AUSTRALIA
Pride and Prejudice
Thousands of women marched in Australia Monday to protest against sexual violence and Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s handling of recent rape scandals that have shaken his administration and also parliament, Bloomberg reported.
The demonstrations come after former government media adviser Brittany Higgins alleged that she was raped by a former colleague in a minister’s office in 2019.
Outrage also followed the refusal of the government to hold an inquiry into claims that Attorney-General Christian Porter raped a fellow member of a school debating team in 1988, citing a lack of admissible evidence. Porter denies the allegations.
Analysts said the scandals could prove very problematic for the Morrison administration, despite its popularity in handling the coronavirus pandemic. They added that Morrison needed to be aware that his handling of the pandemic would not automatically secure him enough voter support to win elections in 2022.
Australia prides itself as being one of the first countries to give women the right to vote and run as candidates but female lawmakers have complained for years about the male-dominated culture in the capital, Canberra.
Globally, Australia ranks as the 50th country for the representation of women in parliament – a major drop from the 15th in 1999.
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