Step Up! for women’s safety in Canberra with this new campaign
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It sounds simple, right? Women feeling safe in public places? Yet, this is still not the case.
53% of women in Australia have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime—and to help battle this statistic, local think tank Women’s Health Matters is launching the Step Up! Campaign to encourage the entire Canberra community to take action to improve women’s safety in public spaces.
Taking place across the Canberra region with a focus on the Canberra City precinct (and running alongside their Canberra Safety Map—a tool that allows women to note unsafe and safe areas around the Canberra region), the campaign is officially launching just in time for International Women’s Day.
Encouraging everyone to step up and take a stand if they see disrespect or harassment of women, the aim of the campaign is challenge harmful gender stereotypes and break down sexist attitudes and behaviours—no matter if it’s in work environments, the public, or domestic violence at home. Because harassment like inappropriate comments about a woman’s body or sex life and non-consensual touching, grabbing, kissing, or fondling is more common than it should be.
There will be many times when we see disrespect or harassment discrimination against women, even when we are not directly involved. When this happens, there are different ways we can take action to support the person affected—starting with learning the signs and feeling feel comfortable to lend a hand to a woman in need.
Everyone has a role to play in preventing violence against women. It’s time to step up.
For more information and tips on how to take action visit womenshealthmatters.org.au and watch the space as they begin development of an active bystander training package for workplaces.
