A sea of orange has engulfed Melbourne as more than 8000 people took a stand against gendered violence, walking alongside the grieving family of alleged murder victim Isla Bell.
In Sydney, hundreds also took to the streets in memory of women killed at the hands of men, as the two cities kicked off 16 days of activism to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
Ms Bell went missing on October 4 and police found her remains at a rubbish tip earlier this week. A man has been charged with her murder.
At Friday’s Melbourne march, the 19-year-old’s uncle read out a social media post from her grieving mother Justine Spokes, who urged Victorians to support the Respect Victoria walk as a tribute to her daughter.
“My grief is paralysing, and I cannot function. Please give me and my darling Isla a voice and march in solidarity,” she wrote in the post.
“The reality is we live in a world where men occupy the positions of power and are still making decisions for women whether they like it or not.”
So far in 2024, 85 women have allegedly been murdered by a man in Australia, according to Australian Femicide Watch.
Respect Victoria chair Kate Fitz-Gibbon said there was not one clear reason for more women being killed compared to previous years.
“It shows the complexity of the problem, it shows the absolute importance of perseverance and ongoing leadership,” she said.
“(But) we have to be hopeful. We have seen throughout this year, more leaders talking about this issue than ever before, and male leaders and it does matter because different people listen.”
Marchers in Melbourne brandished signs with messages including “women should be safe everywhere” and “get your politics off my body” as they walked from Birrarung Marr to Treasury Gardens.
Victoria’s Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Vicki Ward said “any violent death is horrific” and urgent change was needed to stop women from dying at the hands of men.
“Violence is a choice. Nobody has to make that choice. So how we talk about each other, how we treat each other is critical,” she told AAP.
“So when we’ve got thousands upon thousands of people coming out, wearing orange, putting in an effort to be here, it shows the depth of concern that a community has got.”
In NSW, Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the marches were important to keep the public’s focus on gendered violence.
“Too many women in particular have lost their lives this year and every year to domestic violence,” she said.
“This is about bringing awareness to the issue and about how we all work together to prevent and stop domestic violence.”
The latest wave of protest follows earlier action that prompted the NSW government to tighten bail laws after the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, 120km west of Orange, in April.
The 28-year-old childcare educator was allegedly murdered by her former boyfriend, who was free on bail.
In the weeks after, the federal government funded a $1 billion program that will provide payments to people fleeing domestic violence.
This funding was spurred on after five women and one man were killed at Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney when Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage.
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