Ms Higgins spoke to the thousands of protesters outside Parliament House on Monday, saying: “There is a horrible societal acceptance of sexual violence experienced by women in Australia.”
“My story was on the front page for the sole reason that it was a painful reminder to women that if it can happen in Parliament House, it can truly happen anywhere.”
What happened at the protests?
The protest rallies – known as the March 4 Justice – formed from noon on Monday across 40 cities and towns in Australia including the major capital cities of Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne as well as smaller country towns.
Organisers suggested it could be the “biggest uprising of women that Australia’s seen”.
Many attendees carried placards and wore black in protest. In Melbourne, protesters carried a long banner listing the names of women killed in acts of gendered violence in the past decade.
