The social media platform addressed concerns via its safety account, but did not deny unconsensual sexualised content exists had been created by Grok.

“We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary,” the post reads.

Technology-facilitated violence against women and girls has been rising at an alarming rate, with the intervention of AI, UN Women expects rates to increase dramatically.

Recent studies show “38 percent of women have personal experiences of online violence, and 85 percent of women online have witnessed digital violence against others.

Further studies show  90 to 95 percent of all online deepfakes are non-consensual pornographic images, with around 90 percent depicting women. In fact, “many deepfake tools are not even designed to work on images of a man’s body”, UN Women reveals.

Platforms hosting these tools must be held to a higher standard, particularly when they enable the creation and circulation of non-consensual sexual content in real time.

“The technology is moving far faster than the protections,” UN Women has warned adding that “Less than half of countries have laws that prosecute online abuse.”

For victims like Mollie, the damage is already done. Even when images are flagged or acknowledged as violating consent, they can be impossible to completely erase or get back — compounding the harm long after the initial act.

The post Has Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot Grok Become A Weapon Against Women? appeared first on marie claire.

NEED TO KNOW

• In the first wave study (2013–14), about 1 in 4 men admitted to IPV (intimate partner violence). By 2022, that rate had climbed to 35%.
• Emotional or psychological abuse emerged as the most common form: 32% of respondents said they had “made a partner feel frightened or anxious” at some point.
• 9% said they had physically hurt a partner — hitting, slapping, kicking, or similar — at least once when angry.
• Every year, an estimated 120,000 men begin using IPV for the first time.

A shocking new study from the Australian Institute of Family Studies has revealed that more than one in three Australian men — about 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65 — say they have used violence against an intimate partner at some point in their lives, a figure that experts say could reshape how we understand and address domestic abuse in this country.

The landmark research, part of the long-running Ten to Men study which has tracked more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013–14, shows that the proportion reporting intimate partner violence has risen significantly over time, from around one in four in the first wave to more than one in three in 2022.

The most common form of abuse reported is emotional or psychological — almost a third of men said they had made a partner feel frightened or anxious — while nearly one in ten admitted to physically hurting a partner, whether by hitting, slapping or kicking, when angry. Even more alarming is the estimate that roughly 120,000 men in Australia begin using these behaviours for the first time each year.

The research also highlights certain protective and risk factors. Men who reported strong social support “all of the time” were 26 per cent less likely to report using intimate partner violence, while those who recalled a warm, affectionate relationship with their father or father figure in childhood were 48 per cent less likely to do so. Conversely, men who experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms were 62 per cent more likely to report having committed violence by 2022.

Advocates and policymakers are responding to the findings with urgency. Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said the data offers “valuable insights” into where prevention efforts should be focused, emphasising the need to understand not just who is using violence, but how to stop it before it begins.

“It gives us some really good insights into where we should be looking to support men and boys who are struggling,” she said.

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek echoed that sentiment during an interview back in June, calling for greater investment in mental health supports, meaningful community connection programs and early intervention to build healthier relationships.

While the numbers are confronting, the study is being framed not just as a warning but as a crucial call to action. Violence in intimate relationships is not inevitable, and the factors that drive it can — and must — be addressed.

The post New Study Finds 1 In 3 Men Have Used Violence Against A Partner appeared first on marie claire.

Now, their pleas have been answered. The US House of Representatives voted almost unanimously – 427 to 1 – to compel the Department of Justice to release all unclassified documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The push follows months of delays and political resistance, including hesitation from Republican leadership and President Donald Trump, before momentum shifted under mounting public scrutiny. As the bill was passed, it’s reported cheers erupted from the galleries where some of Epstein’s victims watched on.

When Will The Epstein Files Be Released? 

While the House vote is decisive, the legislation must still pass the Senate – where its future remains uncertain and must be signed off by the President – before it can become law.

Key supporters have acknowledged the bill may require amendments to ensure victim privacy is protected during the release of sensitive material.

If approved, the measure would open long-sealed investigative files that advocates say are essential to understanding the full extent of Epstein’s network. For survivors, it represents not just accountability but the chance for long-denied closure.

Virginia Giuffre And Epstein’s Survivors

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse played a pivotal role in driving the bill forward, delivering emotional appeals that urged lawmakers to prioritise transparency and justice over politics.

The video produced by the anti-trafficking organisation World Without Exploitation earlier this week features several survivors, some in tears, holding up photographs of themselves when they first encountered Epstein as teenagers. The emotional clip only added to the public outcry following the release of Virginia Giuffre‘s autobiographical book, Nobody’s Girl, which detailed her harrowing experience with Jeffrey Epstein.

Outside of Congress, Guiffre’s brother spoke about the tireless work Virginia put in to exposing the truth.

“Epstein and [Ghislaine] Maxwell didn’t just abuse her,” Sky Roberts began, “They trafficked her to a network of the rich and powerful.”

“She was manipulated, coerced and threatened – forced into complicity in her own devastation.”

The post After A 20-Year Fight The Epstein Files Will Finally Go Public appeared first on marie claire.

While some work is captured in payroll systems, much of the most essential labour takes place within the invisible rhythms of domestic life — the cooking, cleaning, laundry and school runs that keep everything else turning. It is the unpaid scaffolding that holds the paid economy upright, and without it, society would simply not function.

A new study published in The Economic Record by economist Dr Leonora Risse has finally put a price tag on that ‘invisible’ work, and the result is staggering.

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The total value of Australia’s unpaid labour is estimated at A$688 billion a year, roughly one-third of the nation’s GDP, with the vast majority carried by women.

How Can This ‘Invisible’ Labour Be Quantified?

To understand how this was calculated, Risse mapped everyday unpaid tasks to their paid-market equivalents — the hourly rate of a childcare worker for time spent with children, a cleaner’s rate for housework, a kitchen hand’s for cooking, and a housekeeper’s for shopping and general errands.

Using these benchmarks, women’s unpaid contribution amounts to A$427 billion annually, compared with A$261 billion for men. On average, women devote nearly four hours a day to unpaid work, while men average about two and a half.

Traditional economic measures such as GDP account only for paid employment, making women’s contribution appear smaller at about 36.8 per cent of total labour. When unpaid care and domestic work are included, that figure rises to 47.2 per cent.

Yet Risse goes further, correcting for a long-standing truth: the jobs used as proxies for unpaid work, such as childcare, cleaning and domestic support, exist within female-dominated sectors that are undervalued precisely because they are associated with women.

When she adjusts for this “gender discount,” women’s contribution increases again, reaching 50.5 per cent of all labour in Australia. In other words, when we properly value women’s work, equality finally comes into view.

Devalued By Design

Risse’s findings also expose how women’s work, both paid and unpaid, continues to be devalued on principle rather than performance. Hourly wages remain lower in female-concentrated occupations and industries, even when education and experience are comparable.

This undervaluation extends beyond the workplace, shaping how we perceive similar tasks at home. Skills such as care, communication and emotional management are too often viewed as innate rather than learned, a quiet bias that keeps both forms of labour under priced.

If GDP is the scoreboard, it’s been keeping half the game off the field. During the pandemic, when schools and services closed, households (particularly women) absorbed the shock. GDP contracted, yet women’s unpaid hours soared.

The result is a distortion that affects everything from how we set wages in feminised sectors to how we measure productivity, since the benefits of quality care extend far beyond the financial quarter.

The unpaid work that sustains homes, families and futures is not invisible, we have simply chosen not to look. To value it is to finally see the economy as it really is: powered by women.

The post What’s Behind The $688 Billion Job That Doesn’t Come With A Payslip? appeared first on marie claire.

Life for a single mother on the island of Tanna, in Vanuatu, is grim in ways that are difficult to overstate. Shamed by their families, shunned by their villages, single mothers have almost no chance of remarrying and no real economic prospects. Culturally, a woman’s role is to be a wife — essentially a sanctioned sex slave to her husband. (“It doesn’t matter if you’re tired, you’re sick, you’re dirty, you’re busy,” one woman told me, matter-of-factly. “If your husband wants sex, you do it.”) For many, that life begins as soon as they reach puberty, with marriage and motherhood following almost immediately.

The people of Tanna believe that the more children a woman has, the longer she’ll live. It’s a belief that’s cruelly inverted: more births, here in Vanuatu as everywhere else, mean higher risks of maternal mortality, malnutrition, obstetric complications, long-term illness. On average, women give birth to six or seven children — but many raise far more, taking in the children of relatives on top of their own. Let that sink in. A woman might birth six or seven children over their lifetime, and raise between 10 and 15, often beginning when the mother herself is barely more than a child.

The path of a woman is to bear and look after the children, to house and feed her family—vital roles in any society, and yet here they’re performed without a voice in public life, without social standing independent from men, and under the constant shadow of violence. The Pacific has some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the world, with estimates around 60 per cent — more than twice the global average — and with under reporting so endemic, most people assume the true number is far higher.

But in the remote village of Lawital on Tanna, there’s been a shift. A few years ago, the women there told ActionAid — an NGO focused on poverty, inequality, women’s rights and social justice—that what they needed most, beyond anything else, was light. Around eighty percent of households in Vanuatu have no electricity, and the absence is more than just inconvenient; it dictates the rhythm of daily life. In Lawital, children had to stop on the side of the road to do their homework in the fading daylight on their long walks home after school, because once they eventually made it back to their village, the only light would come from the cooking fires. The smoke burned their eyes and made them sick; many simply dropped out of school altogether. Women walking home from the market after dark were regularly attacked and robbed, sometimes worse. Even in their own homes, there was danger: some kept machetes under their beds to ward off attackers whose faces they couldn’t see in the dead of night. In the medical clinic, women going into labour after sundown delivered their babies by the glow of their husband’s phone torches.

After listening to the women, ActionAid partnered with the Australian government and PowerWells, a Brisbane-based social enterprise that builds solar systems out of e-waste. Together, they brought light to Lawital — but the revolutionary part is that they trained local women to install and maintain the systems. One of those women was Annette, 23, a single mother whose boyfriend — not wanting her to keep the baby — abandoned them while she was still pregnant. (I don’t even want to imagine what an illegal abortion looks like in Tanna.) It was Annette who installed the village street light, although the men dug the hole for her, which was progress in its own way. Now she climbs roofs in a hard hat, hi-vis vest, and sturdy work boots while her child naps nearby. When her first payment came through, she opened a bank account for the first time in her life. She put half the money straight into savings, earmarked for her daughter’s education.

But the change was so much more than just financial. The program has so far outfitted 118 homes with renewable power and put ten streetlights where danger used to be routine. The chief is grateful that the women had brought energy to the community. The men are awed that a woman is installing it onto their rooftops. By seizing the opportunity offered to her, Annette has achieved the unthinkable for a single mother in Tanna: respect, status and the possibility of generational change.

When the lights were switched on, the Chief of Lawital threw a party. The Minister for Climate Change came, as did the Minister for Internal Affairs. The Australian High Commissioner showed up. The entire village and all their special guests danced joyfully under the streetlight for hours, until the ground beneath them was churned to mud.

It was a thing worth celebrating. Lawital is safer to walk around at night now. The children can do their schoolwork at home. But there are other impacts too, that maybe weren’t so obvious before the power was turned on. The need for the women to walk miles every day to gather firewood, once a family’s only source of energy, has decreased. Four to five more hours of light a day by which to tend to crops, to weave, means there’s more income in the village. The solar power works on a pay-as-you-go model of about $5 a month for thirty-six months, and the repayments are used to reinvest in livelihoods and other community projects. It is a perfect solution to a multitude of problems—including, maybe most surprisingly, the issue of domestic violence. Prior to the solar project, the men would come home from drinking kava late at night. They’d wake up their wives to demand food, which needed to be prepared in the dark. Violence would ensue; the men were drunk, the women were tired, it was pitch black. But after the power went in, food could be left on the table, lights on. There was no need to wake the women. The opportunity for violence stayed in the shadows. 

From the air, the lush islands of Vanuatu look impossible: a hundred shades of green rising out of the blue Pacific, colours so saturated they feel more like a render than reality…

For me, flying in as a mother who has been forced to listen to the song ‘How Far I’ll Go’ too many times to count, it instantly brings to mind Te Fiti from the movie Moana — the benevolent feminine island spirit who possesses the power to create and sustain life, until the demigod Maui (male, of course) steals her heart, and she crumbles and withers. The reference (which, for the record, I’m aware is set in Polynesia, not Melanesia) feels uncomfortably apt. In Vanuatu, women have long been that sustaining force, but they’ve just been more of an untapped resource than a source of power.

Once on the ground I meet Flora Vano, who runs ActionAid Vanuatu. If Vanuatu has a benevolent feminine spirit of its own, it’s Flora. She’s warm and formidable at once, with a way of moving through the world that leaves little doubt she can deliver. On the ride from the airport she points out the marks recent disasters have left — a village ruined by a landslide here, quake damage there. We pass the Blue Lagoon, where in a couple of days we’ll swim in crystal clear turquoise water, and soon after that, a bridge that collapsed during the earthquake last December. The island feels both beautiful and under attack all at once.

And it is under attack. Despite what some ‘world leaders’ would want us to believe, the women of Vanuatu can tell you that climate change is no hoax, nor is it gender neutral. It’s a universal truth that every inequality lived with day to day only sharpens when a crisis hits. Violence escalates. Displacement makes women more vulnerable. Food — generally considered a woman’s remit — becomes scarce. The unpaid care work they already do grows heavier and more invisible at the same time. And in a society where women are effectively locked out of decision-making — at every level, from the village to the national stage — policies and plans rarely account for their needs, so when disaster comes, those needs go unmet. Harm by omission, which is still harm. And so the cycle of inequality continues.

When ActionAid arrived in Vanuatu in 2015 amidst the wreckage of Cyclone Pam, then the most severe tropical storm ever to hit the Southern Hemisphere, there were no women in the national Parliament. (Today, there is one.) The country had gender policies on paper, women had rights, but no one knew about them, and there was no one to hold the government accountable. ActionAid set up three big blue tents in some of the worst-affected areas — spaces where women, absent from public life in almost every other respect, were welcome to gather and speak. Twelve thousand of them showed up. As it turns out, the women of Vanuatu were crying out to be engaged. Meanwhile, the men accused them of wasting their time, which was the clearest proof that such a space was necessary.

Two years later, ActionAid launched the Arise Fund, an initiative built on the idea that if you invest in women’s leadership before disaster strikes — as can be expected more and more often in an intensifying climate crisis — they’ll be ready to respond when it does: their communities will be prepared, their families, homes and crops will be safer, and they’ll better understand how to protect themselves from increased violence. Not only does that preparation save lives and create a more inclusive response, but it also changes the way women are seen in society. As it turns out, a shared solution to the two intersecting issues of climate change and gender inequality gives a power boost to both; it starts to seed gender equality in real time. In Vanuatu, that investment in women’s leadership — a grassroots movement of women, pushing real, tangible change from below — has had transformational impact.

The women named the movement themselves: Women i Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT) — Bislama for ‘women talking together.’ Today the number of women involved in WITTT counts in the tens of thousands, and the way that talking happens is a feat of organisation in itself: local sister circles have representatives within walking distance who feed into provincial task forces, who talk to island mobilisers, who send representatives to a national forum. When a cyclone looms, information moves along a phone tree of five thousand numbers—fast enough to change outcomes, to get warnings and requests to the people who need it before the damage hits, and making relief faster and more organised. 

At the first national WITTT convening in Port Vila, many nominees had never travelled so far from their villages…

At the first national WITTT convening in Port Vila, many nominees had never travelled so far from their villages. Some arrived at the airport without shoes — because they didn’t have any — and were prevented from boarding. Eventually the airport security staff offered up their own. (The women later used their travel per diems to buy those kind men new pairs.) At the other end, greeters waited as instructed with leis, confused when the VIPs they were told to expect never appeared. They were shocked to learn that the delegates were the group of village women waiting quietly in the corner, just as bewildered as they were. At the Holiday Inn, the crisp white sheets felt too foreign to lie on; some women spread sarongs on the floor instead; the bathrooms looked like something from another planet. The point wasn’t to impress or send the women into culture shock, but to show them the respect they deserved. They were gestures of dignity, the first step in a process of emboldening.

Until now, when it came to making decisions on the issues that mattered, men spoke at the front while women stayed at the back, cooking or tending to the children. When the WITTT forums began, the idea of even asking women to share their opinions felt radical. Much of the early training was simply teaching them to speak aloud in public, being comfortable with being heard. By the time I sit down with some of those original delegates ten years on, their fluency is startling. They refer to ministers by name, speak of gaps and laws, about what they want, what needs to change and why. They tell me that they feel different inside themselves now, but also that their husbands treat them differently; their communities treat them differently. Their daughters are starting to have ideas about having careers and helping their communities as well. They’ve been trained in protection, in policy, in climate change, in climate agriculture. Through WITTT they have a direct line to the Ministry of Justice. They’ve seen first hand how they’ve influenced positive change. As part of the Women Wetem Weta (Women’s Weather Watch) program, they’ve even been trained by the Vanuatu meteorological department on the science of weather patterns and how to combine that new knowledge with their own indigenous knowledge. Not that long ago, when they’d tell their husbands that they felt like a cyclone might be coming, they were told be quiet, go back to the home, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Now they sit down with climate change experts, foreigners in suits with scientific backgrounds, and are listened to like academics. And it’s not just the foreigners who are listening to them. The people in the community say, the government didn’t give us light, didn’t give us chickens. The women did. The pride they feel, rightly, is enormous. 

(A small aside on the subject of chickens that illustrates how, despite its setbacks, there’s still. so much beauty and kindness in Vanuatu. At some point on our trip, a woman in Tanna gives us a live chicken. It’s a generous gift. With the intention of cooking it when she gets home, ActionAid Operations Manager and Ni-Vanuatu woman, Helen, names the chicken Meat to avoid the beginnings of a companion chicken heartbreak no-one needs. Sitting politely in her box, poking her head out every now and again when the conversation heats up, Meat journeys with us as we bounce along in the back of a ute to the top of Mount Yasa to see the live volcano. She is suitably awed, as we are. She sits between someone’s legs on our charter flight back to Port Vila, and doesn’t complain. She’s such a good chicken, such a part of our sister circle, that Helen can’t bring herself to turn Meat into, well, meat. In the end, our chicken companion lived to see another day. Like all Ni-Vanuatu women, she is a survivor.)

