Thousands of people are expected at rallies across the country to support survivors of sexual violence and call for an end to victim-blaming.
What Were You Wearing Australia is hosting the events for the third year running, with gatherings in Wollongong, Melbourne, Sydney, Tamworth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Toowoomba on Saturday.
The rallies were first hosted in the wake of the 2024 Bondi Junction shopping centre attack, during which a man armed with a knife killed six people and injured a dozen others, the majority of them women.
On the two-year anniversary of the attack, Governor-General Sam Mostyn announced eight people would be honoured with special bravery awards in recognition of their life-saving courage during the rampage.
While 100,000 people turned out for the 2024 protests, among them Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, organiser Sarah Williams said it was difficult to estimate how many would hit the streets this year.
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Sign up"Violence against women has become normalised; people are really tired because it's happening too much," she told AAP.
"We are not seeing change and because of that people become more apathetic because they think nothing will happen."
This year the organisation is focused on its push to improve consent education in schools and mandate sexual violence prevention education.
"We already have consent and respectful relationships education in schools but it's not teaching kids about harassment, coercive control, sexual violence, what rape is, abuse of power," Ms Williams said.
"If kids can't name it, they can't report it ... education is one of the most powerful tools we have to help prevent harm and challenge the attitudes that allow sexual violence to persist."
About one in seven Australians have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, with more than one in five women and one in 16 men reporting abuse.
Speakers at the rallies will include MPs, advocates and survivors with a focus on challenging victim-blaming attitudes.
"Sexual violence thrives in silence and stigma," Ms Williams said.
"When survivors are asked what they were wearing, where they were or what they were doing, the focus is placed on the survivor instead of the perpetrator responsible."
On Sunday, rallies will be held in Ballarat, Perth, the NSW Central Coast, Dubbo, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Canberra and Hobart.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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