On the 15th March 2021, over 110,000 attended over 200 rallies and events across the nations to protest against gendered violence. The atmosphere was electric, the streets were full and those in attendance were fired up—and for good reason.
For far too long, women have suffered as a result of gendered violence. They don’t feel safe walking down the street at night, they don’t even feel safe in their own homes. They aren’t believed when they report sexual assault and they’re forced to carry the weight of their trauma forever, with little to no support from the powers that be.
It makes sense, then, that the Women’s March4Justice was created. A safe space where women and allies all around the country can gather together and march for change, it’s transformed from a one-off occasion to an annual event and charity organisation.
Now, March4Justice is fast approaching for 2022, so read on for everything you need to know.
March4Justice 2022 Key Information
March4Justice2 will be taking place on the 27th February, 2022. It will be a COVID-safe, inclusive and respectful environment, held around state capitals across Australia, as well as cities, towns and remote locations.
As the official press release reads:
“March4Justice is committed to providing a safe space for all women and their allies to be heard and events will be welcoming to First Nations peoples, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, people from CALD and immigrant communities, people of all abilities and people from every area of the political spectrum. The only people who are not welcome to join March4Justice events are those who do not wish to embrace the values of inclusion; there is zero tolerance for hate speech, intimidation or of course threats of violence or violence.”
Much like last year, the 2022 event will encourage a unique range of voices to speak at each event, tailored to the needs of their local community.
Where is the March4Justice rally in my State/ territory?
March4Justice organisers are currently adding a list of official rallies to the March 4 Justice live map, which offers key details like location, time and event format.
So far, several smaller locations have finalised their official public rallies within Melbourne, Cairns and Albury Wodonga. The live map will update with all the details about the city centre rally in each major city ahead of Sunday. Keep checking back there for up-to-date details.
March4Justice currently has four key asks: full independent investigations into all cases of gendered violence and timely referrals to appropriate authorities; full implementation of the 55 recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work report; lift public funding for gendered violence to world’s best practice; and enactment of a federal Gender Equality Act to promote gender equality and include a gender equity audit of parliamentary practices.
According to the official media release, only 38% of federal politicians are female, highlighting how underrepresented we still are in parliament. With Australia gearing up for another federal election, March4Justice is hoping to generate a “womanslide” where the votes of the nation’s women will shape the country’s future.
What happened at March4Justice last year?
In 2021, March4Justice took place on the 15th March and was organised by Janine Hendry. Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets chanting:
“What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now!”
The protest took place shortly after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office by a more senior male colleague in March 2019. (The accused denies the charges, and the matter is now before the courts.)
This year’s march is a celebration of what we’ve achieved so far and a timely reminder of what still needs to be done.
To find your nearest March4Justice team or to register your own visit march4justice.org.au or email march@march4justice.org.au.
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