Sarah Williams knows all too well the power of protest. “There’s a perception that rallies and protests don’t create change. But it is because of the rallies we held in April that Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese agreed to our first demand: to declare domestic violence a national emergency,” the founder and CEO of What Were You Wearing? tells marie claire ahead of the Women of the Year Awards.
Williams organised 22 rallies across the country to put pressure on the government to make a critical change and say, “Enough is enough,” after 30 women were murdered in Australia
in the first five months of this year.
What Were You Wearing? began in 2021 as a powerful exhibition on sexual violence. After attracting more than 9000 story submissions and thousands of attendees, Williams was
inspired to create the What Were You Wearing? Australia group as a year-round force for change.
Under Williams’ leadership, the Indigenousled, youth-focused, non-profit organisation has expanded across multiple states, making major strides in advocacy and education. In 2023,
it successfully lobbied for amendments to Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) laws in New South Wales, mandating drink-spiking prevention training for bar and security staff.
This victory came after Williams led a petition that garnered more than 20,000 signatures, triggering a parliamentary debate that resulted in unanimous support for the initiative.
“People often feel powerless when the government over-politicises the conversations around domestic violence, but what you do as an individual is educate yourself,” explains
Williams. “Having the tools as an active bystander is so important to be able to call out things like victim blaming and rape culture when you witness them.”
marie claire’s 2024 Women of the Year Awards are presented by Swarovski and supported by Volvo, Max Mara, Revlon, Dr Lewinns and G.H. Mumm.
