Sydney (Australia), March 8. One in four women experience sexual violence in their lifetime in Australia, a country where sensitivity to the issue has grown since an alleged rape scandal in Parliament in 2019, according to a government report on Wednesday, International Day of wife.
Australia’s first Status of Women report card, published today on the Department for Women’s website, also notes that one in two women experience sexual harassment in their lifetime in the ocean nation. .
“Highlighting these statistics may be controversial, but it is crucial if we are to have a frank conversation about gender equality in this country,” Australia’s Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, said in a statement.
Sexual violence against women rose to prominence in the national debate when former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins spoke out about being raped by a colleague in a legislative office, leading to massive marches in defense of women’s rights. women’s rights and the emergence of new complaints.
Although the suit was eventually filed, due to the impact of the legal proceedings on Higgins’ mental health, the Australian government apologized in Parliament for failing to ensure his safety.
The current Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has promoted a broad agenda since taking office in May 2022, which includes many measures for social justice and equality.
Today’s government report also provides worrying data on gender gaps in income and work participation, as well as the increased risk of homelessness.
The study highlights that “the fastest growing group of homeless people are women over 55”, with a 31% increase between 2011 and 2016.
Although the report does not give current data, it is inferred that the situation is worse given that another real estate study published the day before indicates that the number of rental units under 400 Australian dollars per week (264 US dollars or 250 euros) – the cheapest – fell 17.6% in February.
The report also points out that 40% of indigent women say their situation is due to problems of domestic violence in Australia, a country where every ten days a woman is murdered by her romantic partner.