https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68915018
Rallies have taken place across Australia in response to a wave of recent violence against women. The protesters are advocating for gender-based violence to be declared a national emergency and stricter laws put in place to stop it. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the issue was a national crisis. In Australia, a woman has been killed on average every four days so far this year. Speaking at a march in the capital Canberra attended by thousands of protesters, Mr Albanese admitted the government at all levels needed to do better.”We need to change culture, the attitudes, the legal system and the approach by all governments,” he said. “We need to make sure that this isn’t up to women, it’s up to men to change men’s behavior as well,” he added. At the rally, in front of the parliament building, it was estimated around 3,000 people attended. Protests have also taken place in Brisbane, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and The rallies also coincided with the charging of a man with the alleged murder of 30-year-old mother-of-four Erica Hay, who was found dead after a house fire in Perth earlier this month. In all, 27 women have been killed in the first 119 days of 2024, according to data compiled by the campaign group Destroy the Joint.
In my opinion this is a pressing problem facing Australia now.I think it’s a good thing that there’s been movements and initiatives to address gender-based violence. Additionally, Ithink it’s a green flag that government officials are also speaking out and admitting what is going on is not okay and there needs to be steps implemented (like declaring a national crisis) to prevent further violence. In all, it’s very frightening to think that 27 women have been killed in the first 11 days of 2024, and is definitely something the Australian government needs to address.
This article connects to our class as recently we have been discussing social cleavages. Gender can be considered a social cleavage because it divides society based on the roles, expectations, and norms associated with being a male/female. Additionally, this cleavage influences our interactions, opportunities, and experiences. Unfortunately social cleaves, including gender, can contribute to violence when there is inequality, discrimination between the two groups. This can lead to conflict, oppression, and even harmful behaviors, which is what is happening in Australia recently.