Acknowledgement Ceremony

The 25th of November was the international day for the elimination of violence against women and marked the beginning of the 16 days of activism. We were asked by the Wagga Women’s Health Centre to participate in their Acknowledgement Ceremony for 2020. This was an important day for us as leaders of the next generation to acknowledge the presence of violence in our community and raise awareness to evoke change. During the ceremony, the fellow captains in our community tied a ribbon for each woman who had lost their lives as a result of violence. 2020 saw the deaths of 45 women to date, equating to roughly 1 death per week.

It was powerful to visualise all 45 ribbons along the railing, knowing that each was someone’s mother, daughter, sister, grandmother or friend. What we took away from the event was the need to call out unacceptable behaviour and initiate change starting with us. 

Matthew Conn | 

Leader of Academic Care and Wellbeing