As Maitland woman Ange McArthur began to unpack years of trauma, she was angry and tired.
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Angry at the sexual violence she experienced since she was four years old.
Angry that she struggles to name a person assigned female at birth in her life that has not been assaulted or abused.
And tired that victim-survivors still have to explain and justify themselves.
"The words we say are still not enough, we are tired, no more," she said.
'No More' is the core theme of non-profit What Were You Wearing's upcoming national rally against violence from April 26 to April 28.
Ms McArthur will speak at Newcastle's rally on Friday, starting from Newcastle Museum at 6pm.
Rallies are also organised in Ballarat, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Bendigo, Sunshine Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Coffs Harbour, and Canberra.
The group will call for urgent action against gender-based violence and sexual, family and domestic violence in Australia.
Listening to survivors
Ms McArthur, a support coordinator, wanted to use her voice in a way that benefits future generations.
"As I get older I realise I was conditioned from such a young age, I'm also realising how easy it is to educate our little people on what's wrong and right," she said.
From a young age into adulthood, she experienced abuse, sexual violence and coercion. She wished more people listened to survivors' stories.
"Just because we are speaking up now doesn't mean it never happened, the reason it can take long is because of fear," she said.
"It's reached this point where we have to sort of be infantilizing, and just say 'hands to yourself, cut it out', it's just ridiculous."
She first attended What Were You Wearing survivor groups last year and was motivated to get involved in the rally to change the narrative around sexual assault.
"If you are not sitting, listening and considering what we are saying, then you are a part of the problem," she said.
Make noise, create change
What Were You Wearing founder Sarah Williams said the Bondi stabbing which killed six people and "alarming" rates of domestic, family and sexual violence triggered the rallies.
"There is a wider issue of violence towards women," she said.
"So many people are just fed up with it every year, it's the same story and same lack of action from the government and local councils."
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2021-22 revealed one in five Australian women experienced sexual violence.
What Were You Wearing chief financial officer Ethan Fraser said the rally reflected the ongoing frustration on lack of action.
He said the rally would call attention to a multitude of gender-based violence, including men's violence towards other men.
"The more noise we make, the more chance we have of change," he said.
What Were You Wearing demands on gender-based violence include:
- Government acknowledgment that it is a national emergency and take immediate action;
- Media must wait 48 hours before releasing a photo of any victim of men's violence, supporting Tabitha Acret's campaign;
- Support the WWYW #BelieveME Campaign - mandatory victim blaming prevention training for all first responders and media personnel;
- Properly fund all domestic, family and sexual violence services (inclusive of refuges and behaviour change programs), ensuring funding agreements are minimum 5 years.
- Alternative reporting options and sexual, domestic and family violence specialist courts.
To find out more information, go to https://www.whatwereyouwearingaus.org/national-rally
Jessica Belzycki
Journalist at the Newcastle Herald.
Journalist at the Newcastle Herald.
