Radio host Mel Greig, known mostly for her and former co-host Michael Christian‘s ill-fated Royal Prank in 2013, spoke out on her blog yesterday, boldly retelling of her encounter with “an inappropriate taxi driver” in Adelaide on Thursday.
In her post, Greig retells how she didn’t follow her “rules” of getting home solo after a few drinks (“I ALWAYS sit behind the driver…I ALWAYS take a photo of their license and send it to a friend or to my husband. I ALWAYS remember the taxi company because I ALWAYS book the taxi so there is a record”), and her ride unfortunately ended in assault.
“He [the taxi driver] touched me. I can still hear his disgusting moans and can’t get rid of the feeling of him touching me,” Greig writes. She continues, “It was an absolute violation of my rights as a woman and as a passenger just trying to get home safely, his inappropriate behaviour was out of line and he needs to know that it’s NOT OK.”
“It is not ok to touch my leg, it is not ok to ask for a hug when I’m trying to get inside my house and it is not ok to moan and rub my body,” writes Greig, citing things that obviously should not, of course, need to be said. But here we are.
Stories such as Greig’s are hard to swallow, especially when incidents like these could hardly be categorised as as “rarity”. Nonetheless, major kudos to Mel Greig for bravely speaking out about the kind of behaviour that so frequently flies under the radar of “socially acceptable”.
“I’m sharing this story to remind women to look out for themselves, our safety and rights should always be the priority,” Greig said on Twitter.
Too-common incidents like Greig’s might make you wonder if we truly are living in 2015; they also make campaigns like Emma Watson’s HeForShe seem even more urgent, even more relevant. Stay safe, smart and strong, Australia.
To anonymously report information on a crime call 1800 333 000 or head to Crime Stoppers. To help contribute to the un-ending campaign of eradicating violence against women from within our society, please consider visiting and contributing to organisations like White Ribbon.
Via SMH.
Lead image via melgreig.com.au