Nowhere is the pride of the women of WITTT more apparent than in the women of WITTT Sunshine, the network created and led by women with disabilities, started in 2018…

Nowhere is the pride of the women of WITTT more apparent than in the women of WITTT Sunshine, the network created and led by women with disabilities, started in 2018. Until then, no agency had ever invited women with disabilities to lead. They had, at times, been recipients— the ones done to, but never the ones shaping what came next for them, and no existing disability network had a gender lens. The name came from Ellen, one of the founding members. She explains it as coming out of the house and into the sunshine. In too many families, daughters or wives with disabilities had been hidden away — an embarrassment, something to be ashamed of. Sunshine was a rejection of that hiding, an invitation to visibility and normalisation. And while the stories at the first dedicated convening of women with disabilities were harrowing—almost every woman in the room had lived through some sort of violence, abuse, or exploitation — the act of sharing them was transformative. What had been a secret shame became a collective truth; there was power in realising that the issues were systemic, and not just them.

But WITTT Sunshine’s real superpower is data. Disability here, just like anywhere else, isn’t one-size-fits-all: a woman who uses a wheelchair has different needs to a woman with a hearing impairment, or one with a speech impediment, or another with a chronic health condition that means she needs special food. By beginning with data, the women of WITTT Sunshine could make their disaster response more effective. Now, WITTT Sunshine members are not just participants, but leaders in disaster planning, climate response and data collection for the next storm. And because they have the data, they’re often the first responders. A WITTT Sunshine member held back tears explaining her shock when the first person who came to offer help after the earthquake was someone in a wheelchair, just like her.

The issue of climate change can often feel staggeringly impossible and pessimistic…

The issue of climate change can often feel staggeringly impossible and pessimistic. After Cyclone Pam in 2015 came Cyclone Harold in 2020 — right at the onset of Covid — and then, in March 2023, the one-two punch of Cyclones Judy and Kevin, with a 6.5 magnitude earthquake shoved rudely into the middle of it. And as if that weren’t enough, the following Christmas brought a 7.3 quake near Port Vila, toppling houses and killing families just days before the holiday. Disaster stacked on disaster: a relentless demonstration of what the vulnerable Pacific looks like in a heating world — one that richer, higher-polluting nations like Australia help to create, but don’t do nearly enough to protect or rebuild.

When it comes to Vanuatu and our other Pacific neighbours, we can’t pretend to be a distant bystander or a charitable benefactor. We are the trading partner, the regional power — and still one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters. Pacific leaders, including in Vanuatu, have begun framing the expansion of Australia’s newest gas projects not just as bad policy but as, in the words of Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu, “an internationally wrongful act,” a potential breach of international climate obligations. And that feels just like everyday politics to read about in the news, but to experience it first hand is something else: Port Vila is three hours from Sydney. If you can be this close to a problem and this implicated in its cause, the responsibility seems clear. The moral distance should be shorter than the flight time.

WITTT is a rare good news story inside that darker piece. But despite the overwhelming goodness that’s come from the programs, the choreography still required to navigate the men is frustrating for a card-carrying Western feminist to hear about. Meetings are planned carefully around meal times so the men’s lunch or dinner isn’t late to the table; chiefs are feted and asked to launch initiatives so they can take a kind of ceremonial credit. (At the launch of Mama’s Chickens in East Efate — a community program that provides hens and income-generating egg sales — the chief refused to speak at an event ostensibly for women; instead, he sent an associate to make his speech for him, though he still took a box of the eggs home.)

Each village has its own customs and requires its own diplomacy, but the playbook is precise: they start with climate change. “We start with, how’s your crop? Are you making good money? And the chief will tell us how they’ve had the worst cyclones, flooding,” Flora explains. “From there we have a common agenda that allows us to work with the women.” They don’t enter the room screaming about gender inequality, because the risks are real. Flora says it’s not safe to talk about women’s rights in men’s spaces in Vanuatu. They’ve been warned directly, at times, not to speak about it at all. They can’t be seen as a threat to men, and they can’t burn bridges before they’ve built any.

Sometimes, when ActionAid shows up and asks to talk to the women, the men come instead. Flora is the grand-daughter of a chief herself, and even she will be ignored at first in favour of a man with her (usually a driver). But once alone with the women, eventually the topic can be raised gently: “How are you being perceived at home? In your own village? Are you allowed to talk? Are you able to give your thoughts?” says Flora. “And if they say no, that’s taboo, that’s when we tell them: you were not meant for this.” 

The goal isn’t to create conflict, but to create safe spaces. It requires a level of flattery, negotiation, patience, and a level of performative deference that must be maddening, but these women are adept at strategy, because strategy is survival.

The mounting debt of disaster relief and the resulting austerity policies (government measures to reduce budget deficits by cutting spending when the country is in debt and struggling to meet its obligations) means that there’s no police presence — or other public services, like free schooling — on many islands. Chiefs still often resolve abuse by accepting a chicken and a new mat from the abuser and sending the woman straight back to the same house. So WITTT appoints community watchdogs — women who will literally hide another woman in her kitchen, move her from house to house through the night, then shepherd her to a boat at dawn so she can lodge a report elsewhere. This is clandestine, brave work in the face of men who believe things like that’s not your business – I’m the man, that’s my wife, who are you to come and tell me what not to do – let me teach her, let me beat her up, let me do what I want to do – I’ve paid for her, I married her, I’ve given the dowry. It’s a risky situation, and deeply underground. As Flora tells me, if just one woman reveals the existence of the watchdog, the whole thing collapses; the watchdog could be beaten, consequences are immediate and severe..

It’s an extraordinary feat in extraordinary circumstances, and yet it’s just one of dozens of incredible stories I hear in Vanuatu about the work the women are doing. In one village, a tap had been installed but never connected to water; the women were the ones who finally got it done. On the island of Erromango, they mobilised to demand a police post, won, and now they’re lobbying for a second. Two of the mobilisers there have even been named to the chief’s council — progress that once would have been unimaginable. And the men can’t help but recognise it, because the outcomes and benefits to everyone are right there, undeniable.

The women are planning for disaster before it arrives: learning to protect marine ecosystems and manage small-scale fisheries (a project helped by a grant from Australian funding organisation Groundswell), beekeeping as a source of income, and creating seed banks so destroyed crops can be quickly replanted. They’ve adopted a three-garden resilience model — one for the household, one for market income, one kept in reserve as a community buffer. When the Christmas earthquake hit Port Vila last year, women who had been mid-training mobilised within days. They’d travelled to Indonesia and Nepal, had learned from other women how to survive, and were ready. They mapped needs, organised transport, moved supplies—work that would have been impossible for the one overburdened official otherwise tasked with it. While government staff were still flying back from holidays, WITTT was already in the field.

Afterwards, people told Flora that for years they had asked their husbands, their councils, their chiefs, their government for help — and had never received a direct response. Not once. “They ask me, how come it’s happening now?” Flora tells. “I say, things change. Women are coming out.”

As it turns out, Vanuatu never needed a demigod to return its heart. It just needed its women to step into the light.

Go to actionaid.org.au

The post Inside The Women-Led Movement Transforming Vanuatu appeared first on marie claire.

From every corner of Australia, this year’s nominees embody progress in motion. We’ve seen breakthroughs in women’s health funding. Bold reforms in domestic violence policy. A record number of women stepping into leadership across business, media and parliament. On the world stage, women have inspired through sport, science and storytelling. At home, others have led powerfully – changing systems, shifting narratives and demanding equality with grace and grit. Now, it’s time to celebrate them. The women who make us proud every single day.

On November 20, marie claire will hold a glittering night of recognition and inspiration, presented by Georg Jensen and supported by VOLVO, Olay, F5 Collective and Constellation Brands.

Now, it’s time to meet the incredible 2025 nominees for the marie claire Women of the Year awards.

The Changemaker

A driving force who has tirelessly advocated for change and been successful in their pursuits

Emma Mason 

When Emma Mason lost her 15-year-old daughter, Tilly, to suicide after relentless online bullying, she vowed no other family would endure the same heartbreak. That promise led to one of the world’s most significant digital safety reforms: Australia’s ban on children under 16 using social media. From Bathurst, NSW, Mason’s advocacy has reshaped national policy, inspired global leaders and even reached the United Nations, where she received a standing ovation for her story of turning grief into action. As the law takes effect on December 10, Mason’s legacy stands as proof that one mother’s voice can change the world.

Katherine Bennell-Pegg 

When Katherine Bennell-Pegg was growing up in Sydney, she told anyone who asked that she wanted to be an astronaut – even though Australia didn’t have a space program. This year, she made history as the first Australian to qualify as an astronaut with the European Space Agency, and the first under the Australian flag. An engineer with two master’s degrees across spacecraft engineering, science and technology, she’s also the director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency.

Tracey Corbin-Matchett 

Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM still remembers missing her Year Seven camp because her family couldn’t afford it — a moment that sparked a lifelong drive to create opportunities for others. Now CEO of Bus Stop Films, she leads a social enterprise transforming the film industry through inclusive education, employment and storytelling. Under her leadership, Bus Stop partners with schools and studios nationwide, training creatives with disabilities and showcasing their work at global festivals. Hard of hearing and mother to a deaf daughter, Corbin-Matchett champions inclusion on and off screen — proving that empathy and determination can turn barriers into pathways for change.

Bianca Marchi-Simon 

Biànca Marchi-Simon is a dynamic force in Australian hospitality, celebrated for reshaping Brisbane’s dining scene with creativity, leadership and vision. As co-founder of the Anyday collective, she’s helped create acclaimed venues including Agnes, Hôntô, sAme sAme and Biànca – each defined by innovation, warmth and uncompromising quality. Originally from Milan, she brings European sensibility and entrepreneurial drive to everything she builds. Beyond cuisine, Marchi-Simon champions collaboration, inclusivity and excellence, setting new standards for the industry. Her success embodies the power of creativity, integrity and perseverance – and her influence continues to shape how Australia dines, leads and celebrates together.

The Creative

A female creative who has pushed the boundaries of her chosen medium

Bobbi Lockyer

A proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru woman, Bobbi Lockyer, is a leading force in Australian art. Rooted in her Pilbara heritage, her vibrant works span painting, photography and design, celebrating Country and culture. Named both NAIDOC Artist of the Year and the Australian Open’s 2025 Artist of the Year, Lockyer’s art has reached global audiences. Beyond her creativity, she’s a passionate advocate for social justice, using her platform to highlight issues like domestic violence, racism and birth trauma.

Suzie Miller

In 2025, playwright Suzie Miller cemented her status as one of Australia’s most powerful voices in theatre. Following the global success of Prima Facie, her new play Inter Alia starring Rosamund Pike explores justice, feminism and modern masculinity through the story of a judge whose son is accused of sexual assault. Praised for its emotional depth and sharp social insight, Inter Alia sold out its season and was filmed for worldwide release. Miller now turns to her next project, Strong is the New Pretty, with Sydney Theatre Company.

Marg Horwell

Marg Horwell has made 2025 a remarkable year in theatre with her work on The Picture of Dorian Gray. Her costume designs played a key role in bringing the production to life, helping actor Sarah Snook transform seamlessly between 26 distinct characters, earning Horwell widespread acclaim including a Tony Award.

Horwell’s career spans a diverse range of productions, including The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Blasted, and Melancholia. Across each project, she has shown a remarkable ability to adapt her design sensibilities to different stories, creating work that is both functional and striking.

Kate Reid

As a child, Kate Reid dreamed of one thing: designing Formula One cars. By 23, she’d done it, joining Williams F1 in London as an aerospace engineer. But the high-pressure world came at a cost. Depression and an eating disorder forced her to step back – and return to Australia.

What came next was unexpected – and life-changing. Reid found joy in food, starting at a local bakery, honing craft and detail. A Paris apprenticeship at Du Pain et des Idées pushed her skills further, inspiring a French pastry revolution back home.

In 2012, she opened Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne. Today, Lune is globally renowned, with stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, serving thousands of croissants daily. Her signature pastries – made over three days in climate-controlled glass cubes – have won praise from The New York Times and Yotam Ottolenghi, who called them “the croissant that should act as the prototype for all others.”

Reid hasn’t stopped. Lune now has seven locations, she’s published the world’s first croissant cookbook, earned France’s Chevalière dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole, and released a memoir reflecting on her extraordinary journey from engineering to pastry, from resilience to reinvention.

The Advocate

A grassroots organiser who is actively advocating for disadvantaged communities

Nicole Yade

Nicole Yade, CEO of the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC) in Sydney, leads with compassion shaped by experience. Once homeless and fleeing domestic violence with her baby, she now champions safety, dignity and hope for others. Under her leadership, WAGEC has launched transformative initiatives like From Now, supporting pregnant women leaving incarceration, and Helping Children Heal, addressing trauma for young survivors. From Now has already achieved powerful results, offering housing, education and cultural connection for Aboriginal families.

Dr Chelsea Tobin

Dr Chelsea Tobin is transforming Australia’s response to family and domestic violence. As CEO of Safe Steps since 2022, she has strengthened Victoria’s only 24/7 crisis service, overseeing 150,000 annual contacts and launching the Sanctuary Pilot Program for intensive accommodation. In 2025, she co-created Unanswered Calls, a documentary amplifying young survivors’ voices and driving national reform. With a PhD from Monash and 15 years’ leadership experience, Tobin combines evidence-based strategy with deep empathy. A Churchill Fellow and long-term foster carer, she leads with purpose – ensuring Safe Steps is not just a crisis service but a force for systemic change.

Samantha Payne 

Samantha Payne’s journey began with heartbreak – the words, “I’m sorry, there is no heartbeat,” at a 2015 scan. Experiencing pregnancy loss firsthand, she discovered how isolating and stigmatised the experience could be. Determined to change that, she co-founded Pink Elephants, a national support network normalising conversations around early pregnancy loss. Under her leadership, it’s become a powerful movement offering emotional support, workplace programs and national advocacy. Payne’s “Leave for Loss” campaign led to policy reform recognising miscarriage under bereavement leave.

Grace Forrest

In 2025, Grace Forrest strengthened her global fight against modern slavery through two major international platforms: the G20 Summit in Johannesburg and the Glastonbury Festival in the UK. As founding director of Walk Free, she continues to drive systemic change and accountability in global supply chains. At the upcoming G20, Forrest urges leaders to confront the $730 billion in imports linked to forced labour, while at Glastonbury she explored how art and human rights intersect. Her advocacy blends diplomacy, creativity and activism, reminding the world that ending modern slavery demands both global collaboration and the courage to act locally.

Grace Toombs

A proud First Nations woman and founder of June Health, Grace Toombs is rewriting the rules of women’s healthcare. Frustrated by a system built without women – and certainly not for women like her – Grace launched Australia’s first at-home STI and cervical screening kits, bringing shame-free, accessible care directly to women’s doors.

A former medical student and public health researcher, she’s driven by lived experience and cultural responsibility, blending clinical insight with deep empathy. Since its 2025 launch, June Health has reached customers nationwide and partnered with Australia’s largest pathology provider. Grace’s mission is simple – to close the gap in women’s health and build a system that finally meets women where they are.

The Eco-Warrior

A woman who’s paying it forward and making a difference in the environmental space

Jamila Gordon

Jamila Gordon’s journey from a war-torn Somali village to founder and CEO of Lumachain is a story of resilience and innovation. After fleeing civil war and arriving in Australia, she learned English, earned an IT degree, and rose to senior roles at IBM, Qantas and CIMIC. In 2018, she founded Lumachain, using AI and blockchain to make food supply chains more transparent and ethical. Named among the BBC’s 100 Women and Women in AI’s Innovator of the Year, Gordon also champions refugees and diversity in STEM. Her leadership continues to redefine technology’s power to drive equity and global change.

Natalie Kyriacou

Natalie Kyriacou OAM has built a career on transforming climate anxiety into action. An environmentalist, writer and founder of My Green World, she empowers young changemakers through education and conservation. In 2025, she released her debut book Nature’s Last Dance: Tales of Wonder in an Age of Extinction, a part travelogue, part rallying cry, which has been hailed as a vital contribution to the conversation around biodiversity loss. Beyond writing, she serves on the boards of CARE Australia and the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, and leads climate justice work at the W20. Named a UNESCO Green Citizens Pathfinder, Kyriacou inspires hope where others see crisis.

Anjali Sharma

At just 21, Anjali Sharma is redefining youth climate leadership. In 2024, she spearheaded a national campaign calling for laws requiring policymakers to consider future generations in climate decisions. Her activism began at 12 and gained national attention at 16, when she led a landmark class action arguing the government’s duty of care to young Australians. Though overturned on appeal, it ignited a movement for inter-generational climate justice. In 2025, her open letter to government drew national support. From her ANU dorm room, Sharma continues to mobilise young Australians.

Lisa Blair OAM

Lisa Blair OAM is a record-breaking solo sailor, author and climate advocate who has made history at sea. In 2022, she became the fastest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica, setting one of her eight world records. A recipient of the Order of Australia Medal in January, Lisa uses her yacht Climate Action Now as a platform for ocean science and sustainability, inspiring global action through her voyages, talks and best-selling memoir Facing Fear. Her story of courage and climate advocacy is also the subject of the acclaimed documentary Ice Maiden. Now preparing for her next mission – the Arctic Impact Project – Lisa continues to prove that one person’s action can change the tide.

The Champion  

Celebrating a woman who’s reached new heights this year in sport

The Opals

In a year defined by resilience, reinvention and ambition, The Opals – Australia’s women’s basketball team – reminded the world of what it means to fight with heart. Fresh from their bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Opals arrived at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup with a squad almost entirely different, with 10 of the 12 Olympic medallists absent. But what could have been a rebuilding year turned into a golden one. With a fearless, largely new outfit, the Opals stunned the region by claiming the Asia Cup for the first time. After a silver medal in 2017, followed by bronze medals in 2019, 2021 and 2023, the victory could not have been sweeter. More importantly, the win secured the Opals direct qualification to the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany.

Alexa Leary

Few Australians embody resilience like Alexa Leary. Once a rising triathlete, her life changed in 2021 after a cycling crash left her with a traumatic brain injury. Told she might not survive, she defied all odds – returning to win Paralympic gold in Paris and multiple world titles. In 2025, she broke two more world records and released her debut dance single “Closer” as Lex Leary. Beyond sport, her MoveForLex Foundation has raised over $250,000 for brain injury recovery, inspiring Australians to move for health and hope. With unstoppable energy and optimism, Leary has redefined what comeback truly means.

