A local activist has reflected on the notable March4Justice campaign, one year after she took to the Gosford Waterfront to help raise the alarm on gender-based violence.
Phoebe Sheridan, who is currently a student at St Joesph’s Catholic College, said she was proud of her involvement at the March 15 event.
At last year’s march, the former representative of the Central Coast Youth Parliament spoke about the discrimination she has faced as a young woman in sport.
Sheridan said she was honoured to speak at the event as she could represent a myriad of young people who are facing gender discrimination and sexual assault.
“The nationwide march for justice movement helped raise significant awareness for gender inequality especially for women.
“The Central Coast march grew a crowd of 500 with only a few days’ notice highlighting the passion from people in our local area in regard to advocating for change,” Sheridan said.
“One year later people are still burning with passion – I’ve received multiple messages asking about the next Central Coast March4Justice and what they can do to help make a difference.
“The recent passing of the Consent Education Act and a general gain in recognition of the issue highlights the positive effect of March for Justice, and the Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, and the brave courageous women who have stood up and spoken about their stories.
“The plethora of girls in my school alone that have suffered from this is substantial and our voices deserve a chance to be heard, which they were at last year’s March4Justice, alongside grandmothers, fathers, mothers, children [and] other students.
The March4Justice movement sparked a series of nationwide marches last year after the Federal Parliament was engulfed in allegations of sexual harassment and violence.
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, said the marches showed the community was “tired of inaction on sexism and sexual abuse justice”.
“Last year women from all walks of life in our community came forward to march for the same cause. It was an event that resonated with so many,” Tesch said.
“One of the most impactful conversations I had that day was with a 76-year-old member of our community who had participated in the event to protest for the injustice she suffered at the hands of men.
“That day for the first time in her life she participated in a protest, representing not only herself but also her granddaughter who had experienced sexual violence at the hands of a man as well.
“It was stories like this that reflected just how widespread this issue is and how overdue our actions were.”
According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR), the Central Coast has the second-highest number of Domestic Violence Apprehended Violence Orders in NSW.
Recent figures also indicate that local sexual assault reports have jumped from 276 in 2019 to 391 in 2021.
More information about the March4Justice campaign is available at march4justice.org.au
Maisy Rae