Brittany Higgins, the former Liberal Party staffer who accused a colleague of raping her inside Parliament House, has reflected on what Aussie women have accomplished in the past couple of weeks, thanking in particular everyone who showed up at the March 4 Justice protests around Australia.
When Higgins went public with allegations about her colleague from 2019 and about how the government handled the alleged incident afterwards, it was a massive wakeup call for many Aussies about sexual assault and sexual harassment at all levels of society.
The mass outrage sparked the March 4 Justice protests in over 40 cities and towns around Australia, which attracted over 110,000 people and solidified this urgent issue’s place atop the national agenda.
“It’s almost been a week since the March 4 Justice protests and I wanted to acknowledge all the women and men who took time out from their busy lives to advocate for a safer, more equitable Australia,” Higgins posted on Sunday afternoon.
“Truly, from the bottom of my heart thank you.”
It’s almost been a week since the #March4Justice protests and I wanted to acknowledge all the women and men who took time out from their busy lives to advocate for a safer, more equitable Australia. Truly, from the bottom of my heart thank-you.
📷: @mpbowers & @DomLorrimer pic.twitter.com/zVariIWYdh
— Brittany Higgins (@BrittHiggins_) March 21, 2021
It’s the first tweet Brittany Higgins has made in over a week, and the first one in the wake of the huge protests for women’s rights and safety.
At the protests, which took place on March 15, Higgins even gave an emotional speech outside Parliament House – the very same building where was allegedly raped by another staffer in 2019.
“I encourage each and every one of you to set boundaries for yourself and be ruthless in your defence of them,” she said at the time.
“Speak up. Share your truth and know that you have a generation of women ready, willing and able to support you.
“Take ownership of your story and free yourself from the stigma of shame.
“Together, we can bring about real, meaningful reform to the workplace culture inside Parliament House and, hopefully, every workplace, to ensure the next generation of women can benefit from a safer and more equitable Australia.”
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