Nicola Olyslagers

 Nicola Olyslagers reached new heights in 2025, winning gold at the World Athletics Championships in Japan. Her 2.00m jump – just shy of her Australian record 2.04m – showcased power, grace and unshakable composure. But Olyslagers is defined by more than medals. A mental health advocate, she speaks openly about performance anxiety and purpose, inspiring young athletes across Australia. Her message – that worth isn’t measured in medals or records – resonates deeply.

Molly Picklum

In 2025, Molly Picklum cemented her place in surfing history, winning the World Surf League Finals and becoming the first Australian woman to do so since Stephanie Gilmore. At 23, she dominated the season with multiple wins and podium finishes, highlighted by a near-perfect barrel at Teahupo’o hailed as one of the best ever by a female surfer. Known for her power, precision and composure, Picklum has also been open about overcoming nerves and self-doubt.

The Entertainer

A woman who has captivated and inspired audiences in the entertainment field

Sarah Snook

Sarah Snook has never shied from a challenge. After her Emmy-winning run in Succession, she conquered Broadway in 2025 with The Picture of Dorian Gray, playing 26 characters across two hours in Kip Williams’ daring production. The performance earned her a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress, confirming her as a stage powerhouse. Snook also leads the thriller All Her Fault, a gripping exploration of trust and paranoia that showcases her emotional range and intelligence.

Kitty Flanagan

Kitty Flanagan has long mastered the art of saying what everyone’s thinking — with wit, warmth and precision. Her hit ABC series Fisk continues to dominate, earning Logies, AACTAs and an international following for her pitch-perfect portrayal of Helen Tudor-Fisk. In 2025, Flanagan expands her reach with Bad Company, a new ABC comedy premiering in 2026. She also delivered the 2025 Women in Media Oration, blending sharp humour with heartfelt insight, and is preparing a new national stand-up tour.

Alycia Debnam-Carey

Alycia Debnam-Carey has long been one of Australia’s most magnetic screen talents, known for Fear the Walking Dead and The 100, but 2025 marks her most defining year yet. She stars in Netflix’s acclaimed Apple Cider Vinegar as Milla Blake, a young woman with cancer drawn into the orbit of a deceptive wellness influencer. Her raw, empathetic performance has earned widespread acclaim. Debnam-Carey also shines in the indie thriller It’s What’s Inside, and will soon join Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise.

The Designer

A fashion designer who represents the new guard of style and innovation

Camilla Freeman-Topper

Camilla Freeman-Topper, co-founder and creative director of Camilla and Marc, has built one of Australia’s most influential fashion houses since 2003. Known for refined tailoring and modern femininity, the label now spans 13 boutiques and international spaces in Harrods and Galeries Lafayette. Trained in Florence, Freeman-Topper blends couture precision with effortless design. Beyond fashion, she and her brother Marc founded the “Ovaries. Talk About Them” campaign after losing their mother to ovarian cancer, raising over $2.5 million for early detection research.

Melissa Greenwood and Lauren Jarret

Mother-and-daughter duo Melissa Greenwood and Lauren Jarrett are the creative minds behind Miimi & Jiinda, a brand that celebrates Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Dunghutti culture through art, fashion and design. Winners of the 2025 National Indigenous Fashion Award for Business Achievement, they’ve collaborated with Adairs, Seed and Jurlique and featured at AFW 2025. Rooted in Jarrett’s experiences as a Stolen Generations survivor, Miimi & Jiinda — meaning “mother and sister” — transforms intergenerational stories into contemporary design.

Gabriella Pereira 

Gabriella Pereira, co-founder and creative director of Beare Park, has swiftly evolved from rising talent to leading force in Australian fashion. After launching into Harrods and Bergdorf Goodman in 2023 and winning the 2024 Australian Fashion Laureate for Emerging Designer, she opened Beare Park’s first flagship in Paddington while welcoming her first child. In 2025, the brand became the Matildas’ official formalwear partner and unveiled a Fashion Week collection blending strength and softness through lace, tailoring and personal heritage.

Leslie Jermanus

Since launching in 2020, Alémais has become one of Australia’s most distinctive fashion houses, known for its artful prints, joyful femininity and sustainable ethos. Founded by Lesleigh Jermanus, the brand champions craftsmanship and conscious creativity, with collections stocked globally at Harrods, Saks and Net-a-Porter. Beyond design, Alémais has planted over half a million trees through its Forest Project with the Gondwana Rainforest Trust and Yalanji Rangers, regenerating 12 hectares of Daintree rainforest and supporting First Nations stewardship.

The Rising Star

The next big name you need to know. Fearless, fresh and fiercely ambitious – she’s defining what’s next.

Yerin Ha 

When Yerin Ha landed Bridgerton, she joined one of the most-watched series on the planet ‒ and instantly became part of the cultural conversation. Her casting as Sophie Baek in the Netflix juggernaut felt like a breakthrough, not just for her career but for what it means to see an Australian actor with Korean-born parents step into a period romance once defined by rigid tradition. Back home, she’s anchoring The Survivors, Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Harper’s bestselling novel. Yerin Ha first made global waves as Kwan Ha in Halo, then stunned audiences in Bad Behaviour with her raw portrayal of teenage cruelty and vulnerability. On stage in Lord of the Flies, she proved equally magnetic. At 27, Ha’s fearless range marks her as one of Australia’s most exciting talents.

Milly Rose Bannister 

Milly Rose Bannister is redefining youth mental health advocacy. As founder and creative director of ALLKND, she’s leading Australia’s first free, digital, peer-to-peer mental health first aid training for Gen Z. Bannister’s mission is deeply personal—sparked by supporting a friend through crisis as a teen. Since founding ALLKND in 2020, she’s partnered with brands like TikTok and Lululemon, reaching over five million young Australians annually. Under her leadership, ALLKND has launched national initiatives like Good Mate Training and creator-focused mental health programs. Bannister’s blend of creativity, compassion and lived experience makes her a defining voice in digital wellbeing and social impact.

Shabana Azeez 

It’s been a breakthrough year for Adelaide-born actor Shabana Azeez. Named to Variety’s Young Hollywood Impact List, she’s earned acclaim for her standout turn as intern Victoria Javadi in HBO Max’s The Pitt, a gripping medical drama hailed by critics and healthcare workers alike. Azeez also voiced Princess Saira in Lesbian Space Princess, which won the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Following her acclaimed role in Birdeater, 2025 has cemented her as one of the industry’s most exciting new talents—praised for her naturalism, emotional depth and fearless commitment to storytelling across genres and forms.

Charlotte Walker 

On the day of the 2025 federal election, Charlotte Walker turned 21. The next day, she became Australia’s youngest senator, marking a generational shift in politics. Raised in Yankalilla, South Australia, Walker saw firsthand how government policies shape small communities. A former Young Labor SA president and union official, she’s campaigned for affordable housing, mental health reform and climate resilience. In Parliament, Walker has already proven both pragmatic and visionary, championing generational equity and fairer pathways for women. For many voters, she embodies the future of politics—energetic, inclusive and grounded in the lived realities of everyday Australians.

Icon of the year 

A woman whose illustrious career and talents have immortalised her name for generations to come

Jessica Mauboy 

Two decades ago, a teenager from Darwin stunned audiences singing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” in Alice Springs. That moment launched Jessica Mauboy—from Australian Idol standout to one of Australia’s most enduring stars. With platinum albums, ARIA Awards and acclaimed performances in The Sapphires and The Secret Daughter, Mauboy has proven her range across music and film. She’s represented Australia at Eurovision, headlined iconic stages, and in 2024, launched her own label, Jamally. A proud Kuku Yalanji and Wakaman woman, Mauboy’s Hall of Fame induction cements her as a trailblazer redefining what it means to lead with voice, heart and heritage.

Rose Byrne  

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You isn’t just the title of Rose Byrne’s latest film—it’s the performance that redefined her career. As Linda, a mother on the brink, Byrne delivers a hauntingly restrained turn that earned her the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in Berlin. In 2025, she also stretched her range as actor and producer with Tow and The Good Daughter, while returning to comedy in Platonic. From Two Hands to Bridesmaids, Byrne has built a career on integrity, curiosity and craft—proving that her evolution is as compelling as her performances.

Naomi Watts 

Naomi Watts has built a career on resilience, risk and luminous performances that linger long after the credits roll. Her breakout in Mulholland Drive (2001) cemented her as one of her generation’s most compelling actors, earning Oscar nominations for 21 Grams and The Impossible. Balancing indie dramas with blockbusters like King Kong, Watts is defined by her emotional honesty and fearlessness. Beyond acting, she’s become a vocal advocate for women’s health, founding Stripes to support women through menopause and ageing. Both on and off screen, Watts continues to redefine longevity in Hollywood with grace, depth and unwavering authenticity.

The Voice Of Now

A woman whose message captures the spirit and the tone of our time

Em Rusciano 

Writer, singer, stand-up comedian and podcast powerhouse Em Rusciano has never been one to play it safe. Fierce, funny and unfiltered, she’s built a career out of saying the things women aren’t supposed to say – and saying them brilliantly. Her hit podcast Emsolation made history as Australia’s first-ever Spotify Exclusive, later reclaiming its independence under her own production company, Down the Hill Studios, where it debuted at number one on Apple’s comedy charts. A bestselling author (Try Hard: Tales from the Life of a Needy Overachiever), she’s also one of Australia’s top-selling comics, with her national Outgrown tour and Network Ten’s Rage and Rainbows cementing her as a creative force of nature.

Now, with her latest book Blood, Sweat and Glitter, Rusciano turns her trademark wit and candour inward – chronicling the wild, messy and life-altering years that redefined her. It’s a blisteringly honest account of living with the “diagnostic trifecta” – ADHD, autism and perimenopause – and a reckoning with womanhood, rage and resilience. “Like Eat, Pray, Love,” she says, “but the perimenopause remix: Bleed. Scream. Snap.”

Beyond the stage and the page, Rusciano is a powerful advocate for neurodivergent Australians – her address to the National Press Club on ADHD and autism was a cultural turning point, praised for its compassion and candour. With a social community of more than half a million followers, three kids, two dogs and one husband (in that order, most days), Rusciano continues to prove that imperfection is power – and that sometimes, the messiest stories are the ones that glitter most.

Melissa Leong  

There isn’t much Melissa Leong hasn’t devoured in the name of understanding food, culture and courage. A Gold Logie–nominated television presenter, food journalist, author and style icon, Melissa has long been one of Australia’s most distinctive and fearless voices – on screen, on the page, and at the table.

From co-hosting MasterChef Australia, Junior MasterChef and Dessert Masters alongside pastry virtuoso Amaury Guichon, to getting lost in the backstreets of Ho Chi Minh in search of the perfect banh mi, Melissa has built a career – and a life – on curiosity, risk and unflinching authenticity.

In 2025, she added another course to her extraordinary repertoire with the release of her memoir, Guts: A Memoir of Food, Failure and Taking Impossible Chances. Equal parts raw, riveting and darkly funny, Guts explores the beauty and brutality of the food industry, the experience of racism and chronic pain, and the art of rebuilding your life from the wreckage. Critics have called it “utterly delectable” and “a love letter to food and self-belief.”

A first-generation Singaporean Australian, Melissa has spent her career championing diversity, creativity and self-determination – both within and beyond the kitchen. Her life philosophy remains her signature recipe for success: be voracious.

Noor Azizah

Born in Myanmar and raised amid displacement, Noor Azizah fled the genocide of the Rohingya people at age eight to begin a new life in Australia. Today, she is a globally recognised advocate for refugee and women’s rights, serving as Co-Executive Director of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network. A teacher, peace scholar and UN refugee delegate, Noor has addressed the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva and advised on issues of gender, education and statelessness. Named NSW Young Woman of the Year (2024) and Global Citizen Youth Leader (2024), she has collaborated with Cate Blanchett, Craig Foster and Gillian Triggs to amplify refugee voices worldwide. Her story is one of courage, compassion and transformative leadership.

Antoinette Lattouf 

Antoinette Lattouf is an award-winning journalist, author and human rights advocate whose name has become shorthand for defiance. Her surname is now a verb – Lattoufed: to be sacked or silenced for standing your ground. The term was born from her landmark case, Lattouf v ABC, which exposed the fault lines between free speech, institutional fear and moral courage in Australian media. When the Federal Court ruled the ABC had unlawfully terminated her employment after she shared a Human Rights Watch post on Gaza – awarding more than $220,000 in damages – it became more than a personal win. As co-founder of Media Diversity Australia and co-creator of Ette Media, Lattouf has long championed accountability, equality and representation. Her forthcoming book, Women Who Win (April 2026), celebrates the women who refused to sit down or stay quiet. 

The Powerhouse

An inspiring trailblazer who has paved the way for other women

Jo Horgan 

Jo Horgan AO has transformed beauty retail in Australia and beyond. As founder of Mecca Brands, she’s spent over 25 years redefining how people experience beauty — creating spaces of luxury, discovery and community. What began in 1997 as one boutique in Melbourne has grown into more than 100 stores across Australia and New Zealand. Partnering with brands like Nars, Drunk Elephant and Diptyque, Mecca is now a billion-dollar powerhouse. Beyond business, Horgan champions women’s empowerment through her Mecca M-Power program.

Megan Davis and Pat Anderson 

Megan Davis AC and Pat Anderson AO are two of Australia’s most powerful voices for First Nations justice, human rights and self-determination. As key architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, they helped shape a national movement for a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament and truth-telling. Professor Davis, a Cobble Cobble woman and leading constitutional lawyer, was the first Aboriginal Australian to serve on a UN body. Anderson, an Alyawarre woman, has dedicated her career to improving Aboriginal health through the Lowitja Institute. Together, their partnership blends law, advocacy and cultural authority, redefining Australia’s path toward recognition and reconciliation.

Julie Inman Grant

Julie Inman Grant is redefining leadership in the digital age. As Australia’s eSafety Commissioner since 2017, she’s made the country a global pioneer in online safety — tackling cyberbullying, image-based abuse and holding tech giants to account. With 25 years’ experience at Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe, she brings rare insight into technology’s power and peril. Under her leadership, eSafety has introduced world-first takedown laws and industry codes protecting users worldwide. Named one of the World Economic Forum’s “Top 50 Women in Tech,” she continues to champion digital inclusion and human rights, proving that safety is the cornerstone of innovation.

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That’s the story she once told herself. Signing up for her first ultramarathon was supposed to be a personal dare – the sort of illogical challenge that forces you to find out what you’re made of. Instead, it became a complete rewiring of how she saw her limits. “The real challenge wasn’t my legs, it was my mind,” she says. “Growth comes from catching those limiting beliefs and staying with the unfamiliar long enough for it to change you.”

From Corporate Law To A New Mission

It’s a lesson she’s carried far beyond the start line. A former corporate lawyer, Gash traded a stable career for a life of unpredictable terrain – literally. What began as a quest for personal endurance evolved into a purpose-driven mission: tackling the world’s toughest environments to spotlight the girls and communities most often left behind.

That mission is at the heart of her role as a World Vision goodwill ambassador and her support for the charity’s 1000 Girls campaign – an annual initiative that began in 2018 to raise the voices of girls in need and give Australians tangible ways to change their futures through child sponsorship. “It’s not just about telling stories,” Gash says. “It’s about changing them – with people you trust, standing alongside these girls in ways that last.”

Her pivot from law to ultramarathons might sound extreme, but for her it was a natural – if daunting – progression. “Stability can keep you in spaces where you’ve stopped growing,” she reflects. “I wanted to get closer to people’s lived experiences, not just their stories on paper. I remember thinking, ‘If I want something I’ve never had, I have to do something I’ve never done before.’ That’s not just a motivational line, it’s the way I live now.” She found that connection in the most unlikely places: sand-blasted deserts, storm-lashed mountain passes, tiny villages high in the Himalayas.

When the World Becomes The Classroom

In 2016, she ran 3800km across India with World Vision – a 77-day odyssey that raised almost $200,000 for six education-focused programs. Along the way, she shared the journey online, drawing a global audience to see the barriers children in India face in accessing schooling. The run became a window into the lives of the students, parents and teachers she met – their challenges, hopes and hurdles.

It was in one remote town, Pauri, where the abstract became unshakably personal. A young woman with a disability – someone Gash was told was never allowed to be seen in public – joined her for a meal. “Her eyes were wide, a mix of apprehension and gratitude. It hit me that empowerment doesn’t always start with grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with the smallest act of inclusion.”

Spend enough time in the field and you learn that advocacy isn’t quick, photogenic or easy to measure. “True change means shifting the systems around a girl’s life, not just her immediate needs,” Gash says. For World Vision, that means the basics of safety, education and community-led change.

“If a girl isn’t safe, nothing else can take root. But it’s not enough to get girls into classrooms, we have to make those classrooms places where they can thrive.” Her runs, she insists, are not the point – they’re the spark. “The challenge itself is never the end point. The work starts long before the start line and continues long after the finish. That’s how you turn awareness into something tangible, not just a moment in the media cycle.”

Beyond The Finish Line: Advocacy s Endurance

How does Gash keep going when her body is screaming to stop? Perspective. “I’ve met girls whose daily lives require a persistence that makes my challenges feel different in scale,” she says. “Remembering those conversations doesn’t make the pain disappear, but it shifts the story in my head from ‘this is too hard’ to ‘I can take the next step – and how lucky am I that I get to do this?’”

That mindset – resilience as adaptability rather than invincibility – also runs through her Her Trails, the women’s endurance community she co-founded. “Strength and vulnerability can coexist,” she says. “Being human, not untouchable, is what makes bravery accessible. I want women to see that you don’t have to wait until you feel ready. You just have to start – messy, uncertain and real.”

Motherhood And The Meaning of Impact

Motherhood, too, has shaped her mission. In 2023, she traversed Nepal’s Great Himalaya Trail – a 50-day expedition with a focus on financial and digital literacy for rural girls. She took her son, Harry, for the preacclimatisation phase. “We’d sit with the map, and he’d trace the line I was about to walk. It made the expedition something we both held a piece of,” she says. “I don’t want him to think impact is abstract. I want him to see that caring is active and that we each have a role to play.”

Leadership Starts Where You Are

If Gash has her way, her legacy will be less about the kilometres she’s clocked and more about the doors they’ve helped open. “For the next generation of changemakers, I want to prove that leadership can be human – that you can push boundaries without leaving yourself behind,” she says. And if she can inspire people to take that first, imperfect step towards a purpose-driven life? All the better. “Purpose grows through action, not theory. Start where your values meet what you can offer right now. Build from there. You don’t need the whole map – just the courage to take the next step.”

