Jokes about sexual assault and violence cross a line and the AFL had to take a stand where teammates should | Angela Pippos

Rape, sexual assault and violence are never funny.

Having to write these words makes me sick.

On average, a woman is killed every four days in Australia, most of them by a man they know.

The rate of intimate partner homicides has increased 28%.

One in three women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

The family home is statistically the most dangerous place for a woman – and family and domestic violence doesn’t differentiate by zip code, it’s everywhere.

On average, police in Victoria attend a family violence incident every six minutes – think about that for a moment.

Violence against women and children is a national emergency.

This is the country we live in.

Too many women are afraid in their own homes.

Too many women fear their partner coming home from the pub.

Too many women are afraid when his soccer team loses a big game.

Too many women are trapped in a cycle of abuse and control with no way out.

Every Australian has a choice. You can either turn a blind eye or do your small part to make our society safer. And by “doing your small part,” I simply mean calling out and educating your friends about engaging in sexist and demeaning behavior—the kind of behavior that excuses and justifies gender-based violence.

It’s not too much to ask.

And the sport is well positioned to take a pioneering role here.

Sport has the power and power to overcome prejudice, it has the power to promote equality, it has the power to change attitudes.

And whether they like it or not, AFL players are public figures revered by many, and with that privilege comes responsibility.

The decision by some Greater Western Sydney players to perform offensive skits and disguises, including one who was reportedly dressed as former NRL player Jarryd Hayne, who was jailed for rape before the verdict was overturned on appeal and the case dismissed shows how little they understand or care about the reality of the lives of many women in Australia.

Apologists who defend themselves with the “it was a private party and boys will be boys” defense also fail to recognize that these attitudes do not exist in a vacuum.

When you stack “harmless joke” on top of “throwaway line” on top of sexist “joke,” you soon have a stack the size of Everest and a systemic pattern of behavior. Children see and hear this behavior and think it is the norm; They repeat what they see and hear – and the cycle continues.

When such attitudes go unchecked, sexism multiplies like bacteria in a petri dish.

More dangerously, these abusive attitudes provide cover, a layer of protection, for men who commit violence against women.

Like clockwork, the Giants players’ behavior sparked a torrent of online abuse against women who work in sports. Women who should be safe and respected where they live, work and play.

In 2019, Michael Wilson took an incredible photo of AFLW player Tayla Harris’ excellent kicking style.

That one now-iconic photo sparked a torrent of abuse online – a torrent of vile, dirty, sexist comments.

Instead of ignoring it – which would be easy – Harris stood up to her tormentors at great personal cost.

And that moment, her moment of defiance, felt like a turning point for women everywhere, not just sports.

This led to a national discussion about misogyny in sports.

But this latest episode shows us that nothing has changed. Statistics also prove this.

A recent study by researchers at Deakin University found that nine out of 10 elite female athletes have suffered some form of gender-based online harm, with 87% of them in the past year.

They surveyed 138 professional and semi-professional athletes from 32 sports in Australia.

Up to 85% said their wellbeing had been affected by online harm and two in three felt unsafe.

There’s something cruel about the online abuse that women in sports face – both athletes and women in the sports media. It’s vile, toxic and visceral – and it stems from the belief that women don’t belong in sports.

Women have a right to be safe at home, at work, in the community and online.

It is time for our national response to reflect the scale of the violence against women crisis.

To urgently reduce violence rates, our response must be from all angles – prevention, early intervention, response and recovery. There is no quick fix.

Part of this response must include investing in healthy relationships and consent education to bring about a change in attitudes towards women.

My 11 year old son gets this. It’s a shame some men don’t do this.

• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse is available from the following organizations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis Support is available on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn is offering support on 800-656-4673. Further international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html