The two words Grace Tame wants BANNED: Outspoken activist in new push to eradicate simple phrase from Australia’s laws
- Former Australian of the Year is fundraising to change laws across Australia
- Grace Tame Foundation, a non-profit charity, set a goal of raising $100,000
- One-in-five children suffer sexual abuse, but some perpetrators protected
- Legislation describing the exact same offence varies from state to state
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame focused her energies on a new project to help sexual abuse survivors in the wake of a wave of commentary about an old photo of her with a bong.
The outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual abuse has established a fundraiser to help change legislation that protects perpetrators of abuse through including the phrase ‘sexual relationship’ in offences.
The Grace Tame Foundation, a non-profit charity, has set a goal of raising $100,000 and is already at more than $72,000 as of Monday morning.
The money will be used to campaign for consistent laws around child sexual abuse across all states and territories.
Grace Tame (pictured) wants to help change legislation that protects perpetrators of abuse through including the phrase ‘sexual relationship’ in offences
With one-in-five Australian children experiencing sexual abuse, some perpetrators are protected by outdated legislation.
As Ms Tame said in her recent speech at the Press Club in Canberra: ‘The man who abused me was convicted of “maintaining a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 17”.
‘In other jurisdictions this exact same offence was called “the persistent sexual abuse of a child”.
‘The former implies consent, while the latter reflects the gravity and the truth of an unlawful criminal act committed against an innocent, vulnerable child-victim,’ she said.
The campaign page explained the reasons behind the push. ‘Language matters,’ it said.
‘And language which minimises, sanitises or romanticises rape and sexual violence must be reformed.
‘That’s why we’re running this crowdfunder to change the offence to “persistent sexual abuse of a child” across the country.’
Grace Tame (pictured) is an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and former Australian of the Year
As things stand, only Victoria and Western Australia have removed ‘sexual relationship’ from the name of the crime and all other parts of the offence.
Tasmania – where Ms Tame is from – has removed the phrase from the name of the crime, but not all other parts of the offence.
In all the other states and territories, the phrase ‘sexual relationship’ is still included in both the name of the crime and all other parts of the offence.
‘Piece by piece we must correct the narrative and take control away from abusers who have for so long sought solace in our systems and institutions that shield them from the full extent of what they’ve done,’ said Ms Tame.
The campaign points out that with the public’s support, change is achievable.
‘Already, in 2020, the #LetHerSpeak campaign (created and run by survivor advocate Nina Funnell) led to an overhaul of gag-laws in Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Victoria,’ it said.
‘That same year, due to Funnell’s tireless work, the #LetHerSpeak campaign also prompted the Tasmanian Government to retitle the offence of ‘maintaining a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 17’ to the ‘persistent sexual abuse of a child’.
The campaign aims to ensure that every state and territory adopts the best practice model by ‘totally removing all language which sanitises the sexual abuse of children’.
‘We all have a role to play in preventing and responding to sexual violence. We all have a role to play in shifting attitudes and beliefs which enable perpetrators and gaslight survivors,’ the campaign said.
Grace Tame (pictured), said that with the public’s support, change is achievable
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