For the 21 million women and girls in Afghanistan, the 12-year-old in rural India, the young woman with a disability finally invited to dinner – the ripple effect of that approach is the real finish line. And Gash, unsurprisingly, has no plans to stop running towards it.

The post Samantha Gash Is Running For Change – And She’s Not Slowing Down appeared first on marie claire.

That moment marked the first in a long line of gendered dismissals. It was the first domino in a chain reaction of medical misogyny: a system where women’s pain is normalised, their instincts doubted, and their bodies treated as problems to be solved rather than people to be cared for.

Over the years, through sheer desperation, I’ve had to become my own loudest advocate.

The Miscarriage That Was ‘Run-of-the-Mill’

In 2018, my husband and I were ecstatic to be pregnant after years of trying. At our 10-week scan, we heard the words no one ever wants to hear: “There is no heartbeat.” It was a missed miscarriage; our baby had likely passed weeks earlier, and I had no idea.

As we sat in stunned grief, the sonographer told me to clean myself up and stop crying so I wouldn’t upset other people. In my rawest moment, my emotions were treated as an inconvenience. I was not a woman who had just lost her baby; I was a potential disruption to the clinic’s calm.

A system where women’s pain is normalised, their instincts doubted, and their bodies treated as problems to be solved rather than people to be cared for.

Subsequent hospital visits were a blur of cold, hard plastic chairs and a humiliating lack of privacy. I sat in an Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic, bleeding and in agony, surrounded by expectant mothers. I was turned away multiple times for ‘more urgent’ cases. When I was finally sent to the ED, a nurse loudly asked deeply personal questions from behind a perspex screen. I felt exposed, judged, and utterly unimportant. To them, it was a routine event. To me, it was a devastating loss.

Endometriosis: The Pain You Should ‘Just Get Over’

The pain never left after that miscarriage. My GP initially suspected a UTI and handed me antibiotics, despite my insistence that something else was wrong. I dumped the prescription, certain my instincts were more accurate than their guesswork.

I began researching my symptoms, which mirrored my mother’s long and painful battle. But every time I raised the possibility, I was dismissed. “It’s just part of being a woman.” “Take some Nurofen.” Or, most insultingly: “Just get pregnant, that’ll fix it.”

That suggestion, that having a baby could “cure” me, was not only medically incorrect, it was emotionally devastating. I was desperately trying to conceive, and to be told that pregnancy was both the cause and the cure for my suffering was a cruel irony.

Eventually, after countless appointments, I found a specialist who took me seriously. A laparoscopy confirmed Stage 2 endometriosis. But just three months after surgery, the pain returned. When I raised the possibility of recurrence, I was told: “There’s no way it could be back so soon.”

But I knew my body. I pushed for further testing, and a deep-infiltrating scan confirmed my fears; not only had the disease returned, it was more severe.

IVF: A Hurdle to Bypass

IVF brought a new layer of medical misogyny. This time, I felt more like a protocol, a number on a production line. My fears and feelings were irrelevant.

During implantation, I cried. Not because something went wrong, but because I was both terrified and hopeful. The specialist looked at me with bewilderment. To him, my emotions didn’t fit the script. Everything had “gone to plan,” so why was I crying?

When that round ended in my third miscarriage, my mental health crashed. I requested a telehealth consult with my specialist. After a brief condolence, the conversation immediately shifted to “next steps.” There was no space for grief. I was a failed plan, a hurdle to bypass.

But I wasn’t a failed plan. I was a grieving woman.

We Are Not the Problem

I grieve for the women around me and who came before me because I know my story is not unique. So many women are made to feel their pain is performative, their instincts irrational, and their grief an inconvenience. We are not just our bodies. We are not just a problem to be solved. And our pain is not a joke.

For years, I thought I was just unlucky. But this wasn’t bad luck, this was the result of a system built without us in mind. A system where gender bias runs deep, where emotional expression is pathologised, and where women are too often told to endure, stay quiet, or try again.

What I experienced is medical misogyny — and it’s still happening, every day, in clinics, hospitals, and consulting rooms across the country.

I share my story to challenge that. To remind every woman: your body is not the problem. You are not the problem. And you deserve more than silence. You deserve care that is compassionate, informed, and free from shame.

If this story has brought up difficult feelings for you, support is available. Visit pinkelephants.org.au for free, confidential peer support and resources tailored to early pregnancy loss.

Jen Tupaea is the Chief Operating Officer of Pink Elephants and an advocate turning her experience of early pregnancy loss, endometriosis, and IVF into systemic change for women’s healthcare.

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According to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF), two in five Australians will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85. This staggering statistic is met with a need to improve the understanding of people with cancer’s needs. Especially the unexpected tolls it takes on the everyday.   

Fight With Care   

La Roche-Posay launched their Fight With Care initiative in 2023. The campaign aims to support adjunctive skin care programs to help protect against common skin side effects. Caring for your skin may help to continue treatment.  

Fight with Care aims to ensure that anyone living with cancer doesn’t feel alone by driving an increase in support, training, knowledge and awareness. The primary focus of the initiative is on harnessing the power of supportive care.  

Studies have found that supportive care plays a significant role in treatment management for those experiencing cancer. Another aspect that has been found to be beneficial is the healing power of touch. Holding your loved ones close can make a world of difference to your heart and brain, with feel-good chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin being released with touch.  

Skin Side Effects   

80 per cent of people living with cancer suffer from harsh skin side-effects as a direct result of treatment ¹.The side effects can be so harsh that many people need to slow down or even stop their treatment so as to rest their skin.   

While some side effects are from the cancer itself, others can present themselves from the treatment.  

Dry Skin  

Much like caring for dry skin at any stage, keeping skin moisturised during cancer treatment is especially key. But be sure to find hydrating products that offer long-lasting benefits, without any alcohol additives. Apply them whenever needed, but especially after a shower. And always protect skin from harsh weather conditions.  

Understanding And Togetherness   

The most important thing for people living with cancer is a solid support network. Understandably, support is going to look different for every relationship, but support can be given through small acts, such as delivering food and helping with household chores. Even just being available as a source of support will help those affected to not feel isolated or alone.   

A study revealed that 80 per cent of people dealing with cancer confirmed that supportive care aided in managing their disease ². If you’re looking to learn to be a source of reassurance for a loved one or friend who is experiencing cancer and treatment, La Roche-Posay offers an online module to guide people living with cancer and their care givers on supportive care. Although it may be hard to place yourself in their shoes, being a source of comfort, care, and understanding will go a long way.   

¹Charles C., et al. March 2013. Impact of cutaneous toxicity associated with targeted therapies on quality of life. 

²Buiret, G., et al. (2022). Prevalence of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and access to supportive care in cancer in Brazil, China, France, Russia and the USA. European Journal of Cancer Care, e13636 

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After her visit and hearing the resilient young girls speak, Chowdhury knew that she needed to lend her voice to the conversation and hopefully empower their lives.   

International Day Of The Girl   

As International Day Of The Girl approaches on October 11th, marie claire, in partnership with World Vision, is looking to showcase why the day marks such a special occasion.   

The initiative “focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.” The day aims to draw attention to the unmet needs these girls are living with.   

“The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis,” is the increasingly appropriate theme for this year. Chowdhury’s recent visit to Bangladesh has shown, now more than ever, how fitting the theme is.   

Shaping A Future   

For Chowdhury, her most significant takeaway from her time in Bangladesh is that, despite leading different lives, we’re all globally connected. It’s just by a “stroke of luck” that we were born here. Young girls globally are facing serious barriers to even the most basic rights, such as schooling and privacy.   

Chowdhury listened to a group of brave, eloquent young girls speaking about how, due to shared bathrooms in schools that lack proper sanitary disposal options, they end up missing a week of school every month to be able to handle their periods with privacy and dignity at home.   

These young girls showcase their resilience every day in their community-minded spirit, environmental activism and willingness to stand up and share their stories. Chowdhury was quite literally “moved to tears through witnessing their resilience”. Because as she told marie claire, “these young children are much, much braver than I will ever be. I’m inspired by them. I’m truly in awe of what they do in spite of their living conditions, their environmental conditions, and the political conditions that they face every day. They’re my heroes”.   

They already have the heart, the spirit and the resilience; all they need are the tools to overcome their situations. By sponsoring a child, you can make a significant difference to a young girl’s life. When sponsored, she’ll be able to “stay on path, stay on track, stay safe”.  

How Your Actions Can Help  

It might sometimes feel like there’s nothing you can do to change what’s going on in the world. But through the 1000 girls’ program, we’ve learnt that even the simplest donation, conversation or sponsorship can spark meaningful change. As Maya Angelou once said, “you have no idea what your legacy will be. Your legacy is what you do every day. Your legacy is every life you’ve ever touched.” So, in a world where it’s so easy to see only the negative, choose to be the shining light in someone else’s life.   

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The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel after he mocked the Trump administration’s handling of Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a case in point. He told a joke. Regulators hinted at pulling broadcast licences. Disney folded in hours. Technically, Kimmel’s rights remain intact. Practically, his voice was silenced. And here’s the uncomfortable truth – women have lived in this reality forever.

When Consequence Becomes Control

The new phrase everyone’s bandying about is “consequence culture.” The idea is simple. Say something, live with the fallout. But what happens when those “consequences” are shaped by billion-dollar mergers, partisan politics, or the weaponised rage of an online mob? That’s not culture – that’s control.

Women recognise this instantly. We’ve always had to calculate the cost of speaking. Will calling out sexism at work get me sidelined? Will posting about reproductive rights invite harassment? Will simply existing online trigger a pile-on? The right to expression may be universal on paper. The price of it is not.

The Charlie Kirk Irony

The irony is almost too much. Just a year before his death, Charlie Kirk himself tweeted that there is no such thing as “hate speech” under US law – only ugly, gross, even evil speech, and that all of it is protected. “Keep America free,” he wrote. Today, his name is being used to justify shutting down the very speech he claimed to defend. Freedom, it seems, is negotiable when it comes with a cost.

Australia’s Silence Gap

It isn’t just America. In Australia, women’s voices are routinely policed, muted or punished when they cut too close to power. Brittany Higgins’ testimony about an alleged assault became a political firestorm that left her vilified. Grace Tame was told to “smile” for the cameras after calling out sexual abuse in plain language. Journalists who press politicians on women’s safety or climate policy are dismissed or mocked.

And then there is the sheer hostility of online life. As Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson told marie claire: “In this new online space as a woman, it’s shocking the number of death and rape threats we get for simply having a public voice – and that I have received as a woman in the law with a public voice. I didn’t get anywhere near the online vitriol that

Amber Heard received, including the death and rape threats towards her and her baby. I can’t imagine what Amber has gone through. But it’s happening to women everywhere. I won’t be made to be silent, but we have to do something about it because women are being pushed out of public spaces and we need more female voices.”

Her point underscores the lived reality: free speech exists in theory. But for women, the cost of exercising it can be brutal – and often literally life-threatening.

The Corporate Gatekeepers

The Kimmel saga makes clear that speech isn’t policed solely by courts or governments. Increasingly, it’s corporations that decide who gets a platform. Executives in boardrooms weigh free expression against advertising revenue and stock prices. Speech has become commodified, priced in real time against profit margins.

And this too is familiar to women. Our visibility has always been conditional – tolerated until it becomes too loud, too sexual, too political, too threatening. Then the consequences arrive.

The Real Battleground

The paradox is glaring: we’ve never had more platforms to speak from, and yet the boundaries feel tighter than ever. The question isn’t “can you say it?” but “can you survive what happens next?” That’s the calculation women have always had to make.

Free speech, it turns out, was never free. It has always carried a price. What’s different today is how openly that price is being tallied, who is asked to pay it, and whose silence is deemed most profitable.

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This year marks the eleventh chapter in Georg Jensen’s collaboration with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF), Australia’s leading independent funder of ovarian cancer research. Over the past decade, the partnership has raised significant funding for research into better treatment options and, crucially, the development of an early detection test for ovarian cancer, the most lethal of all women’s cancers.

The 2025 campaign, titled What Women Carry, turns its lens to the unseen burdens and enduring bonds passed down through generations. Directed by Nicola Sevitt, with creative production by Tanika Rouillon, the short film features model Jess Gomes, actress Heather Mitchell AM and actor-producer Mitzi Ruhlmann.

In it, the women share moments of connection, clasped hands, laughter, and unspoken understanding, forming a portrait of resilience that feels both intimate and universal.

At the centre of the campaign is the pendant itself, a sculptural heart with soft, fluid curves that feel both contemporary and enduring. Available in sterling silver or yellow gold, it is designed to rest close to the skin, becoming less an accessory and more a personal talisman. It is the kind of piece that seems destined to be passed down, gathering stories and meaning with each wearer. Every purchase supports the OCRF, directly funding research that holds the promise of earlier detection and better outcomes for women facing ovarian cancer.

What Women Carry is not simply a jewellery campaign but a moment of reflection. It asks us to consider what we inherit, what we choose to hold, and what we will pass forward to the next generation.

The 2025 OCRF Heart Pendant is available in Georg Jensen boutiques nationwide and online from 19 September 2025 and with every purchase, Georg Jensen donates $250 on your behalf directly to the OCRF.

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The biggest design flaw with plastic? Nobody stopped to think about its disposal. We were so caught up in all the wonderful things made possible by plastic that we neglected to plan for what happens once we finish using it. This means that every single piece of plastic that has ever been produced still exists somewhere on our planet today.

It can be moulded into different shapes, made in different colours and thicknesses, and it’s easy to clean, making it ideal for use in settings where hygiene is paramount, like hospitals and restaurants.

 It’s not that I don’t believe plastic has its place. In fact, in some contexts, like a medical setting, plastic is the only material that can be used. But I certainly don’t think we need to consume it at the rate that we do.

So, who are the main culprits when it comes to using plastic? It’s not like any one industry carries the majority of the responsibility for plastic pollution – unlike, say, the aviation industry does for emissions – because plastic is used everywhere for just about everything.

However, there is one kind of plastic that nabs top spot for the spectacular degree of harm it has caused to the environment: single-use plastics. Think single-use straws, food packaging and shopping bags.

Plastic is so stealthy, you might not even know it is lurking in some of your most everyday items, like: tea bags, cans lined with plastic, napkins, sponges, chewing gum, wet wipes or single-use makeup wipes, baking paper, sheet masks, laundry detergent and receipts.

What Are Microplastics?

Here’s the macro problem with microplastics: they never break down. Plastic might degrade and get smaller, but it never completely goes away.

The result? Microplastics. And they’re everywhere, causing harm to the environment and our health. Plastics take between three and four hundred years to disintegrate, generally speaking.

During this time, they disintegrate into smaller and smaller pieces. A good example is plastic clothes pegs. Over time, they dry out in the sun, crack and break, eventually breaking down into small fragments that crumble in your fingertips.

These tiny brittle fragments continue to break down into smaller and smaller pieces until they no longer exist (to the naked eye). These are microplastics. Microplastics are classified as pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimetres (⅛ inch) in size, or the equivalent of a sesame seed.

A study by Australia’s Newcastle University found that the average Australian consumes 5 grams (⅛ ounce) of microplastics each and every week, which is the equivalent of eating a credit card’s worth of plastic as a snack. Every week.

Microplastics have been found in human faeces, hearts, kidneys, lungs, spleens and even in foetuses. The health implications of consuming microplastics aren’t yet fully known, but you can imagine that it is not as nutritious as having a garden salad for lunch.

A study completed by the Environment Agency in Austria found up to twenty pieces of microplastics per 10 g (¼ oz) of human faeces. But how are we ingesting these microscopic plastics, and what are the most common plastic-containing culprits?

One study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that we consume some of these plastics through the air we breathe, but that most come from tiny airborne fibres from clothing – particulate and other plastic pollution that sits in the air. Scientists believe that we’re actually consuming microplastics in the food we eat, from plastic water bottles and even through the use of old plastic food containers.

Sadly, we’re at the point where consuming microplastics is unavoidable, although it is possible to reduce your consumption. Researchers are working to determine exactly how these microplastics are consumed, the impact they’re having on human health and exactly how we can reduce our exposure to them.

Several global studies have also found that many of the foods we eat contain microplastics including mussels and crustaceans (that filter the microplastics in the sea), rock and table salt (93 per cent of salt brands contain microplastics, which are believed to be from ocean plastic pollution) and honey (ingested by honey bees through the air, soil, water and plants, and passed on to us through their honey).

How Can You Cut Down Your Microplastic Consumption?

1. Drink tap water over bottled water, which contains double the amount of microplastics.

2. Don’t reheat food in plastic containers in the microwave. One study showed that heating food in a plastic container for three minutes leached 4.22 million microplastics (and some chemicals) into the food. Instead, use glass containers.

 3. Avoid farmed seafood.

4. Brew loose-leaf tea or use tea bags without microplastics.

5. Avoid food packaged in plastics.

Are You Recycling Correctly?

Do you tolerate plastic because ‘at least it can be recycled’? I’m sorry to have to burst your bubble, but it’s a little-known fact that plastic can only be recycled three or four times before it reaches the end of its life.

So, rather than thinking of it as recycling, I prefer to explain it as ‘down-cycling’, because every time plastic is ‘recycled’ it decreases in quality. With this decrease in quality also comes a decrease in market value, meaning that every time an item is recycled it becomes a less and less attractive resource for recyclers.

Squishy and soft plastics go straight to the bottom of any recycler’s ‘Most Wanted’ list. I’m talking items like potato chip (crisp) packets, plastic wrap, lettuce bags and plastic e-commerce mailers – basically anything that you can scrunch up into a ball and it will maintain its shape. And they are everywheeeere.

Not only are they flimsy and annoying (how many times have you cut your finger on a plastic wrap box’s serrated edge?!), but soft plastics are particularly difficult to recycle. Soft plastics are a lowquality product to begin with. They are often printed with text and pictures, which causes them to turn black or brown when melted down.

Even recycling plants struggle to deal with them, and there aren’t many people who want the recycled material. In fact, the best solution we’ve come up with is to turn them back into oil and make plastic fences or carparks, which isn’t that valuable. For these, since they are so prevalent, I would challenge you to focus more on reduction in consumption rather than total elimination.

What Does A Circular Economy Look Like?

