Tens and thousands of people have turned out to march across Australia. It is to protest against sexual harassment and abuse in the country with women.
A recent wave of allegations spurred them of sexual assault centred around Australia’s parliament. The accusations have focused inspection on the conservative government.
The coordination of the protest was done a week ago. After Attorney-General Christian Porter told, he was a subject of a 1988 rape charge that he denies.
A separate case, that of Brittany Higgins, an ex-political advisor who alleged in February. She said she was raped in a minister’s office in 2019. Moreover, she has also fired public anger.
On the other hand, protestors feel the government’s answer to the sexual onslaught has been weak.
What happened at the protest?
Known as the ‘March 4 Justice,’ the protest rally formed from noon on Monday in 40 cities and towns in Australia. It included the major capital cities of Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney and smaller country towns.
Moreover, organisers proposed that it could be the biggest upheaval of the women that Australia’s seen.
Also, many attendees carried placards and wore black in protest. In Melbourne, protestors carried a long banner listing the names of women killed in the past decade. Moreover, these deceased women’s deaths were the result of acts of gendered violence.
Organisers at the Canberra rally also gave a petition to the lawmakers with over 90,000 signatures. Calling for higher accountability of sexists actions in parliament.
They have also called for Mr Porter, a senior minister, to be aside. Police have closed their case against the rape accusations on the attorney general. But others have held for a separate inquiry into the charges upon him.
What has driven this national clamour?
The cases in parliament have shown a light on sexist culture. Also, how sexual assault and harassment are dealt with more broadly across all areas of Australian society.
Many have called for the government to investigate Mr Porter’s past allegations, the nation’s top law officer. They want an independent inquiry into Mr Porter’s case and other alleged sexual crimes in Australian politics.
