Sydney woman Mia Findlay has delivered a powerful monologue on the injustice of male violence against women at a What Were You Wearing rally on April 27.
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00:00 What's the barrier to entry to being believed?
00:04 How short was your skirt? How long were your sleeves?
00:07 Did you drink? Were you drunk? Were you rude or polite?
00:11 Did you go home with someone or walk alone at night?
00:14 There's also a barrier that exists before dark on an afternoon run in your safe local park.
00:20 I'll never forget Marsha on a run at 17, stabbed 49 times by a man she'd never seen.
00:28 The barrier still applied though when Detective Hughes said,
00:31 "Not that men shouldn't kill, women be vigilant instead."
00:36 Two young men murdered and they shut down a city.
00:40 For young men with futures, take action, have pity.
00:43 But for us, just silence, victim blaming advice.
00:46 No short skirts or drinking, don't go out at night.
00:49 If it happened, report it, but only right away.
00:52 Forget trauma or terror, even one day's too late.
00:56 If you report it, be perfect, sober virgin till the end.
01:00 Not a blemish on your record, not perfect, even if you're dead.
01:05 [Applause]
01:12 Two young men murdered and they shut down a city.
01:16 32 women in 24, no action, no pity.
01:20 Two young men murdered and they shut down a city.
01:24 64 women in 23, no action, no pity.
01:28 Two young men murdered and they shut down a city.
01:31 50 women in 22, no action, no pity.
01:35 Two young men murdered and they shut down this city.
01:39 61 women in 21, no action, no pity.
01:43 We know you can do it, make laws consequential and tough.
01:47 And for two boys with futures, you cared just enough.
01:50 What's the barrier to entry, to being believed, to being considered human, to being safe and free?
01:57 You tell us be cautious and we've tried it all.
02:00 The "I'm in a cab" message, the "I'm home safe" call.
02:03 We cover open drinks of girls we don't know.
02:06 Cross streets in fake phone calls so we'll be left alone.
02:10 We stay home with our partners because surely we're safe.
02:13 But when nobody's looking, one of us dies every five days.
02:18 Suddenly we care when it blows up in our face.
02:21 A knife man in Bondi, a terrorist in a cafe.
02:25 What do they have to do with our country's great shame?
02:28 Because the core of their crimes were both one and the same.
02:32 He had a problem with women, the knife man's father said.
02:36 He targeted women until a woman shot him dead.
02:40 [Applause]
02:47 Then there's Martin Kerran Monarchs, terrorised Sydney whilst on bail.
02:52 For 40 counts of assault, but just against women, so no jail.
02:58 Two young men murdered and they shut down this city.
03:03 Thank you.
03:05 [Applause]
03:08 [Applause]
03:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]