We need to start thinking about our rubbish not as trash but as a resource. Basically, rubbish needs a PR lift! If we started seeing rubbish as something that has value, it would transform the way we deal with it. Here’s how that could work …

In comparison to plastic, aluminium and glass can be recycled infinitely and still retain their high quality. This makes them a much better option and worth the slightly higher price tag so we can keep them in circulation over the finite use of our old friendturned-enemy, plastic.

Scenario one is when we have a material, let’s say soft plastics, that could be processed and recycled, but the processing is void unless there is a buyer for the end material. With only two of three parties fulfilled, the system doesn’t work, and the recycler ultimately ends up hoarding materials waiting for a buyer, or just sends everything to landfill.

Scenario two, on the other hand, is when we have a material, let’s say green glass bottles, that are ready to be recycled and a buyer who wants recycled green glass bottles but there’s no one in the middle to collect it, transport it, break it down and turn it into green bottles. The buyer is then forced to buy green bottles from overseas or buy virgin material.

Scenario three is the one we’re aiming for: a material that has a way of being processed and a buyer at the other end that wants that resource. A good example of this is paper, a paper mill and recycled cardboard.

As much as I love to recycle and find more sustainable solutions to waste disposal, by far the better approach is to consume fewer of these items in the first place. I’m talking about a whole mindset shift away from a traditional way of thinking about recycling to a more contemporary one, where the emphasis is on how we reduce and reuse instead of just recycle. This actually keeps products in use, within a circular economy where there is no end point, and not just for longer – but for good.

Our transition to a circular economy is vital. It will not only keep products out of landfill, but will save us money if we are prepared to switch our thinking to return, reduce, repair and reuse instead of, simply, recycle. This means rewiring our attitude to waste, where we no longer see it as ‘rubbish’, but as a valuable resource.

How Can You Reduce Your Consumption?

A couple of years ago, when I first started on my journey to live more sustainably, I experimented with going plastic free for one week. I wanted to see if I could measure up to the people on social media proudly showing off their single glass jar containing their entire year’s worth of plastic waste (a seemingly impossible task!).

I felt pretty confident going in that it would take me at least a month, not a week, to fill the jar. Well, surprise, surprise. Even after I’d made a conscious effort to reduce my plastic use, after just seven days my jar contained a plastic straw (because I forgot to specify no straw at the cafe), a receipt that printed before I had a chance to say no, a tea bag and paper towel.

Truth? I don’t think it’s realistic to go completely plastic free because, truthfully, plastics have made their way into every part of our lives. Instead, I think we need to change our thinking (and put our energy) into reducing our plastic consumption, which is a much more feasible task, and one that will still yield huge environmental and financial savings.

Saying that, the glass-jar exercise is a really helpful one to reveal exactly how much plastic you consume over a set period of time, and reveal exactly what those plastics are. Give it a try – the results might shock you! So, where can we make the easiest cuts to our plastic use?

You’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed at the task of cutting down your plastic use. I get it; plastic is everywhere, but this is where small steps and changes add up to big wins in the long run.

You will inevitably fail and get caught out by plastics – we all do – but the most important thing is to focus on making 1 per cent improvements every day. In some cases, products wrapped in plastic are cheaper to buy, but when you look a little more closely at not only the economic cost but the environmental one, the numbers don’t usually add up.

Take, for example, the single-use coffee cup, which cannot be recycled in your curbside bin because of the heat-resistant plastic lining. They also cost cafe owners $0.30 to $0.70 per cup.

Whereas a reusable coffee cup doesn’t cost cafe owners anything, and they can be reused over and over before being recycled. It’s a win for everybody involved. Now, I am a big fan of coffee, so I am not going to tell you to stop drinking it each day (that would be unrealistic), but getting in the habit of bringing your own reusable cup to the coffee shop is one simple way to make take meaningful action every day.

A reusable coffee cup might involve an up-front spend of $35, but once you factor in the discount most cafes offer when you BYO (up to $0.50 per coffee), it would only take about 70 days to make back the cost of your cup before you start saving money on each purchase.

Reusable water bottles are similar. They cost about $50 up front – about the same as fourteen single-use plastic bottles. After that, it’s all savings, baby.

Systemic change is coming at a glacial pace, but you have the power to take control of your consumption today. I am a big believer that even the smallest of changes do start to add up. Remember that you might be one person but you’re also a role model to so many others.

When you remember to take your reusable coffee cup to the shop, you remind everyone in the line that they can bring theirs next time. When you purchase loose carrots over bagged ones, you are showing the supermarket chains that you don’t want plastic anymore. The more people who make these changes the more companies – and society at large – will have to adapt.

What Next?

It’s going to take some serious unlearning to move away from a reliance on plastic towards a more circular economy, where items – especially plastics – can be kept in circulation and out of landfill.

You need to shift your attention away from what to do with plastic items at the end of their lifespan and towards your consumption of them in the first place. As overwhelming as this seems, auditing your own plastic consumption is the first step, followed by some sustainable switches that will positively impact both the environment and your wallet.

One of the easiest places to do this is in your kitchen, where many of the main plastic culprits live. It’s one of the most obvious rooms in your house to audit, and it’s where you can really start to alleviate the plastic pressure.

This is an edited extract from 365+ Ways to Save the Planet and Your Money at the Same Time by Lottie Dalziel, Murdoch Books, $34.99. Purchase a copy here.

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That hope followed a year of relentless upheaval. In 2022, record floods devastated northern New South Wales, leaving Anna homeless. As housing options vanished, her camper trailer became the only place to go. “I remember so much rain and so many tears,” she says. “This continual feeling of: holy moly, where are we going to go?” Over the next twelve months, she and her son moved fifteen times — from tents to temporary rentals, friends’ couches to camper trailers — a carousel of impermanence.

Each stop brought its own sting. “It wasn’t one big dramatic moment, it was hundreds of tiny ones,” she explains. “Like being asked for an address and not having one. The look on people’s faces when you say, ‘It’s a tent.’ They don’t know your story, but they judge anyway.”

As a single mother, the scrutiny cut deeper. “Landlords see us as risky, but the truth is, we’re the most reliable,” she says. “We know how fragile things are, so we never miss a payment. There is no margin for error.”

Some nights brought fear. Strangers loitered near the tent; one stepped inside while they slept. “You can never fully relax,” she says. “Your body is always on high alert.” By the end of the year, the strain had left her frayed. “My nervous system was wrecked. You cannot ground yourself when you are constantly moving.” To keep going, she leaned on meditation and a simple mantra: just one more step.

Her son, however, saw their nomadic life differently. “To him, it was an adventure,” Anna smiles. “He trusted me completely. Looking at his face at night, knowing I was his whole world, that’s where I found my strength. He never carried the weight of it. That was mine.”

When the Eden Tiny House Project accepted her into its program, everything shifted. Built on the belief that housing is more than four walls — that it is dignity, autonomy, and community — the project gave 15 vulnerable women the chance to design and build their own sustainable homes.

Watching her house take shape felt surreal. The trailer arrived, the frame went up, and each milestone became a promise that this time, it was permanent. “I thought, wow, this is mine. This is actually happening.”

Beyond bricks and timber, the project offered solidarity. “We had a WhatsApp group where we shared resources, cheered each other on, confessed our mistakes. Just knowing someone else understood meant everything.”

Today, Anna and her son live surrounded by rolling paddocks and lush greenery. “When I walk from the car to the house, my whole body exhales,” she says. “It is quiet. It is safe. My nervous system finally rests. Even my son says, ‘It feels so good to come home.’ That is all I ever wanted, for him to feel safe.”

The stability has rewritten her son’s future. “He will never have to carry the same fear I did,” she says. “He will grow up knowing he always has somewhere to belong. That is the greatest gift I could give him.”

Anna is just one of the women whose lives have been rewritten by the Eden Tiny House Project, co-founded by Canberra mental health liaison Susan Boden. While working at a medical clinic, Susan often witnessed the hidden toll of homelessness, including patients living in vans without access to basic privacy.

Determined to act, she used a family inheritance to launch the project with the help of a Canberra GP. The aim was to offer a hand up rather than a handout, providing $55,000 and building training to women who contributed their own funds and secured land for their homes.

Susan says the results have exceeded every expectation. “They have something real in the world that they own, that’s theirs,” she tells Australian Story. “I think there’s lots of ways this can become a model.” The Eden Tiny House Project may be small in scale, but for women like Anna, it has meant everything.

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Hosted by Rosi Fernandez, Chair of the Cancer Patients Foundation and Managing Director of La Prairie Australia & New Zealand, the afternoon was designed to highlight the program’s mission: restoring self-esteem and confidence to those undergoing cancer treatment.

More than 144 guests, including business leaders, wellness experts, and media figures, came together to raise awareness and celebrate the life-changing impact of the workshops. Each attendee received an extraordinary gift bag valued at over $2,000, generously donated by La Mer, La Prairie, and Chanel — a symbolic gesture of the beauty industry’s commitment to giving back.

Ambassadors Zoë Foster Blake and Eleanor Pendleton delivered heartfelt speeches, reflecting on their personal experiences with the program. Foster Blake, who has championed the initiative since 2010, spoke of the “instant and enduring joy” the workshops bring to participants.

Pendleton, who joined as an ambassador in 2022, highlighted beauty’s role in recovery, describing how “a brow pencil, a red lipstick or a groomed wig” can transform how a patient feels during treatment.

With prominent guests including Alessandra Rampolla, Steven Khalil, Taryn Williams, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, and Melissa Hoyer, the event reinforced the collective power of Australia’s beauty and wellness industries to drive meaningful change. More than a celebration, the Feel Better Lunch marked the beginning of what is set to become a cornerstone philanthropic tradition, ensuring that Look Good Feel Better can continue its vital work for decades to come.

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I’ve fought for inclusivity for my entire career, but I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be fighting for humans to be included in the making of art and imagery. It sounds absurd, I know, but this is not an episode of Black Mirror – it’s happening right now, every day.

Over the past two years I have been in discussions with AI companies all around the world to try to convince them to partner with human talent rather than replace them. To no avail. These tech guys have no interest in combining technology and humanity. None. They cannot fathom sharing profit with a real person. One male executive said, “Why would we, when we can make them in MidJourney and retain the total profit? It doesn’t make sense for us.”

After these bracing discussions I realised I’d have to do it myself. I’ve tested realistic avatars, video generation, face and voice cloning, even made deepfakes. I ran every scenario, the good and the bad. I have built an Ethical AI platform from scratch – not as a replacement for people, but as a tool that works with human talent and will hopefully protect them in this new world. The catch is, I don’t want to have to release it.

Through this intense research and development, I quickly became aware of how easily humans can be replaced across the board. Not just in creative industries – and how reliant we are, as a society, on the social contract that one sector needs the other to survive and thrive.

I am a third-generation member of Australia’s performing and creative arts industry. My grandparents were in the theatre and my dad, an actor, was on the first colour TV program in Australia. My mum was one of the most famous Australian models of her generation, discovered as a teenager in a department store fitting room. She ended up on the cover of almost every fashion magazine in Australia and winning Miss International. Our lives were surrounded by actors, directors, music composers, producers, photographers, make-up artists and scriptwriters. A wonderful eclectic mix of Australian creatives and performers.

Some “hit it big,” most lived modestly. All more concerned about the work than the money. That’s what differentiates Australian creatives: we are full of passion, and our goals are to create work that is important, substantial, thoughtful, poetic – or genius-level funny with a dry, wry twist that no other country fully appreciates.

This is not funny though, not at all.

Australia’s creative economy contributes over $122 billion annually in official data, but when you capture the gig economy and supporting services, it’s even more substantial. We are the teams behind every image you see, every campaign, film, artwork and story that shapes Australian culture. And right now, we’re the canary in the coal mine. If AI can hollow out our sector, every industry is next.

Marketing, journalism, design, law, education – even parts of healthcare – are already being automated. Telling people to “reskill” when the very jobs most people would move to are disappearing at the same time is dangerously naïve.

What makes AI different from past technological shifts is the sheer speed of adoption. The steam engine, electrification, even the rise of the internet – those changes played out over decades. AI doesn’t move like that. A single breakthrough can spread globally in days. Humans cannot keep pace when technology moves at supercomputer speed.

The numbers are staggering. The World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, 92 million jobs could disappear. That’s one in five jobs globally reshaped in just a few years. Here in Australia, our labour market is already softening. Unemployment is rising, full-time jobs are falling, and wages are barely moving. Behind those statistics are real people. Friends of mine in the industry are losing work daily because companies are turning to AI-generated assets, avatars and scripts instead of hiring humans. It’s happening now, not in some distant future.

Forrester warned Australia’s workforce could shrink by 11% by 2030. Really think about that. That is 1.6 million people.

When the people who have built the tech are sounding the alarm, it is absolute idiocy not to listen. Anthropic’s CEO has warned that up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs could vanish within five years. Mo Gawdat, who helped lead Google X, has said outright that the idea AI will create more jobs than it destroys is “100% crap.” When the builders are this worried, policymakers can’t afford to shrug it off.

Australians aren’t naïve. Polls show overwhelming public support for tighter regulation, fair compensation, stronger consumer protections, and clear labelling of AI-generated content. People don’t want to be tricked. They want choice, respect, and transparency.

Our government needs to listen, because if we don’t act now, the damage will be catastrophic. This isn’t about blocking innovation. It’s about setting boundaries so artists, consumers, and our culture aren’t crushed in the rush. The EU is already moving faster on this than we are. Protecting the creative industries isn’t self-interest. It’s survival. Protect us, and you protect everyone. Leave us to fight alone, and the same wave will crash into every other sector.

We’ve been told the story that “AI will grow the economy,” about some magical $240 billion ‘AI dividend.’ But let’s be clear: that’s spread over a decade, not a year. Meanwhile, the same shift could strip $20–70 billion every single year from jobs, tax revenue, and cultural industries if companies are given free access to our creative works.

The math doesn’t add up. The loss outweighs the so-called gain.

The loss in terms of mental health and wellbeing is incalculable. People need purpose. Human beings need possibility, hope and opportunity to survive. We saw in COVID how quickly that unravels when life loses meaning. Imagine that multiplied across our communities. That sounds extreme, but the numbers bear it out: millions without work, no income, no safety net. That scale of disruption shakes societies to their core.

All to enrich (mostly) foreign tech giants.

This is not just an industry disruption. It’s a devastation of the social contract.

Have Your Say

At ICON Management, we’ve already lodged a full submission to the Productivity Commission – backed by global experts. I’ve also shared my personal perspective in a free eBook to make the issues clear and accessible.

Now it’s your turn. Please make your own submission. It doesn’t matter if it’s a single line, a note, or a 300-page thesis – what matters is that your voice is counted. Even one sentence saying:

“I do not consent to my data being given away.”

Read the eBook

See ICON’s Full Submission

Make Your Submission Here (before 15 Sept)

Our creativity, culture, and livelihoods are not free fuel for big tech.

The post The Real Cost Of AI? A World Without Human Creativity appeared first on marie claire.

Days later, I was told to report immediately to emergency and stay overnight so they could monitor my blood counts. The next day, I had a bone marrow biopsy. That same afternoon, I learned I had AML.

Looking back, there were probably signs I missed, but I had no idea they pointed to something so serious. That’s why I believe it’s crucial for people to know the signs of blood cancer – it can become harder to treat the longer it goes undetected.

Everything Changed In An Instant

Hearing the words “you have leukaemia” felt surreal, like an out-of-body experience. It split my life into two parts: before cancer and after cancer. Everything changed in an instant – my goals, my plans for the year, my sense of control. Suddenly, the only thing that mattered was survival. It’s taken me years to fully process that.

I didn’t have a choice when it came to a stem cell transplant. The subtype of leukaemia I had meant chemotherapy wouldn’t cure me; my only chance of survival was a transplant. I came close to pulling out a few days before, panicking and saying I couldn’t do it. Doctors reminded me that I had no choice. The chemotherapy I’d already had had completely destroyed my bone marrow. We were past the point of no return.

The transplant was brutal. My own bone marrow had to be wiped out to receive someone else’s. The consent meeting was sobering: forty minutes of worst-case scenarios, plus writing my will and advance care directive at age 29. Emotionally, I clung to one phrase: “the only way out is through.” I took it step by step, day by day, refusing to drown in “what ifs.”

The Brutality Of Treatment And The Gift Of A Stranger

One of the most profound lessons came from my anonymous donor—a stranger who saved my life by donating stem cells. That act of generosity reshaped how I see humanity and inspired me to advocate for donor registries. We can save lives in real time, not just through posthumous organ donation, but while we’re alive.

Losing my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes so quickly was jarring. One month I was fine; the next, I barely recognized the sick woman staring back at me in the mirror. But that experience freed me, too—it taught me I’m not defined by my appearance. I remember asking my doctor right after my diagnosis, “Will I lose my hair?” She gently reminded me there were much bigger battles ahead. She was right.

Some side effects, like fertility loss and early menopause, are rarely talked about, but they’re deeply impactful. Navigating that in my early thirties was painful, especially when friends were settling down and starting families. Invitations to baby showers could feel like daggers. Over time, I learned to be honest with myself and others: “I can’t come to the shower, but let’s celebrate in another way.” That honesty and openness, especially with other cancer survivors, became essential to my healing.

Then came graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), another lifelong battle. It’s a chronic condition I’ll always manage, not cure. Yoga helped me find acceptance—a way to listen to my body each day and honour where it’s at. There’s no going back to “before cancer,” but I’ve learned how to live in this new body.

Therapy gave me space to process trauma, grief, and shock. Yoga rebuilt my trust in my body, and hiking gave me peace and perspective. These practices became medicine, tools I now use to help others.

Early on, I was angry at my body. I’d had a preventative double mastectomy after learning I carried the BRCA1 gene mutation—only to be diagnosed with AML months later. Honesty about that anger was the first step toward acceptance. Slowly, I learned to see my body as a partner, not an enemy.

Losing my dad to cancer at 18 taught me about impermanence, but nothing can truly prepare you for your own diagnosis. His loss did teach me how important community is, though—a lesson that became my lifeline during treatment.

The BRCA gene testing and mastectomy were meant to protect me, so getting AML after that was devastating. I felt betrayed and terrified. Over time, I reframed that pain into resilience. A favourite quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn keeps me grounded: “We can’t control the waves, but we can learn how to surf.”

Life After Cancer

Today, my life is slower, more intentional. I’ve realised that the things we obsess over often don’t matter. What I treasure most are the simple moments – laughing with a friend, walking my dog, watching a sunset. My diagnosis gave me a purpose: to help others. If sharing my story or teaching yoga helps even one person, I’ve done my job.

