Three days ago, a young mum was brutally murdered in Adelaide. A vigil was held yesterday in remembrance of her. This is good and proper and an important part of the grieving process. I truly hope it will prompt change.
I am however increasingly challenged by a saying I once heard “Expecting things to change without putting in any effort, is like waiting for a ship at the airport.” That is true.
If we are to see change, if we are to see women treated with the respect they deserve, if we are to see young girls and boys protected from paedophiles we must be willing to fight for the change we want to see, we have to put in the effort!
The Advertiser reported yesterday that: “One in three children groomed by adult offenders using social media will be coerced into sending naked or suggestive photos of themselves, court documents show.” One 14-year-old girl sent such pictures of herself to a man who subsequently raped her.
While this may seem like an uphill battle we should also be deeply encouraged by this common saying. Yes, effort is required, but we can rest assured that change will come when the necessary and often sacrificial effort is made.
Never giving up means more than holding on to our hope. We must continually let our actions shine.
Thinking about what we can do to see women better respected in South Australia, here are a few that I would encourage for your immediate action;
- Oppose the proliferation of prostitution by supporting the Nordic Model of prostitution law reform. This will help change men’s views that women are sex commodities that can be used for their pleasure;
- Encourage the banning of sex dolls. Tory Shepherd’s article in the Advertiser of 30 October 2018, is right in arguing that we should not support the use of these dolls. They only serve to dehumanise women;
- Visit your MP and ask them to support clean feed internet for Australia to obstruct the epidemic of pornography used by men. Minds that are shaped by pornography are only a step away from acting it out.
Pretty radical? Wowser mentality?
If that’s what we think we will be caught out waiting for the next ship to leave the airport.
