Grim things women are searching for to protect themselves from men - and one item is illegal in almost every state

Australian women are seeking products and services to keep them safe from violent men – but one thing some are desperate for is illegal in all but one state.

Women are taking their safety into their own hands.

The owner of a security company in Western Australia is constantly answering heartbreaking phonecalls from 3000km away.

Women from the country’s eastern states beg him to send shipments eastward of a potentially life-saving resource they just can’t get hold of.

Thousands of Australian women are done waiting for governments to enact systemic change to combat the nation’s shameful gender-based violence figures, and are taking matters into their own hands.

On the day Joel Cauchi went on a brutal stabbing rampage in Sydney’s Westfield mall at Bondi Junction, the Google searches for both “pepper spray” and “self defence” rocketed.

Women in Australia are demanding change to combat gender-based violence. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In the last month alone, a parenting blogger mobilised 13,000 people demanding pepper spray be legalised nationally, with her campaign already gaining traction in the halls of the Victoria’s parliament.

Meanwhile, women on the East Coast are filling martial arts gyms with increased concerns about men’s behaviour and a desire for self-empowerment.

Calls to make little-known WA law national

It’s a little-known fact that you can legally buy and carry OC spray, more commonly known as pepper spray, in Western Australia.

For parenting blogger Jayde Howard, who has turned pepper spray advocate, legalising pepper spray nationally is a no-brainer.

A parenting blogger in Victoria has mobilised 13,000 Australians to legalise pepper spray.

It was the tragic, untimely death of Bondi Junction stabbing victim Ash Good that prompted the young Victorian mother to use her large social media platform to advocate for change.

Ms Good was fatally stabbed at Westfield Bondi Junction as she saved her nine-month-old daughter’s life, whom Cauchi also stabbed.

“The reality of what happened in Bondi set in, and it goes to show that it can happen to anyone anywhere at any time,” Ms Howard told news.com.au.

Other voices demanding systemic change fiercely oppose the idea, but Ms Howard argues a law change would allow countless Australian women to feel safe in the interim.

“Of course, every single person wants systemic change. But the way the government has been and continues to handle it shows that they’re not going to do it at a pace that’s going to be proactive enough,” she said.

Victorian Libertarian MP David Limbrick pushed Jayde Howard’s petition to legalise pepper spray to his parliamentary colleagues. Pepper spray is legal in Western Australia, but with strict user conditions. Picture: supplied

“So this can be an option for women until the government gets their mess together.”

“Giving women a slither of power back is going to be a positive direction in which to be heading as a society.”

“Women are very torn about this – some people are very against the petition and think I’m extreme and are saying horrible things about me. But then the other half said, “Well, what we’re doing isn’t working.”

Ultimately, she argued that anything that can make women safer is a net positive.

“I had the conversation with a partner, I said, ‘I would feel so much safer if I had something, some kind of personal safety device that would actually work on someone that’s biologically stronger than me, someone that could take me down’,” she recalled.

Google searches for pepper spray and self-defence have surged since the April 13 massacre at Westfield Bondi Junction. Picture: David Swift

Pepper spray possession under WA’s Weapons Act 1999 is permitted solely for lawful defence in situations where there are “reasonable grounds” for potential threats.

However, the criteria for justifying its possession remain ambiguous, as mere self-defence claims are not deemed a “lawful excuse”.

Ms Howard argued: “Pepper spray won’t kill them – it’s nonlethal.”

They’re poignant words amid a year that has already seen 27 women die allegedly at the hands of men.

Government sprayed

As of this week, almost 13,000 Australians have signed the petition calling for legislative change, and Ms Howard’s petition even made it into state parliament.

Victorian Libertarian MP David Limbrick recently pushed the petition to his parliamentary colleagues, giving them a spray of his own.

“Everyone has the right to self-defence. But while laws like this exist, this right effectively doesn’t exist,” he told his fellow MPs.

“We know for a fact that the government has no ethical problem with using pepper spray on Victorians. So why can Victorians use it to protect themselves?”

Expanding on the point to news.com.au, he said removing pepper spray from the control weapons list was as simple as a “stroke of a pen”.

“Governments all over Australia say they care a lot about the safety of women, but unfortunately not enough to allow them to protect themselves,” he said.