I became a yoga teacher a year after my transplant because I wanted to create a space I couldn’t find when I was sick – a safe, inclusive place for cancer patients and survivors to feel at home in their bodies. Over the years, I’ve watched people rediscover their strength and return to the studios they thought they’d never step foot in again. That keeps me going.

Hiking the 1,200 km Heysen Trail for the Leukaemia Foundation pushed me further than I thought possible. I didn’t even finish it in one go – I sprained my ankle after about 1,000 km. Soon I’ll finish the final stretch with a friend who also survived AML. I started that journey with no overnight hiking experience, but I wanted to prove life after cancer could still be bold, adventurous, and meaningful.

My doctor once warned me I might not return to the life I had before. When I told him about my 25 km days carrying a 20 kg pack, he laughed and admitted he had to set realistic expectations. That stubborn determination fuelled me when the hills got steep.

If I could share one message with someone going through blood cancer treatment, it’s this: you don’t have to be strong all the time. Give yourself permission to fall apart. Healing isn’t linear. Some days it feels like two steps forward, one step back – and that’s okay. Lean on your community. You are not alone.

We don’t know how much time we have, so why wait? I try to live that every day, appreciating small joys and honouring the friends I’ve lost. I know they’d give anything for another day with their families. I don’t take that for granted. Keeping their memories alive drives me to live fully, now.

What You Need To Know

Sophie’s story is part of a much larger and often overlooked crisis. Blood cancer is now the second most common cancer in Australian women – and the leading cancer among girls and women under 30 – yet it remains largely invisible in the women’s health conversation. In 2024 alone, more than 8,300 Australian women were diagnosed, and that figure is expected to nearly double within a decade. By 2035, over 6,500 women a year are projected to die from blood cancer.

Unlike other cancers, blood cancer cannot be screened for or prevented, and treatments are often more gruelling, involving long hospital stays, relocation for specialist care, and side effects like infertility and early menopause. The financial burden is staggering too, with patients facing double the out-of-pocket costs of other cancers, while many are forced to leave their jobs or dramatically cut work hours.

The Leukaemia Foundation is calling for urgent national attention to this silent epidemic, with journalist Edwina Bartholomew, recently diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, joining as National Ambassador. Together, survivors, advocates, and supporters are pushing for greater research investment, better treatment options, and more support for women and families impacted by blood cancer.

This Blood Cancer Month, the Leukaemia Foundation is urging Australians to get informed and help support girls and women impacted by blood cancer by visiting leukaemia.org.au.

Words by: Sophie Patnicroft-Gray

The post How It Feels To Hear ‘You Have Leukaemia’ – One Woman’s Story Of Survival And Strength appeared first on marie claire.

Bangladesh is a huge part of who I am. My father is from there. I’m Bengali-Australian, and I grew up visiting every year. To be able to give back, particularly to girls, felt deeply personal. Whether it’s one girl or a thousand, I want to use my voice to help elevate theirs. One of the most powerful moments came when teenagers bravely shared their stories: child labour, marriage, domestic violence.

A boy described seeing his friends go to school every morning while he went to work in a shop. “I was ashamed,” he said quietly. I met a girl who, at just 14, was being pressured to marry. It was only through the strength she gained at her local World Vision centre that she found the courage and the words to change her parents’ minds.

That one decision changed the course of her life. At the sexual and reproductive health group, girls spoke with clarity about menstruation and the barriers it creates. Shared toilets, no bins, no privacy. Many miss a week of school every month. One said, “I deserve to go to school.” And she’s right. The most moving part? The boys in the room were listening, learning, backing them.

These kids aren’t just being helped, they’re helping each other. I saw a 20-year-old girl educating teens about consent and periods. I saw environmental campaigns run entirely by youth – kids who go to school, work jobs, and still find time to lead. They’re not just thinking about their own streets, but their country. That kind of leadership is rare. That kind of resilience? It’s revolutionary.

As the mother of a 16-year-old, it enraged me to hear how kids are manipulated into labour, addiction and abuse. But through World Vision, they are reminded they are worth more than this. They deserve better. Since returning, I haven’t stopped talking about what I saw, because I believe that when faced with the truth most people want to act. We may live in different lives, but we share the same world. The only difference between my child and a child in a slum is a stroke of luck: where we’re born, the lives we inherit.

We all have a responsibility to make sure all children get to dream. That they get to grow up safely, with dignity, with possibility. These kids, they are my heroes. Not because they reflect my own journey, but because they’ve shown me what courage really looks like. I came in as a role model. I left humbled. Changed. Grateful. And determined to make sure their voices are heard. World Vision is on a mission to get 1000 girls sponsored by October 11, International Day of the Girl. If the world were made up of just 1000 girls, 188 would be child brides, 126 would have left school early, and 65 would be labourers.

Sponsoring a girl means standing up for her rights, helping keep her in school, and giving her the power to shape her future. Together, we can rewrite the story for 1000 girls.

To mark International Day of The Girl, join marie claire in Sydney for an electrifying evening celebrating the strength, resilience, and unstoppable power of fearless female leaders – all in support of World Vision’s 1000 Girls campaign.

We’re on a mission to re-write the future for girls around the world – because every girl deserves to live free from fear. Tickets to the exclusive evening are available here.

The post How Sponsoring A Girl Can Rewrite An Entire Future appeared first on marie claire.

There are millions of young girls at risk as we speak, and your next move can completely change their lives. Are you ready to drive towards equal empowerment for all women and girls? This International Day Of The Girl, you can do just that.   

What Is International Day Of The Girl?  

Observed on the 11th of October, International Day Of The Girl is an initiative that “focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights”.   

The day aims to recognise the unique challenges that girls around the world face, while drawing attention to their often-unmet rights to a safe, educated, healthy, and, most importantly, equal life.   

“The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis,” is this year’s theme. It’s designed to highlight the bravery of girls as they step into leadership roles and call for justice in times of crisis. Even though these young girls are championing the change they need to see in their communities, their voices are often ignored.   

So, raise your voice and rewrite her story.   

How To Change A Girl’s Life  

Making a change in someone’s life doesn’t need to be a grandiose act; small moments can help shape someone. But if you’re ready to make a huge change in a young girl’s life, then consider sponsoring a girl through World Vision.   

By sponsoring a girl, you’ll be assisting World Vision in its aim to achieve global equity. In certain countries across the world, young women and girls are living in fear every single day. The statistics are staggering – 64 million girls have been forced into child labour; every minute (yes, every 60 seconds) 22 girls become child brides; and one in every three women and girls experience violence in their lives.   

In the lead-up to International Day Of The Girl, World Vision aims to change the lives of 1000 girls forever. By contributing just $48 a month, you’ll be making a world of difference in giving her the tools to create a brighter future for herself. Working with your chosen girl and her community, you’ll be supporting her education, food, water and protection. Just think about what you would have spent it on instead. 

We need to take action. Raise your voice and have the conversations that need to be had about empowering vulnerable young girls around the world. You can make a difference; you can change her story. Join us at marie claire’s Rewrite Her Future event on the 10th of September. See event details and get tickets here… 

The post 1000 Girls’ Lives Depend On Your Next Move  appeared first on marie claire.

The Ovaries. Talk About Them. campaign, now in its final year, is driving the development of the world’s first early detection blood test for ovarian cancer.

This life-saving test is set to reach clinical trials by 2026. For siblings Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman, co-founders of the renowned Australian fashion brand, Camilla and Marc, the cause is deeply personal. They lost their mother to ovarian cancer when they were just 11 and 13, a tragedy that has fuelled their commitment to the mission.

Since launching in 2019, the campaign has raised over $2.5 million through fashion sales and public donations. These funds have directly supported the work of Professor Caroline Ford and her all-female team at the UNSW Gynaecological Cancer Research Group.

Their research has identified three specific DNA biomarkers unique to ovarian cancer cells. These biomarkers are being combined into a single blood test in a process called multiplexing, which will detect even the smallest traces of tumour DNA in the bloodstream.

“We’re on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could fundamentally change outcomes for people with ovarian cancer around the world. Early detection is the missing piece—and we’re closer than ever to delivering it,” says Professor Caroline Ford, UNSW.

The potential of this test to detect ovarian cancer before it spreads is a game changer. If detected in its localised form, the cancer can be surgically removed, offering a much higher chance of a permanent cure.

The Ovaries. Talk About Them. campaign has also raised global awareness, sparking vital conversations about ovarian cancer, a disease that has long been underfunded and under-discussed. This year, the campaign is fronted by Italian model Bianca Balti, who was diagnosed with stage III C ovarian cancer in 2024, just two years after undergoing a preventive double mastectomy.

Camilla Freeman-Topper, Creative Director of Camilla and Marc, says, “We are incredibly optimistic that the wonderfully capable team is on track to take the first early detection test to clinical trial by 2026. Now, we need everyone to show up like never before, for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. If we get this across the line, we could change the future of women’s health globally.”

Marc Freeman, CEO of Camilla and Marc, adds, “This campaign started as a personal mission—to fund a test that didn’t exist. Through the incredible commitment of our community, this dream is now within reach. We set a bold goal, but this campaign is an incredible example of what we can achieve when purpose drives business.”

This year’s Ovaries. Talk About Them. collection reflects the urgency of the cause. The minimal, pared back design is a visual reflection of the raw clarity the campaign stands for, keeping the conversation where it matters most: front and centre. Every purchase supports the final stages of developing the early detection test, bringing the world closer to a major breakthrough.

The campaign also underscores the critical role of women in science. Dr. Kristina Warton, a key researcher, shares, “Working as part of an all-female team of researchers has made us think more broadly about how the test will be used in the real world. We’ve been particularly mindful of female physiology as we developed the test to ensure its effectiveness.”

With clinical trials approaching, the campaign calls on supporters to help bring this life-changing test to fruition. Whether through donations, purchases, or simply spreading the word, every action counts. The Ovaries. Talk About Them. collection will be available from August 25, both online and in-store, with all proceeds dedicated to funding this groundbreaking research.

This is more than a campaign—it’s a movement that could save countless lives. After all, it all begins with ovaries.

Shop marie claire’s edit below, or view the entire collection at camillaandmarc.com.

It All Begins With Ovaries Tote

$80 at Camilla and Marc

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Ovarian Cancer Unisex Tee

$120 at Camilla and Marc

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It All Begins With Ovaries Crew

$220 at Camilla and Marc

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The post Camilla and Marc Return For ‘Ovaries. Talk About Them.’ Campaign appeared first on marie claire.

Advocacy

Professor Megan Davis

The leading Australian lawyer on constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples, Professor Megan Davis has been a singular influence in Indigenous rights, law and national reconciliation. One of the authors of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, she catalysed the campaign for a Voice to Parliament. “Seeing mob suspend their belief that change won’t happen in their own country, come together to imagine their world could be a better place and choosing a vision of unity and hope and belonging to Australian democracy, not being separate, was a real highlight,” she says. Even though the 2023 referendum did not pass, “we do what all Aussies do: dust ourselves off and fight on for the vision that the Uluru Statement from the Heart still provides. Because hope and peace matter.”

Entrepreneur

Zoë Foster Blake

For millennial Australian women, Zoë Foster Blake is the blueprint. Always 10 steps ahead of the pack, Foster Blake launched a blog before Substack was even a thought and was writing romance novels (that were then adapted to TV shows) before BookTok took hold of the publishing industry. Then she became one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs when she founded her cult-favourite beauty brand, Go-To Skincare, with a relentless dedication to efficacy, accessibility and fun. Foster Blake is an icon of originality, proving that you can build an empire on wit, vision and an unwavering sense of self.

Finance

Michele Bullock

When the Macquarie Dictionary crowned “cozzie livs” as its Word of the Year in November 2023, Michele Bullock had barely unpacked the boxes in her new office at the Reserve Bank’s headquarters in Sydney’s Martin Place. Appointed RBA governor two months earlier – the first woman to hold the role – she took charge as Australians were feeling the pinch and the government was rolling out sweeping internal reforms recommended by the RBA Review. But despite this – and thanks to her nearly four decades of experience, after having joined the bank in 1985 – Bullock has emerged as a respected voice of tough-talking clarity in turbulent economic times.

Advocacy

Grace Forrest

A world free from modern slavery might be possible thanks to the campaigning of people like Grace Forrest. As founding director of Walk Free, she leads global efforts to eradicate modern slavery, forging critical links between fashion, ethics and humanrights advocacy. Under her leadership, Walk Free publishes the Global Slavery Index, the world’s foremost dataset on exploitation, influencing international laws and corporate practices. In 2024, her work culminated in Forrest becoming the first Australian woman awarded the prestigious Roosevelt Four Freedoms Freedom from Fear Award, joining icons like Nelson Mandela and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Sport

Alexa Leary

Alexa Leary was a 19-year-old triathlete when in 2021 she suffered a brain injury in a 70km/h cycling accident while training. She spent two weeks in ICU before her life support was turned off. But miraculously, she started breathing on her own, and only three years later would land herself a spot swimming for Australia at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, taking home two gold medals and a silver. A master of the pivot, she is now parlaying her success in the pool into a career as a pop star, signing a deal with the same record company that represents PNAU and Fisher (the latter happens to be a big fan of Leary’s debut dance track, “Closer”).

Sustainability

Ronni Kahn

It began with one van and a bold idea. In 2004, Ronni Kahn founded OzHarvest to turn surplus food into a lifeline. Two decades on, OzHarvest delivered more than 28 million meals in 2024 alone, rescuing 14.3 million kilograms of surplus food from going to waste. Through OzHarvest and other initiatives such as OzHarvest Market and education programs like NEST and FEAST, Khan has revolutionised the food sustainability space, campaigning for true systemic change that impacts – and nourishes – millions of Australians in need.

Music

Jessica Mauboy

Two decades ago, a high school student from Darwin stood on an ochre-coloured road in Alice Springs and belted out Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”. The performance landed her a spot on the newly launched series Australian Idol, where she went on to capture the nation with her electric vocals. Since then, Mauboy has become a household name in music and film, winning three ARIAs, plus an AACTA Award for her role in the 2013 film The Sapphires. Now she’s struck out further, announcing in August that she’s left Warner Music to establish independent label Jamally. In the same month, Mauboy was also inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame.

Government

Sam Mostyn

Few in public life have had the lasting impact of Sam Mostyn: as the first female AFL commissioner she spearheaded the launch of the women’s professional league; when she chaired the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce she recommended reinstating the Single Parenting Payment and boosting investment in affordable early childhood care; and as co-chair of the 2018 National Sustainable Development Goals Summit, she helped launch Australia’s first data platform to increase accountability and accelerate progress towards a more sustainable future. Since being sworn in as Governor-General in July 2024, she has stayed true to her practical, principled and quietly revolutionary style, using her @gg_australia Instagram account to demystify our democracy and lift the curtain on a role many people don’t fully grasp.

Fashion

Nicky and Simone Zimmermann

What started as a stall selling flouncy floral dresses at Sydney’s Paddington Markets in 1991 has blossomed into Australia’s first-ever billiondollar fashion label. And yet, despite the Zimmermann sisters’ extraordinary success that has placed them alongside the bastions of luxury fashion that line Paris’ Rue Saint-Honoré – now home to the brand’s European headquarters – Nicky as creative director and Simone as chief operating officer remain more hands-on than ever. It’s a good thing, too: currently in an exciting phase of expansion, the business employs more than 1300 people globally, many of whom are young Australian creatives getting a front-row seat to the scaling of a global empire proudly championing Australian creativity and craftsmanship.

Politics

Sussan Ley

Ten years ago, both major parties set a target of 50 per cent female parliamentary representation by 2025. At this year’s election, only 31 per cent of Coalition candidates were women, a shortfall many say contributed to their landslide defeat. Enter Sussan Ley, the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party in its 80-year history, and Australia’s first female opposition leader. With a political career dating back to 2001 and a colourful pre-politics resume – she worked as an air traffic controller and a cattle-station cook before enrolling in university as a mother of three to study economics part-time – she’s been tasked with rebuilding her party, solving its “women problem” and steering it back to what she calls “the sensible centre”.

Film

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie’s journey from Ramsey Street to Hollywood was like a pebble being thrown into a pond; the 35-year-old’s success has had a ripple effect that goes far beyond herself. Not only has Robbie carved out an impressive acting career, clocking numerous accolades including three Academy Award nominations, but her work as a producer with her entertainment company, LuckyChap, has moved the needle for the telling of more women-led stories. Whether it’s the cultural behemoth of Barbie, which had record-breaking box-office success, or indie movies like I, Tonya, Robbie is making space for diverse voices in Hollywood and shaping the future of film.

Advocacy

Chanel Contos

In 2021, Chanel Contos lit the fuse with a single question on Instagram: had anyone been sexually assaulted as a school student? The overwhelming response ignited a national reckoning to confront rape culture in Australian schools, with Contos leading efforts to challenge entrenched norms around consent and sexual violence. Her advocacy made mandatory consent education a political priority, culminating in its inclusion from 2023 in the Australian curriculum from kindergarten to Year 10. Thanks to Contos’ tireless advocacy, she has transformed how a generation learns about respect, boundaries and consent.

Business

Shemara Wikramanayake

Close your eyes and picture the CEO of Australia’s biggest investment bank. Ingrained assumptions likely mean you’re imagining someone male, pale and with a receding hairline. That’s what makes Shemara Wikramanayake, who has led Macquarie Group since 2018, so remarkable. From a Sri Lankan family who moved here from the UK when she was a teenager to becoming the first Asian-Australian woman to head an ASX 200 company and growing Macquarie Group into one of the world’s largest investors driving the global transition to renewable energy, she’s not only broken the mould, but the glass ceiling, too.

Advocacy

Grace Tame

The great irony of Grace Tame’s story is that when, at the age of 15, she was insidiously groomed, stalked and sexually assaulted by her 58-year-old maths teacher, he thought she’d be the kind to keep quiet. Quite the opposite: her refusal to remain silent has made her one of the most impactful (and outspoken) public figures in Australian history. In 2021, she was named Australian of the Year for her role in overturning Tasmania’s gag laws preventing survivors like herself from speaking publicly about their experiences, and during her tenure she made it clear she would not allow anyone – including a prime minister – to co-opt her story to fit their own narrative.

