t be something we only
dream about; safety is a basic human
right. By raising awareness, making
our voices heard and letting victims
know that there is help, that they’re
not alone and that it is never their
fault, we can make a real difference.
It starts with highlighting the red
f lags to look out for. Because if you
notice one with yourself, a family
member or a friend, it’s time to take
action. Don’t ignore the red f lags.NICOLE DA SILVA
Actress, Wentworth, Doctor Doctor