Survivors of sexual abuse in Tasmania will soon be able to share their stories publicly, with the State Government set to change laws that prohibit victims from naming themselves in the media. The arc…
Book of the Week: ‘Three Women’ and the buried messiness of female desire
“There is nothing safer than wanting nothing,” Lisa Taddeo writes in the final pages of her debut book, Three Women, released this month. “But being safe in that way does not inure you fro…
How do convicted child sex offenders get working with children checks?
Earlier this month American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was charged with child sex trafficking and child rape offences. It was another awful reminder that the sexual abuse of children remains a live c…
The futility of ‘International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict’
An article published on the United Nation’s homepage advised that June 19 was the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The world’s media, however, remained largely sil…
#MeToo: Naming and shaming men in power who abuse female athletes
Keramuudin Karim. Larry Nassar. Sean Hutchinson. An unnamed South Korean tennis coach. Cho Jae-beom. These men have all been credibly accused of sexually abusing women and girl athletes, many of whom …
Surging demand for the national sexual assault, domestic & family violence counselling service
The day it was reported that George Pell had been found guilty of sexual abuse of children, calls to the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service, 1800RESPECT, surged …
The rise of image-based abuse online: It’s time to stamp out the trolls
It is starting to feel like each and every day there is a new example of people behaving badly. In the past fortnight, we have been (re)exposed to a toxic culture permeating the NRL involving the non-…
Finally. The fall of Cardinal George Pell
It wasn’t that long ago that I finished Louise Milligan’s meticulously researched book, Cardinal, The Rise and Fall of George Pell. It was as compelling as it was uncomfortable to read. How this ‘brut…
Why #MeToo only scratched the surface of women’s pain
This post includes a number of descriptions of sexual assault. In my ample spare time (ha!) I run two active feminist social media pages. A few weeks ago following Christine Blasey Ford’s incredible …
Party leaders deliver national apology to victims of child sexual assault
This morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered a long-awaited national apology to thousands of victims of child sexual assault; off the back of a five-year Royal Commission which saw 57 public …