Aussie women’s health startup Ovira has placed a moving billboard outside Knox Grammar School after former student Nicholas Drummond, who punched a woman in the face, avoided having any conviction recorded in court last week.
In case you missed it, last week Drummond pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman and a male bystander in Sydney, but was only placed on a good behaviour bond.
Judge Robert Sutherland told the NSW district court that the victim’s “dress might have been perceived by a former student of Knox to be provocative,” before deeming the assault convictions as not “necessary.”
In response to this, Ovira has decided to park a semitrailer out the front of Knox Grammar School, which reads “you will not silence our pain.”
It’s very Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri areas, and it fkn rocks.
“[This situation] is disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising,” Ovira founder Alice Williams — who also parked the semitrailer — said in a statement.
“It’s just one example of how alarmingly comfortable our society is with pain and suffering being an expected part of life for women.
“It’s reflected in the horrific numbers of violence against women and filters all the way through to so many parts of our daily lives (like period pain, endometriosis, painful sex) – where women’s pain is repeatedly dismissed.”
Williams says that the woman who was the victim of the assault has shown incredible amounts of courage, and that her story allows others to understand that they are not alone, and that comments about dressing too “provocative” or otherwise should not be tolerated.
“We stand in solidarity with her and want to amplify her voice, while offering hope to the thousands of other women suffering in silence. We hope that our actions can empower these women,” Williams continued.
“Whether it was provocative is redundant.”
Activist Chanel Contos also posted about the issue on her Instagram, sharing an image of what she says the woman was wearing on the night she was assaulted.
“People need to keep being reminded of the injustices that are happening in our court system and the violence men are perpetrating every day,” Contos said.
“It tells us that privilege and entitlement are not only the reason gender-based violence occurs but also why no accountability is held.
“Could we expect the same result if that was a 20-year-old from a low socio-economic status who didn’t have Nicholas’s barrister?”
Many points were made.
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.