Entrepreneur

Jo Horgan

You can’t discuss the Australian beauty industry without talking about the impact of Jo Horgan. In the 28 years since she opened the first Mecca Cosmetica boutique in Melbourne, Horgan has redefined the beauty retail landscape, building Mecca into a powerhouse with more than 100 stores in Australia and New Zealand. A champion of innovation, she’s pioneered the immersive retail experience with a customer-first, service-led approach that reimagines what it means to run a purposedriven global brand. Horgan also uses her platform to amplify women’s voices through initiatives like Mecca M‑Power, proving that beauty can be both transformative and empowering.

Government

Julie Inman Grant

No stranger to controversy, Julie Inman Grant has, over the years, drawn the ire of YouTube, Elon Musk and even Pauline Hanson in her role heading the world’s first agency dedicated to protecting citizens from online harm as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. Her mandate is broad and often contentious, from tackling cyberbullying and online abuse to holding tech giants accountable for harmful content. Now, in her most ambitious move yet, she’s pushing for a world-first social media ban for children under 16 – a stance that has made her a target of online abuse herself, which has only strengthened her resolve.

Media

Brooke Boney

As a political journalist and proud Gamilaroi woman, Boney has spent her entire media career educating audiences about Indigenous Australia, from reporting on major issues such as the Change the Date campaign to something as simple as using the Gamilaroi greeting of “yaama” at the start of a news bulletin. In 2023, Boney covered the Voice to Parliament referendum count live, where she had to tell First Nations viewers that 60 per cent of the country had voted no. Last year, she traded morning television and its brutal call time for the hallowed halls of England’s Oxford University, where she’s studying a master of public policy.

Medicine

Dr Georgina Long

Thousands of lives have been saved by the work of Georgina Long. As a world-leading melanoma oncologist and researcher, Long has transformed treatment at the Melanoma Institute Australia. Her groundbreaking immunotherapy trials have turned advanced melanoma (once almost always fatal within months) into a disease that more than half of patients can now live with long‑term. For some, it’s even curable. Named 2024 co-Australian of the Year, Long is also the first female and first Australian president of the Society for Melanoma Research, with her prolific work reshaping cancer care worldwide.

Sport

Emma McKeon

It’s hard to overstate the accomplishments of Australia’s most decorated Olympian, Emma McKeon. The girl who learnt to swim at her parents’ swim school in Wollongong went on to rewrite swimming history with a staggering 14 Olympic medals across Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. McKeon claimed the title of most successful Australian Olympian ever after taking home six golds, three silvers and five bronzes. Not only that, but with 20 Commonwealth medals and eight world‑relay records to her name, McKeon has elevated women’s sport in Australia, her grace, humility and dominance inspiring a generation of female athletes nationwide.

Climate

Amanda McKenzie

Few can turn complex climate science into a rallying cry, but that’s what Amanda McKenzie has done as founder and CEO of the Climate Council. When the Abbott government abolished the Climate Commission in 2013, McKenzie led a grassroots campaign that raised $1.3 million from 16,000 supporters in just 10 days to launch the Climate Council. It has since become Australia’s leading independent climatescience communicator. Working across the spectrum, McKenzie and her team influence boardrooms, energise grassroots movements and reframe the public understanding of climate risks, advocating for renewable energy transitions and mobilising communities toward sustainability.

Politics

The Teals

It felt like the tectonic plates of Australian politics began a massive shift when the wave of six Teal independents won their seats in the 2022 federal election. Leading bold, community-driven campaigns that prioritised climate action, integrity and gender equality, the Teals – Monique Ryan, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps, Kate Chaney and Kylea Tink – mobilised voters in unprecedented ways. As members of parliament, they’ve used their position to pressure the major parties over emissions targets, and helped launch key reforms like the National Anti‑Corruption Commission.

Film

Nicole Kidman

If, after turning 40, Nicole Kidman had never worked again, she would have had the kind of career most actors would envy: a meteoric rise to Hollywood stardom, a range of scene-stealing performances and a sleek gold statue for her mantlepiece. That might’ve even been the expectation (after all, she once called out the industry consensus that female actors were “done” at 40). But Kidman has turned this narrative on its head. Through her production company, Blossom Films, she’s been the powerhouse producer behind many of the past decade’s most successful female-led projects, starred in some of the biggest streaming series on the planet, and taken on leading roles that dismantle the notion that women’s desirability, complexity and agency diminishes as they age.

Politics

Penny Wong

Respect. Fairness. Integrity. Inclusion. Penny Wong doesn’t just embody these values, she’s used them to rewrite the rules of Australian politics. Australia’s longest-serving female cabinet minister and the first Asian-born and openly LGBTI member of cabinet, the current foreign minister has brought a principled voice to some of the nation’s most complex challenges. For her, the highlight has been witnessing parliament’s transformation. “Watching the first speeches of my talented Asian-Australian colleagues like Sally Sitou and Gabriel Ng,” she says. “Growing up in a very different Australia, and becoming a senator in a very different parliament, I didn’t realise how long I had been waiting to hear their voices.”

Advocacy

Rosie Batty

The day after her 11-year-old son, Luke, was fatally stabbed by his father in 2014, Rosie Batty stood before reporters and said, “Family violence happens to [anybody], no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are.” Her raw honesty broke the silence and stigma around domestic violence in Australia, a national crisis affecting more than one in five people. In the decade since she was named Australian of the Year in 2015, Batty has turned her personal tragedy into tireless advocacy, exposing systemic failures and harmful cultural attitudes that allowed the death of her son.

Television

Asher Keddie

The beating heart of Australian television can be found in Asher Keddie. For more than 40 years, Keddie has reflected the emotional truth of Australian women, telling stories that cut through and resonate on iconic shows such as Love My Way, Offspring and Strife. Off-screen, Keddie has started working as a producer to adapt books to television, extending her creative reach to shape the stories that get told. Once known as the Australian TV’s golden girl, the seven-time Logie Award winner is a trailblazer whose legacy is steeped in emotional authenticity and tenacity.

Politics

Julia Gillard

Is there a parliamentary address more steeped in lore than the “misogyny speech”? In just 15 minutes, then-prime minister Julia Gillard delivered a searing takedown that would become a defining moment in feminist political history, framing how sexism in public life is talked about and called out. As Australia’s first female prime minister, Gillard delivered landmark reforms across education, mental health and climate change. After leaving office, she continued to transform her impact by founding the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership where she champions leadership and the importance of girls’ education, cementing her as an enduring force for change.

Law

Jennifer Robinson

Referring to Jennifer Robinson – as is often the case – as “the A-list’s go-to lawyer”, a brilliant legal mind-for-hire for those who can afford it, is a grave disservice. A product of public education in Australia – a point of pride she says outranks even her status as a Rhodes Scholar – this is a woman who has dedicated her career to defending the rights of individuals challenging the world’s most powerful institutions. From her time as legal counsel to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, to representing the liberation movement in West Papua, advising women and journalists during the #MeToo movement, and representing American actor Amber Heard in successfully defending her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s defamation case in the United Kingdom, Robinson is an advocate for those whose voices are often silenced, and whose causes require not just legal skill, but courage, conviction and an unwavering commitment to justice. The best part? She rarely loses.

Sport

The Matildas

In 2023, the entire country caught Matildas fever as the Australian women’s football team competed in the FIFA World Cup on home soil. Television audience records were broken, and the Matildas’ semi-final against England was the most-watched broadcast in Australian history. Two years later, the Matildas effect is still going strong, with the landscape of women’s sport altered forever. The federal government has invested $136 million in grants to improve sporting facilities for more than 100,000 women and girls, and $3.2 million to support women in sports leadership positions. And more good news: Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler are slated to return from injury to play in the 2026 AFC Asian Cup in March.

Arts

Kirsha Kaechele

Most people wouldn’t describe being taken to court for discrimination as “absolutely thrilling”, but Kirsha Kaechele is not most people. The artist and curator, best known as one half of the couple behind Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), made international headlines in 2024 after winning the right to keep men out of her Ladies Lounge – a decadent piece of performance art designed to invert centuries of gender exclusion. While it may be her most talked-about project, Kaechele has spent decades using art as a tool for social change: from transforming abandoned houses in New Orleans into immersive art spaces to staging a gun buy-back scheme as part of an art installation and convening a “forest economics congress” to address the long-running environmental conflict in Tasmania.

Technology

Melanie Perkins

Not your average tech founder, Melanie Perkins launched Canva at just 19 and has since built one of the world’s fastest-growing software companies, now serving more than 220 million monthly users. Driven by a mission to “be a force for good”, Perkins has evolved Canva’s purpose from making design easy and accessible for all to using its global reach as a vehicle for meaningful change. In 2021, she and co-founder (and partner) Cliff Obrecht pledged to donate the majority of their equity – worth billions – to the Canva Foundation, with the aim of addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

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After a 10-month campaign and constant derision, including being “screamed at” and having her security classification changed to maximum, Ellie was granted permission to study and ultimately finished her degree.

Despite taking initiative to rewrite her future, Ellie was humbled by a grim reality: once a prisoner, always a prisoner – even on the other side of the bars. After her release, she discovered she was to be routinely punished, long after doing her time. But Ellie is lucky. In an Adelaide park, there is currently a woman sleeping on a soiled rug barricaded by chairs, rubbish bins and tarpaulins she’d found.

This woman was released from Adelaide Women’s Prison into homelessness, with no support from correctional services and no formal referrals made to other agencies that could have assisted her transition.

She picked this particular park as it is close to the house she was evicted from, and where her five cats still live. Despite falling crime rates, Australia is building more prisons and jailing more of its citizens, especially women. In the past decade, the adult female prison population has grown by almost a third. From 2023 to 2024, the number of female prisoners increased by 8 per cent, whereas the number of male prisoners increased by 6 per cent.

Women make up about 7 per cent of the total prison population in Australia, with First Nations women comprising 46 per cent of the female population. In Western Australia, the female prison population increased by 25 per cent in two years, making it the state with the highest rate of women in jail after the Northern Territory. Sixty-two per cent of those sentences are for non-violent crimes.

According to Professor Hilde Tubex from The University of Western Australia and Associate Professor Natalie Gately from Edith Cowan University, many female prisoners are “criminalised” by circumstances outside their control, such as abuse and family violence, that put them on an unavoidable trajectory towards prison.

In other words, many of these women never stood a chance. Despite past research showing that 73 per cent of jailed women served less than 12 months, most must yield to a life sentence instead, the kind that follows them, like a forbidding shadow, wherever they turn.

New South Wales housing minister Rose Jackson says formerly incarcerated women are branded with a unique stigma simply by virtue of being women. “Women are viewed as innocent, soft and feminine. So criminality is considered completely antithetical to womanhood,” she says. “There’s a particularly profound misunderstanding around women who end up in jail, whether from landlords, employers or governments that believe, ‘Wow. There must be something really wrong with you.’”

They are met with slammed doors, making accessing even the most basic services a treacherous pursuit. They are often left with few choices to remedy their lives, leading them back into the belly of a carceral system that routinely renders them powerless.

Formerly incarcerated women are about 14 times more likely than the general population to die from suicide in the first month following their release; overdoses and injury would increase this number. This is what Gloria Larman, CEO of Women’s Justice Network (WJN), fears most. Her organisation provides support for women and girls affected by the criminal law system in NSW through advocacy and mentoring. “A lot of women, once released, are going back to violent partners because they see they don’t have a choice. This is incredibly dangerous,” she says.

Having immediate access to support services, such as housing, is a necessity for women endeavouring to find their feet after custody, but government services are severely lacking, leaving organisations such as WJN to try to pick up the slack and make real change.

Yet keeping these groups running requires money. “Funding is a major issue,” Larman says. “We only have one government contract [with NSW Department of Communities and Justice]. Programs [like ours] need to be funded on an ongoing basis. This financial year we’ve turned away over 100 women … because we don’t have capacity.” Nicole Yade is CEO of the Women and Girls’ Emergency Centre, a charity that provides crisis support for those facing homelessness. “Every time there’s a vacancy [in accommodation], our frontline staff are met with the difficult position of deciding who will be given a bed,” she explains.

Yade is also co-chair of the Keeping Women out of Prison (KWOOP) Coalition, an independent collective comprised of service providers, not-for-profits, universities, philanthropists (its major donor is the Judith Neilson Foundation) and women with lived experience working towards a singular goal: keeping women out of prisons in NSW. “For me, these [newly freed women] are the most marginalised people in our community.”

Seeds of Affinity is an Adelaide based non-profit organisation run by and for previously incarcerated women. Every Tuesday and Friday, it hosts a lunch for a small ensemble of formerly jailed women and their allies. Quietly, they produce care packs, filling them with shampoo, menstrual products, soap and other necessary items for women in jail.

Each meeting is guided by the stoic and resilient Linda Fisk, who co-founded the group with her former parole officer. In her office, she points to a grainy photograph of her in the 1990s cradling her newborn baby behind bars. But at the moment, she is furious. Seeds of Affinity has a property in Adelaide that could house up to 15 women, but due to a lack of state or federal funding, it is empty.

Still, for a lot of previously incarcerated women, Fisk is living proof that there can be a life after prison. One such woman is Hannah*, a lived-experience advisor based in Adelaide. She, like many women who have been to jail, describes having had myriad abusive relationships prior to her detention; an ex-partner had twice attempted to kill her. But the reason she was imprisoned was that police presumed Hannah was complicit in his offences. On Boxing Day in 2022, Hannah was paroled. “We can release you into homelessness,” the discharging officer said, laughing at her.

Shaken, she waited for a friend to pick her up and drive her home. While in prison, Hannah’s mortgage obligations did not cease, but corrections failed to give her several bank notices regarding overdue payments. “I was earnestly trying to get calls out and save my house,” she says. But her efforts were routinely foiled. Inmates must negotiate with staff to make business calls, and Hannah’s requests were often denied.

Her lawyers were turned away at the gates. Before long, she’d accumulated $30,000 of mortgage debt. It was a 40-degree day when she arrived at her house, which had been broken into, trashed and squatted in.

The fridge reeked of spoiled food, which was also strewn across the kitchen floor. Hannah was floundering, trying her best to have electricity and gas reconnected while making sense of the pigsty her home had become. Then a sheriff’s officer arrived to say she had a week to get out. “In those couple of years, I lost everything,” she says. “[Corrective Services] could’ve supported me to keep that house in some way, shape or form. Instead, I became homeless.”

In the interim, Hannah met a stranger on a dating app who was willing to temporarily house her. “It was that or prison. He didn’t do anything, but it was a horrible tension. I had no stability,” she says. Many women like Hannah are irremediable in the eyes of the justice department. They are left to pick up the pieces of a life marred not by their own design, but by systems reluctant to provide remedy.

To get Centrelink payments, Kelly, who was released from prison on March 18, needed identification. But as part of her sentencing, her bank account had been annulled, which meant she couldn’t apply for Centrelink. Kelly was finally offered housing through a government corrections department only after completing mountains of paperwork. “There are women who aren’t strong in their advocacy, and who are pretty much left at the gate by themselves. I hold these services accountable,” she says.

“The government wants nothing more than for me to fail.” Wendy*, who was released from prison last September, has similarly found that support services are inept. She initially deemed herself fortunate, given she once served in the Royal Australian Navy and was able to enlist support from a veterans’ housing service. But as she is a transgender woman, Wendy says the service “did not feel comfortable” that the housing they had was “suitable” because others who lived in the units might have been uneasy about her presence.

“So,” she says with a sigh, “they took away that opportunity.” A simple google from a willing prison officer could have provided Wendy, and many others, with a list of housing services. But no such information was made available. “It’s not the prison staff’s role to provide information when it comes to support services,” she says. “They believed they would get in trouble for doing so.

That’s something [Corrective Services] should be providing more of if they don’t want recidivism.” In Australia, 42 per cent of people released from prison will return within two years. Like Kelly, Wendy left jail without enough documentation to be able to access government services. “After eight months, I am only halfway through completing my MyGov documents,” she says. “There is no after support.”

Even acquiring a proof-of-age card has proved difficult, given it was assigned to her prison address rather than her current home address. Because of this, she cannot access her birth certificate, which means she also can’t get her driver’s licence. She couldn’t bank her leaving-prison cheques because her legal name is different to the name she was known as while in jail.

Then there’s Grace*, who was released about 18 months ago. She says that trying to satisfy the undue demands of the parole board has been nightmarish and punitive. “The parole board is immune from justice,” she claims. Despite having no restraining orders or any other rulings suggesting she is a risk to society, Grace found herself “banned from 40 suburbs”. “My lawyers and multiple parole officers said these were the harshest parole conditions they’d ever seen in the 25 years they had worked in the industry.”

While she was on the train home after a meeting with her parole duty manager, they called to say her parole conditions had changed: she was now banned from the suburb she lived in. “By going home, I’d have breached parole. But not going home, I’d have breached parole,” she says with a laugh.

To avoid being sent back to jail, she had to scramble to find new accommodation at a moment’s notice. “Women leaving prison require exactly the same rights we all do,” Fisk says, insisting that “safe, secure and sustainable housing is number one” in remedying the systemic faults facing women leaving prison. A t KWOOP, Yade’s goal is to halve the number of women in prison by 2030.

The coalition is advocating for reforms in bail, remand, housing, mental health and child protection; embedding lived experience in leadership, policy and service design; and scaling diversion programs that provide an alternative to prosecution, such as rehabilitation, treatment or intervention programs. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep that advocacy in front of the politicians,” says Yade.

Louise Kelly is the founder of The Women’s Hive, an OARS Community Transitions initiative for women leaving prison. Backed by the muscle of The Lady Tradies, a women-run repairs and maintenance service, she decked out a humble space in Adelaide to help reintegrate formerly incarcerated women into society. She stresses that it takes the support of an entire community to ensure a smooth landing for those women, but in its first year, The Hive boasts an “insanely low” 14 per cent re-offending rate. Each crusader is sure of one thing: that incarcerated women are as deserving, complex and meriting as the rest of us, eager to start afresh if only given the chance.

Seeds of Affinity sells beauty products, merchandise and gourmet treats, with all profits funding activities for women. You can also offer continued support by becoming a member for $5 a month, attend events or volunteer.

For more information, see seedsofaffinity.org.

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After the tragic death of her 13-year-old son Atreyu, Australian actor Clare McCann is calling out a system that failed – and launching a radical bid to bring hope out of heartbreak. McCann, who is known to many from the cult Channel V series Blog Party, is enduring every parent’s worst nightmare. Her 13-year-old son, Atreyu, died by suicide on 23 May following what she describes as “months of horrific bullying” at his New South Wales public school. In the wake of his death, Clare is speaking out – and taking extraordinary steps to honour his life and legacy. 

