Violence against women: the protest in Australia to become a national emergency

In Australia, this year, on average, a woman was killed every four days, a figure not far from the Italian one which says she is killed almost every three days. A series of feminicides has shocked public opinion. Demonstrations have taken place across Australia in response to the recent spate of violence against women.

Protesters are calling for gender-based violence to be declared a national emergency and for tougher laws to be put in place to stop it. The organizer, according to what is reported by the BBCMartina Ferrara declared: «We want alternative reporting options for victim survivors to allow them to have control over their stories and a personal path to healing and reporting. We ask that the government recognizes that this is an emergency and takes immediate action.”

The prime minister Anthony Albanese he said this is a national crisis. Speaking at a march in the capital Canberra attended by thousands of protesters, Albanese admitted that government at all levels must do better. «We need to change the culture, attitudes, legal system and approach of all governments. We need to make sure that this is not up to women, but that it is up to men to change their behavior too.”

Responding to protesters' calls for violence against women to be classified as a national emergency, Albanese said the classification was normally used during floods or forest fires to release temporary funding of money. “We don't need a month or two months: we need to address the issue seriously, week after week, month after month, year after year.”

Australia's federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has refused to establish a royal commission into gender-based violence. Albanese has repeatedly called gender violence an epidemic, but it's nothing new: In 2021, marches took place across the country over allegations of sexual misconduct within the government.

To Adelaide, it is estimated that around 3,000 people gathered in front of the city's buildings of power on Saturday. Protests also took place in Brisbane, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Newcastle on Friday and Saturday, 9News reported.

Demonstrations follow attack at a Sydney shopping centre. Five of the six victims were women and police are investigating whether they were the target. A man was recently charged with the alleged murder of 30-year-old Erica Hay, a mother of four, who was found dead after a house fire in Perth.

The need for legislation is international. Last week the European Parliament approved, with 522 votes in favour, 27 against and 72 abstentions, the first European Union legislation on the fight against violence against women and domestic violence. The directive calls for tougher laws to combat cyber violence, better assistance for victims and measures to prevent rape. The ban on female genital mutilation and forced marriages is reiterated. There are particular guidelines for crimes committed online.

A longer list of aggravating circumstances is included in the new legislation, including all those involving crimes linked to gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, religion, social origin or political beliefs. We also talk about honor, so there is no crime in Italy, but the legislation concerns all European countries.

The safety and well-being of victims be priorities, including, for example, in access to sheltered housing. It will be mandatory to make healthcare accessible, including sexual and reproductive health services. National authorities will have increased reporting and evidence-gathering obligations and will need to raise public awareness that non-consensual sex is a crime. The new rules will come into force 20 days after their publication in the Official Journal of the EU and member states have three years to transpose them.