Violence against women is an “epidemic” in Australia, the Prime Minister said on Saturday Anthony Albanese, while thousands attend rallies in Sydney and other major Australian cities calling for stricter laws on gender-based violence. The rallies were prompted by a wave of violence against women, for which the government says one woman has been killed every four days this year. The rallies also followed a mass shooting in Sydney this month that killed six people, five of them women.
Protesters demanding tougher criminal laws gathered in Sydney, the capital of the state of New South Wales, for a rally and then a protest march that closed the city’s streets.
Some protesters carry signs reading “Respect” and “No more violence”.
It is estimated that in the capital of South Australia, Adelaide, around 3,000 people gathered in front of the city’s parliament building.
Prime Minister Albanese said he would attend a rally in the capital Canberra on Sunday.
“I will be walking with women all over Australia to say that enough is enough,” Albanese said on the social platform X.
“Violence against women is an epidemic. We have to do better,” he added.
In Adelaide, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said a “national emergency response” was needed to tackle the problem.
“Women are tired of being told ‘yes, it’s bad, but there’s not much we can do,'” Hanson-Young said.
Similar protests are scheduled over the weekend in the capitals of Perth, Western Australia; Melbourne, Victoria; Hobart, Tasmania; and Brisbane, Queensland.
Gender-based violence is an ongoing problem in Australia, a country of 26 million people.
In 2021, tens of thousands of people gathered over allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct in some of the country’s highest political offices.