The annual 16 Days campaign runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November to 10 December, International Human Rights Day – because women’s rights are human rights.
16 Days of Activism to end gender-based violence
Respect@Work laws
During this year’s 16 Days of Activism, the Senate voted to pass Respect at Work Bill 2022 which became law on 28 November 2022. This new law implements recommendations from the Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces, and introduces a positive duty on employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate unlawful sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, as far as possible.
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• Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022
• Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces
Dr Anne Summers presents The Choice
Dr Anne Summers AO, well-known author, columnist and feminist and now a Professor at the University of Technology Business School, presented her latest research at the 16 Days launch on 24 November.
“People say the choice is between staying with violence or leaving,” Dr Summers said. “But the real choice is between violence or enduring grinding poverty as a single mother. A stroke of the Treasurer’s pen could change this.”
Read more: The Choice: Violence or Poverty
Seven calls to action
The CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, Delia Donovan, enunciated clear calls to action to end gendered violence:
• A coordinated, whole-of-government approach to sexual, domestic and family violence
• Commitment to primary prevention to end all violence and promote gender equality
• Support for people experiencing and recovering from sexual, domestic and family violence
• Safe housing for everyone experiencing or recovering from sexual, domestic or family violence
• Reform of legal systems and policing for people experiencing sexual, domestic or family violence
• Enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to lead change towards ending sexual, domestic and family violence in their communities
• Develop and implement a workforce plan for this specialist sector.
Read more: Action to end gendered violence
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