The tragic death of young mother Ash Good prompted Ms Howard to advocate for change.

“Women like Jayde tell me that carrying pepper spray is the one thing that would make them feel safer. But most state governments would treat them like criminals for doing so.

He emphasised that any found with pepper spray faces up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $43,000.

“This is so wrong, and could all be fixed with a stroke of a pen by removing pepper spray from the list of controlled weapons,” he said.

“The misuse of pepper spray would be already covered by existing laws for assault using a weapon.”

An examination of the public record shows only sporadic prosecuted instances of misuse in WA over recent years, with alleged offenders often youths.

Spray retailer’s ‘heartbreaking’ phone calls while his hands are tied

Perth pepper spray merchant Jeff Rodwell, owner of security equipment and services company U R Safe, has had numerous “heartbreaking” calls from women interstate seeking his products.

“I get a lot of people over that way (east Australia) pleading with me to send it to them, especially from women trying to leave domestic violence situations at the moment,” he told news.com.au.

“It’s horrible because there’s nothing I can do about it.”

He described last month’s “300 per cent” business boom as “unfortunate”.

He said the majority of new customers are women, including many fleeing domestic violence settings.

Perth pepper spray merchant Jeff Rodwell has had numerous calls from women interstate seeking his products. Picture: Supplied

He too had some choice words for east Australian legislators.

“The government keeps throwing money at stuff, but it’s money that’s not going to stop someone getting bashed,” he said.

“If someone’s high on drugs or alcohol and losing their s**t – talking isn’t going to turn them around.”

Mr Rodwell believed the products save lives, and elderly West Australians and people with disabilities have also been reaching out.

Mr Rodwell pointed out that the brutal assault of a 73-year-old grandmother, Ninette Simons, in her own home, was an example of a situation that could have been possibly defused with the use of pepper spray. Ms Simons gave media approval for this image to be published. Picture: WA Police

He said the Bondi Stabbings and the recent horrific bashing of a 73-year-old Perth grandmother, Ninette Simons, in her own home at the hands of three intruders were prime examples of a situation that could have possibly been defused with pepper spray.

“If the Bondi guards, and I know it’s a ‘what if’, were able to carry pepper spray, maybe they could have saved those lives.”

Self-defence coach sees a silver lining

The head instructor of an inner Sydney Krav Maga institute told news.com.au there has been a 300 per cent increase in the number of inquiries and free trials since the Bondi stabbings, particularly from women.

However, while he noted increased concern, he has also noticed a “desire for self-empowerment.”

Ben Edwards, head instructor at Surry Hills’ Krav Maga Defence Institute, said inquiries have tripled in the last month. Picture: Supplied

Ben Edwards, head instructor at Surry Hills’ Krav Maga Defence Institute, said many new clients have cited the Bondi stabbings as a catalyst for joining the martial arts community.

“There definitely is a sense of concern, and there’s people who have a history of domestic violence, or just violence in general,” he explained.

Krav Maga is a self-defence-orientated Israeli martial art that the Israel Defense Forces is credited with refining. It combines techniques from numerous martial arts disciplines.

It’s often sought out by those seeking help with self-defence, as they focus on real-world situations, such as defence against weapons, multiple attackers, or unruly street fights.

Coach Ben said inquiries to his gym have tripled since April 13.

Unlike others, he’s encouraged by women seeking ways to defend themselves.

“All these events I think, have just given them a prompt to get out there and find a solution, whether it’s our solution or something else, at least they’re looking, which I think is very positive,” he said.

The Bondi stabbings have prompted a spike in interest in Sydney Krav Maga classes. Picture: Supplied

“Women now have the view that “Hey, I wonder if there’s something I can do about this,” And the answer is yes.”

The Institute has been running female-only classes called “She Fights Back” since 2016 which, much like the discipline as a whole, is taught on the assumption of being in a position of disadvantage.

“My message to women is that just because you’re smaller and female, it doesn’t mean that you’re weak,” Coach Ben explained.

“We start from the assumption that the odds are heavily against you, whether it’s that you’re outsized or at a strength disadvantage, caught by surprise, or up against knives and guns. We start from the assumption that you’re already disadvantaged, and then work from there.”