Thanks to the courage of an Inner Wheel Club of Wandin member, the Parliament House in Canberra was illuminated in orange on 25 November to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
When Maree Budweg wrote a letter sharing her experience with abuse as a child, she had no idea of the impact it’d have on hundreds of other women in the Inner Wheel community.
She sent the letter to International Inner Wheel president Kay Morland in October and it’d eventually be shared by the International Inner Wheel Committee during the global UN Women-led campaign, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
“Whilst I was sitting up in bed with a cuppa, reading a hard copy of the International Inner Wheel newsletter, November 30, 2007, little did I know how this article I was reading back then… would change my direction in life,” Ms Budweg said in a speech on 18 October.
The newsletter covered a program led by an Italian Inner Wheel club called Unspoken Words, which centred around the secretive shame and burden carried by women who’ve suffered abuse as a child.
“My reaction was, ‘Oh my god.’ My eyes filled with tears. This is me,” she said.
Ms Budweg’s act, along with the advocacy of the Inner Wheel Club of Wandin, led to Parliament House in Canberra being illuminated in orange to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November.
The club’s advocacy continues as Australia participates in the global UN Women-led campaign, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
On 2 December, the Inner Wheel Club of Wandin will hold a lunch to spread awareness about gendered violence and raise funds for Benwerren, a retreat for women in Yarra Junction. Contact iiw.au.wandin@gmail.com for more information.
The newsletter was a catalyst for Ms Budweg, and she shared her unspoken words with others, beginning a healing process she’d denied herself out of the shame associated with her past trauma.
Inner Wheel Club of Wandin president Jill Lloyd said the International Inner Wheel Committee thought Ms Budweg’s letter was of high significance and should be shared with the broader Inner Wheel community.
“I was very proud of Maree for speaking up because it wasn’t her intention. She sent a little letter to our international president, who lives in Berwick, and she picked it up.
“The impact of that led on to it being shared with the International Inner Wheel Committee, who were coordinating it. They decided they needed to release the story internationally, and that’s pretty significant,” Ms Lloyd said.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign is a reminder of a terrible reality lived by far too many women in Australia and around the world.
The statistics themselves couldn’t be more upfront in showing this: In Australia, one in four women (2.3 million) have experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Personal Safety survey.
On average, one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner, and men are more commonly the perpetrators of physical violence, sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Federal member for Casey Aaron Violi, who helped push for the Inner Wheel Club of Wandin’s request to have Parliament House glow orange, spoke in Parliament on the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women and called on men to call out inappropriate behaviour.
“The reason I’m standing here to speak is that it is not just the women of this parliament and the women of Australia who have a role to play. The leaders of the country, the men in this place and the men in communities have a role to play.
“We need to call out any inappropriate behaviour made by our friends, our colleagues and our workmates. We need to make sure that all men understand that violence is not acceptable in any circumstance,” Mr Violi said.
Ms Lloyd said it was essential for men to speak up against others who show disrespectful behaviour against women.
“If they don’t speak up when they see their footy mates or whoever they are, speaking disrespectfully to women, it will always continue.”
Meanwhile, Ms Lloyd noted how it’s crucial for women to share their experiences with one another and rely on the support available to them.
“Women do carry that shame for years and I think it’s really important that we share our stories and encourage others.
“It’s ok to go and seek help for it – a burden shared is a burden halved.”