In a statement posted alongside a GoFundMe campaign, McCann revealed her intention to raise $300,000 to cryogenically preserve Atreyu’s body. The request is as urgent as it is surreal: a seven-day window to carry out the preservation before the chance for a potential future revival – however remote – is lost forever. But for Clare, the science is only part of the story.  
“This is about hope and justice,” she writes. “Refusing to let my son’s story end in silence.” 

McCann, also a filmmaker and journalist, has long used her voice for advocacy. But this is personal. She says she repeatedly raised the alarm with the school, the Department of Education, and Child Services. She has psychologist reports, a PTSD diagnosis, and emails to back up her claims – all pointing to a system that failed to protect a vulnerable child. Her grief is threaded with anger. “I had begged the school… but nothing was done. No one stepped in. And now, my beautiful boy is gone.” Atreyu, McCann says, was gentle, creative, and deeply loved. His name – which fans may recognise from The NeverEnding Story – speaks to that spirit.  

Cryonics, the process of preserving a body at extremely low temperatures after legal death, remains controversial and speculative. But for McCann, it represents a sliver of hope in an otherwise unbearable reality. The funds she’s seeking will cover immediate preservation and legal procedures. Anything above the target will be channelled into anti-bullying advocacy, legal action against the institutions she says failed her son, and support for other families facing similar trauma. 

“As my worst nightmare has come to life, my child’s has been stolen,” she writes. “Now I humbly beg you to help me preserve his life and help me fight against this inhumane landslide of child suicides caused by unchecked bullying by schools and teachers.” 

“It’s with shattered hearts that we share the passing of my beautiful son, Atreyu McCann,” she shared in a separate post. “He was the brightest light in my world – kind, creative, and endlessly loved.” 

For support call:

Lifeline at 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support) 
Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800  
Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636 
 

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The Impact Awards are dedicated to former Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellows who have achieved extraordinary, measurable impact. Each of these nine exceptional women impact entrepreneurs has an inspiring story to tell about her journey to success – stories marked by resilience, reinvention and real change. 

While the annual Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards spotlight emerging entrepreneurs, the Impact Awards are a celebration of longevity, growth and influence. These are businesses that haven’t just survived; they’ve shifted industries, redefined markets and touched tens of thousands – if not millions – of lives. 

Since its inception in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has empowered over 330 fellows across 66 countries, distributing more than $12 million in support and uniting a global community of change-makers. But these awards are for those who’ve gone further – women whose ideas have flourished into movements, businesses into ecosystems. 

This year, the awards recognised nine fellows across three powerful categories: Preserving the Planet, Improving Lives, and Creating Opportunities. The winners were selected not only for the strength of their mission, but for their proven social and environmental impact. Each of the nine awardees received $100,000 in funding, along with bespoke mentorship, media visibility and access to the Cartier Women’s Initiative global community. 

At the heart of the “Preserving the Planet” honourees stood nine visionary women whose work proves sustainability is anything but passive. 

Kristin Kagetsu Is Engineering Dignity, One Pad at a Time 

What if a sanitary pad could change the world? Kristin Kagetsu, a 2018 fellow and one of this year’s Impact Awardees, is doing just that with Saathi, a social enterprise manufacturing biodegradable sanitary pads made from banana fibre – waste material that’s now a lifeline. 

The stats are staggering. In India, 64% of women lack access to menstrual hygiene products. The result? Millions of girls miss school and women lose workdays, with entire communities falling behind. Add to that the 12.3 billion plastic-laced pads dumped each year, and you have a crisis in both dignity and sustainability. 

Kristin, a mechanical engineer from MIT, moved to India with the idea of selling machines to make pads – until she saw the waste problem firsthand. Her pivot was genius: pads made from banana fibre, sourced from local farmers, which biodegrade in just six months. It’s elegant circularity – empowering communities, reducing waste and offering real reproductive freedom. 

And Saathi’s impact is holistic. The brand subsidises pads for NGOs, hires and trains underserved women, and now operates in the UK, Kenya and Malaysia. Kristin sums it up best: “The need to preserve our planet is so urgent – we must be bold and ambitious. Our goal is to create a model for sustainable manufacturing that also has a positive impact on the community.” 

Tracy O’Rourke Is In The Business of Climate Solutions 

Tracy O’Rourke has the rare gift of making climate action sound like a boardroom no-brainer. A former corporate exec turned green-tech visionary, Tracy is the founder of Vivid Edge – a company on a mission to make energy efficiency accessible, pragmatic and profitable for organisations of all sizes. 

“The golden nugget of climate action is energy efficiency,” she says with characteristic clarity. And she’s right. It’s low-hanging fruit – but one most corporations overlook due to upfront capital costs. That’s where Vivid Edge steps in, offering energy efficiency as a service. Think: solar panels, heat pumps, lighting upgrades – installed, maintained and paid for via service charges that are offset by the energy savings. “Savings can be up to 82% in lighting alone,” she notes. 

The results are stunning. Over 36,000 tons of carbon emissions avoided. Enough saved energy to power nearly 30,000 homes for two decades. And better still, healthier, safer buildings for the people who occupy them – especially in under-served regions bearing the brunt of climate change. 

But Tracy’s impact goes beyond kilowatts. From launching a local “Green Team” to educating communities on emissions reduction, she leads by example. “I’m hopeful,” she says. “Because we’ve seen what humans can do when we come together in a crisis. It’s time to stand taller and act bolder for the planet.” 

Kresse Wesling Is Turning Waste Into Wonder 

Kresse Wesling’s journey from the Canadian Rockies to rural Kent is paved with fire hoses, leather scraps and a deep reverence for the Earth. The 2011 Cartier fellow and 2025 awardee is the co-founder of Elvis & Kresse – the cult British brand transforming industrial waste into luxury accessories with purpose at their core. 

Kresse never set out to work in fashion. Waste came first. After discovering that London’s damaged fire hoses were being sent to landfill, she began experimenting. The result? Hard-wearing, design-forward accessories made from reclaimed materials. And with 315 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill (and counting), Elvis & Kresse is as much a climate solution as it is a style statement. 

But for Kresse, style must serve. “Growth is less important to me than impact,” she says. As one of the UK’s founding B Corps, her company donates 50% of its profits – over half a million dollars to date – and partners with charities like The Firefighters Charity to fund therapy sessions for first responders. 

Her latest evolution? Regenerative farming. Kresse bought a farm to embed sustainability into the soil – literally. From building with straw bales to cleaning wastewater via wetlands, she’s redefining what it means to operate responsibly. “There’s always more to do,” she smiles. “That’s what makes it exciting.” 

Namita Banka Is The Woman Flushing Away India’s Sanitation Crisis

When Namita Banka joined the Cartier Women’s Initiative in 2013, she brought with her an unshakable belief: that access to toilets could transform a nation. At the time, 60% of India’s population lacked basic sanitation. Today, open defecation is near eliminated – thanks in no small part to Banka Bio’s innovative biotoilets, which convert human waste into clean water and biogas.

A former office supply executive, Banka’s “aha” moment came while working with Indian Railways, where waste was discharged directly onto tracks. Fast forward to 2025 and her company has installed 30,000 biotoilets across rural India, with 1,500 in schools alone. “I knew I needed thousands of soldiers like me,” she says. “The ripple effect is clear: whole communities have transformed.”

Now the first publicly listed sanitation company in India, Banka Bio is scaling even further – from AI-powered water management systems to sludge treatment plants. But for Namita, water remains sacred. “There’s no future without clean water,” she says. As a woman entrepreneur from conservative Rajasthan, her success also clears a path for others. “I didn’t want to stay at home. I knew my path was different.” Thankfully, she followed it – and took millions with her.

Caitlin Dolkart Is The Woman Bringing Urgent Care to the Unreachable

For Caitlin Dolkart, co-founder of Flare, few moments are more powerful than welcoming a room full of healthy babies – children who survived birth complications thanks to her company’s life-saving emergency service. “Those infants wouldn’t be here without timely care,” she says. “And in much of Africa, that care simply doesn’t exist.” 

Dubbed the “Uber for ambulances,” Flare connects users across East Africa to emergency responders via a single number and real-time tracking app. Before its 2017 launch, patients in Kenya faced agonising delays – sometimes hours – to find an ambulance. Today, Flare’s platform Rescue.co has slashed average response times to just 16 minutes, saving thousands of lives. 

With over 2 million members and 40,000 rescues to date, Flare’s reach is only growing – expanding into Tanzania and Uganda, and aiming to serve 10 million people by 2030. But Caitlin’s vision goes beyond speed. It’s about equity: “If you can’t afford an emergency, it can bankrupt you.” 

Thanks to a low-cost subscription model, Flare brings dignity, access, and hope to patients who previously had none. “Emergency care shouldn’t depend on your location or income,” she says. “It should just be there – for everyone, everywhere.” 

Yvette Ishimwe Is Turning Dirty Water into Dignity and Opportunity

For Rwandan entrepreneur Yvette Ishimwe, clean water isn’t just a need – it’s a right. “No one should get sick or die from something as basic and achievable as safe water,” she says. Through her award-winning social enterprise IRIBA Water Group, Yvette is tackling water insecurity head-on, making potable water affordable and accessible across some of Africa’s most underserved communities.

Inspired by childhood hardship – her family once relied on untreated lake water – Yvette founded IRIBA while still at university. Its flagship product, Tap&Drink, is a smart water ATM that purifies dirty water and dispenses it for a fraction of the cost of bottled water. But it doesn’t stop at health: IRIBA’s franchise model empowers local entrepreneurs, especially women and youth, to run these ATMs and uplift their communities. So far, IRIBA has delivered safe drinking water to over 500,000 people across Rwanda, DRC and CAR, reduced school absenteeism, and created nearly 200 jobs – 86% of them for women. And by 2030, Yvette aims to reach 5 million more. “The future,” she says, “depends on clean water. But it also depends on transforming mindsets – on believing that real change is possible.”

Rama Kayyali Is Empowering a Generation Through the Language of Learning

For Rama Kayyali, literacy isn’t just about reading – it’s about rewriting futures. As CEO of Jordan-based edtech company Little Thinking Minds, she’s tackling the region’s deepening education crisis, where nearly 70% of children under 18 in the Middle East and North Africa cannot read at grade level. “Reading is the foundation of all learning,” Rama says. “No child should grow up without that right.”

Little Thinking Minds creates engaging, culturally relevant Arabic language platforms that are gamified, adaptive and grounded in evidence. The result? A 25% improvement in literacy outcomes, with over 400,000 students across 11 countries now reading more fluently — and more joyfully.

Arabic’s linguistic complexity means many children speak it but struggle to read or write it. By combining fun, personalised content with teacher training and curriculum alignment, Rama’s approach empowers not just students but entire classrooms — and households. “We’ve seen siblings and even parents start reading too,” she says.

Looking ahead, Rama’s vision includes offline tools for children in conflict zones like Gaza, and harnessing AI to scale impact further. “If we equip a child with literacy, we give them dignity, opportunity and the power to shape their world,” she says.

Jackie Stenson Is Turning Frustration into Fuel for Rural Innovation

What began as an idealistic journey across sub-Saharan Africa with a backpack and an engineering degree evolved into something far more impactful for Jackie Stenson. “Frustration is a powerful driving force,” she says with a smile – and for Jackie, it became the catalyst for Essmart, the social enterprise she co-founded to connect rural communities in India with the tools they need to thrive. 

Essmart tackles the overlooked but vital problem of last-mile delivery – ensuring that essential goods like solar lanterns or mobile-powered water pumps reach remote retailers and, crucially, come with after-sales service and training. Since 2012, the company has equipped over 1.4 million people with life-enhancing technologies while supporting more than 5,000 small retailers to boost their incomes by 20% on average. 

But for Jackie, it’s about more than just products – it’s about dignity, agency, and trust. “We’re not just distributing goods,” she explains. “We’re creating bridges between communities and suppliers, and nurturing local shopkeepers as agents of change.” 

The result? Cleaner energy, stronger livelihoods, and a growing network of empowered entrepreneurs rewriting what’s possible in rural India. Proof that sometimes, the most transformative innovations start with a single, stubborn question: Why isn’t this already happening? 

Mariam Torosyan Is Creating a Digital Lifeline for Women in Crisis

When a stranger told Mariam Torosyan that her unborn daughter didn’t “count” because she wasn’t a boy, something shifted. A seasoned human rights expert, Mariam already knew the statistics—one in three women globally experience gender-based violence – but motherhood made it personal. “That moment lit a fire in me,” she says. “I didn’t want my daughter growing up in a world that treated her as less.”

Out of that fire came Safe YOU – a mobile app transforming how women in Armenia and beyond access safety and support. With emergency SOS functions, peer-to-peer discussion forums and access to legal, medical and psychological services, Safe YOU has already helped over 44,000 women in three countries. Its emergency button has been activated more than 31,000 times.

But behind those numbers are real lives, like Anoush’s—who escaped two decades of abuse thanks to a single press of the app. “When women feel safe again, they remember who they wanted to be,” says Mariam.

With plans to scale globally and reach one million women in the next five years, Mariam isn’t just building tech – she’s building freedom, dignity, and a future where no girl grows up believing she’s worth less.

For more information, go to cartierwomensinitiative.com

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Jelena announced the news in a social media post on Wednesday night, revealing that Dokic had passed away on May 16.

In the heartfelt post, Jelena spoke about the “conflicting and complex emotions and feelings,” that come with mourning a father, whose relationship with her “has been difficult and painful with a lot of history.”

In announcing the death of Damir Dokic, it’s impossible to ignore the impact his relentless and life-altering abuse had on Jelena over the course of her life.

In her 2017 memoir Unbreakable, Dokic details the extent of her father’s brutality, noting that with every passing year, and despite her increasing levels of success, the emotional and physical abuse only worsened.

“At the age of 11, I was kicked. I was beat up constantly. I was hit with a leather belt to the point of bleeding, at times,” she recalled.

“I was afraid to look at those bruises in the mirror, but sometimes I would, and there was not a centimetre of skin that was not bruised. It was tough.”

Despite her shocking accounts of alleged abuse, one of the biggest revelations in Unbreakable was the pain she experienced after her father forced her to change her representative country from Australia to Yugoslavia, before removing the family from Australia in 2001.

Since retiring from the professional circuit in 2014, Dokic has been vocal about her mental health struggles.

“The loss of an estranged parent comes with a difficult and complicated grief,” her post continued. “It’s an end of a chapter and life as I know it.”

“For the end of this chapter, I choose to focus on a good memory like this picture,” she added, referring to the photo of her as a young girl in Yugoslavia with her father.

“And as always and especially important to who I am as a person and what I want to stand for which is respect, grace, kindness, dignity and empathy, I will and want to be that person in this situation too.”

Jelena requested privacy for herself and her family, and finished her post with “And my final words. RIP”

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.

Related articles:

• Jelena Dokic’s ‘Unbreakable’ Reveals The Harrowing Extent Of Father’s Abuse
• Jelena Dokic Spent The 2023 Australian Open Being Body-Shamed — Again

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In an alarming statistic, one in five (equating to 2.2 million) women have experienced sexual violence¹ since the age of 15. Although, that statistic is believed to be severely under-reported. Sexual violence is being defined as “any incident involving the occurrence, attempt, or threat of sexual assault”.  

However, this statistic is accompanied with the knowledge that over half (57 per cent) of the women sought advice and support following the incident. With most turning to a friend or family member.  

But what if, as women, we could turn to the police to report the incident and hopefully find justice? Unfortunately, most women feel fear, shame, and guilt about their sexually violent experience, which makes them hesitant to go to a police station and make a formal report. 

And while some women might not ever be ready to share their stories – and that’s completely okay – there is a platform that gives women back their voice, accompanied by the aid of several support groups.  

Have your say, your way: 

As we enter a new era of openness, women are fighting to have their voices heard. With marches taking place across Australian cities, women are more ready than ever to share their stories, giving us hope that more people will feel comfortable coming forward. 

However, we, along with the NSW Police Force, understand that walking into a police station can be completely overwhelming. If you’re not ready to take that step but want to share your story and help the police combat sexually violent crimes, it’s time to consider the Sexual Assault Reporting Option (SARO) platform.  

What happened to you wasn’t your choice, but how you report it is. You can choose to make a formal report to be investigated, or you can choose anonymity through the SARO platform. While the anonymous report won’t initiate a criminal investigation, it does provide the NSW Police Force with data that assists them in connecting the dots on other incidents and future investigations. 

Sexual Assault Reporting Option (SARO) 

The online platform itself offer users two options: fill out a PDF version to be emailed to the NSW Police Force, or using an automated survey-like system.  

Within both platforms, there are three main parts. Please note that they will ask detailed questions about the incident, so be prepared and remember you are never alone. 

The first section asks for your personal details, such as name, age, and address. Don’t worry, these questions aren’t mandatory, and you can proceed with the report while remaining anonymous. However, it does include a section on whether you wish to be contacted by the police, which you can opt out of at any time.  

The next section focuses on the offender. As most sexually violent crimes occur in the home, it’s likely that people filling in the form will be able to answer the questions in detail. These questions include descriptions and age. Note that the NSW Police Force has divided this section into two parts: known offenders and unknown offenders. 

The third section is where you provide details of the crime. This can be a confronting slide, especially if you’ve experienced a sexually violent incident. However, providing as much detail as possible is the best way to help the Police move forward. 

If you’re looking to make a formal complaint, you can visit your local Police precinct and meet with a skilled staff member who will offer you support, information, and empathy. 

Remember, what happened to you doesn’t define you. Take back power and control, and have your say, your way. 

It’s never too late to report, and if you need extra support, you can call these support lines. 

Extra sources of support include: 

Victims Access Line on 1800 633 063  

Full Stop Australia 1800 385 578 

Lifeline 13 11 14 

NSW Sexual Violence Helpline 1800 424 017 

1. ¹https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/1-5-women-have-experienced-sexual-violence  

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The morning after that dinner with her friend Yara, Alaqad woke to news that Hamas – the militant Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip in Palestine – had attacked Israeli communities around Gaza, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages.

The Israeli government in retaliation launched an attack on Gaza and began bombing the Strip, aiming at Hamas targets but primarily killing civilians. (At the time of reporting, the number of Palestinian deaths has reached more than 50,000.)

Alaqad was still half asleep when her phone started buzzing with messages about the bombings. She skimmed the group chat and, not thinking much of it, went back to sleep.

Read that again: not thinking much of the flurry of texts about her city being bombed, