Women and allies for women are fed up with lacking action in the name of safety and equality. It’s hardly a new cause – folks have been marching for women’s rights for years now – but until meaningful change is seen, people will continue to advocate for the cause, and loudly. One such example is the Women’s March 4 Justice, which is returning in 2022.
If you’re keen to get involved this year, consider this your guide to the event.
What is the Women’s March 4 Justice?
March 4 Justice was born in 2021 as a grassroots movement that inspired some 110,000 people to peacefully protest on March 15, demanding action from Australian leaders in Canberra.
The event is back for 2022 with the intention being to make women’s “safety, [and] equity an election issue”.
Janine Hendry, who inspired the 2021 march with her tweet, shared a statement on the Women’s March 4 Justice 2022, explaining that:
“Last year’s march was a catalyst for women and their allies to pull together and get organised.
“This year, on the anniversary of that historic march, women are asking what’s improved? What’s changed for the better? They will be taking these questions with them to the ballot box.”
March 4 Justice 2022: What are the demands?
According to a statement on the organisation of the events for 2022, Women’s March 4 Justice has four key demands this year.
It reads:
The organisers are seeking a commitment from all political parties that whoever forms the next government will not only introduce a National Gender Equality Act, but implement all 55 recommendations from the Australian Human Rights Commissions’ Respect@Work report and lead a national review of all the Attorney-Generals to review and reform criminal justice.
The March4Justice also want to see permanent, consistent funding for domestic and family violence support and prevention services.
Specifically, the four key demands are as follows:
- Safety for all women, including:
- an end to racial violence against First Nations women by the state, including the end of the removal of babies and children from their mothers, and forced assimilation policies;
- Increased, secure, and longterm funding for domestic and family violence prevention and support services, including specialist services for children, Indigenous women, women with disability, and women from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, women in aged care, and for trans and gender non-conforming people, as well as perpetrator intervention programs.
- Safety at work, including:
- The full implementation of all 55 recommendations from the Australian Human Rights Commissions’ Respect@Work report of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces 2020;
- Address in all forums the gendered violence and inequality that affects members of LGBTQI communities.
- Real action to end gendered violence and promote gender equality across Australia, including:
- Independent investigations into public entities and public office holders for all cases of gendered violence, with referrals to appropriate authorities and full public accountability for findings;
- Establishing a national Gender Equality Act to promote gender equality in public institutions and public policy;
- A change to budget policy and practice to promote gender equality and economic growth.
- Criminal justice reform, including:
- Criminal justice law reform with a consistent national approach to domestic and family violence protection orders and offences, and sexual assault laws and sentencing;
- A national review, led by all Attorney’s-General to develop new approaches to sexual assault trials and criminal procedure and systems that are survivor centred, and address bias in the law;
- Support the ALRC Report Pathways to Justice Report and the justice reforms for Indigenous Women.
What’s different this year?
In short, it’s an election year. And the team behind March 4 Justice want these issues to not only be addressed, but they want voters to consider them when stepping up to the ballot box.
Bronwyn Currie, Melbourne organiser spoke about the importance of this federal election in a statement.
“This federal election women will not be smiling and asking for change – we will be in the streets and online demanding reform to end gendered violence, deliver real justice, and secure safety at work,” Currie said.
“Let’s be really clear – the collective anger we saw motivate tens of thousands of people to flood the streets this time last year has not gone away, it hasn’t blown over, and it’s not a niche issue for a select few.
“From Brisbane to Bega, Perth to Melbourne, Sydney to Adelaide organisers in every state have been inundated with interest. We believe more people will be involved this year than we saw last year – that’s how big it’s getting.”
Currie also spoke to the important work of people like Grace Tame in the space of sexual violence, and how gaps in law fail Australian communities in this area.
“With 90% of sexual assaults going unreported the justice system is not working for victims. Grace Tame’s work highlights the inconsistent laws on sexual assault crime across Australia,” said Currie.
“Currently there is no consistent legal definition of sexual intercourse or consent, nor is there a standard approach to how we treat victim/survivors and how they give evidence – meaning victims are often re-traumatised throughout the justice process.
“We shouldn’t accept that the criminal justice system has to be this way.”
What events March 4 Justice events are running in Australia for 2022?
The full list of events for March 4 Justice 2022 is still being finalised, but you can find daily updates according to location, here. A number of public and private events are being organised for Sunday, February 27.
In terms of public confirmed March 4 Justice events, here’s a brief list of some examples across Australia.
March 4 Justice Sydney
If you’re wondering about whether or not there will be a large-scale March 4 Justice protest in Sydney this year, organisers have shared on social media that because of the impact of the latest COVID-19 outbreak, events have had to be smaller-scale in 2022.
However, that does not mean folks will not be marching. Here’s the full statement.
You can register your private Sydney based March 4 Justice events here.
Broader NSW events
Beyond Sydney, there are a handful of other public events being organised across NSW for March 4 Justice 2022.
- March4Justice South Coast
- March4Justice Bega
- March4Justice2 Albury Wodonga
March 4 Justice Meanjin/Brisbane
Brisbane’s March 4 Justice event will be held at Soundshell Hill, Brisbane City Botanical Gardens at 10:15 on Sunday, February 27.
Attendees are asked to wear masks and preferably to wear black. Full details on Brisbane’s event here.
Broader Queensland events
- National Day of Action Warwick Gathering
- March4Justice Cairns Candlelight Vigil
March 4 Justice Naarm/Melbourne
Melbourne’s March 4 Justice event will be held in the CBD from 11:00 am on Sunday, February 27.
Attendees are asked to wear masks and to dress in black with a teal wrist ribbon. Full details on Melbourne’s event here.
Digital events
Many events will be hosting live broadcasts of the protests on YouTube and assorted other March 4 Justice digital platforms.
If you cannot make an event this year, you can also support the cause by donating to March 4 Justice here.
We will continue to update this article as updates on events and initiatives are released.
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
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