Why all fathers should join the March4Justice

Janine Hendry, organiser of the March 4 Justice, in front of Parliament House. Picture: Sean Foster/Getty Images

Are you a father? Do you have a daughter? You should march today.

There are some people who think it’s wrong to say so. Why should your status as a progenitor matter, when it comes to the March 4 Justice?

It matters if it helps men understand that life — and the workplace — is different for women and girls.

Do you want your daughter to get a job one day? Do you want her to be able to turn up, ready to work hard, and not find herself being touched up by a colleague in the office kitchen? Do you want her to be able to walk into any space, without feeling like prey?

Because many women do feel this way, all the time.

It used to be much worse, of course. Young women couldn’t walk past building sites without being leered at.

Or jeered at.

Or followed, and pinched on the bottom, or danced around by a likely lad saying: where are you going? You need company? Can I kiss you? What’s your number?

Men still scream from car windows.

Fancy a root? Show us your tits! On and on it goes, and it’s worth asking: do you want that for your daughter? As a world to live in? Of course you don’t.

You want her to be able to get up, go to work, have fun, achieve her goals, come home safely. Walk home safely, even. Catch a lift with a colleague who won’t take advantage of the fact that she’s had a few drinks, or is even falling down drunk, to try to have sex with her.

Who won’t try to shame her in the morning, by telling all his mates. Who will then try the same thing because she’s now the one with the reputation.

Now, there are likely some readers who accept all that, but don’t see how this is a political problem.

It’s a societal problem, surely.

And there are already laws in place to deal with workplace harassment.

And that’s right.

It’s become a political problem for Scott Morrison for two reasons: he doesn’t want to authorise an inquiry into allegations that his attorney general, Christian Porter, raped a girl when he was in high school.

He should authorise the inquiry anyway.

This is not to “clear Porter’s name.” Porter like anyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Nonetheless, the allegation was made, multiple times, to multiple people, and it was taken to the NSW Police, whose investigation was slowed by COVID-19, and who were then forced to close the file when the complainant took her own life.

But the allegation need not die with the complainant.

It was too far along to simply let it go.

Then we have the allegations made by Brittany Higgins, who worked for the Liberal Party. She alleges she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House, and although her boss, senior Minister Linda Reynolds, knew about it, the matter was never properly investigated.

Police now have the file.

These two matters explain why marchers are taking the matter of women’s safety and security to the doors of Parliament House today.

Maybe you can’t join them there.

Maybe you can’t join any of the 40 marches taking place around the country today.

But the fact that there are 40 marches taking place around the country today should tell you something.

Women are tired of being touched-up, abused, and assaulted.

They are tired of a legal system that offers precious little in terms of justice.

They’re tired of not being believed when they complain; they’re tired of feeling shame when they’re the victims, and look, they could go on.

They have instead adopted a one-word slogan.

Enough.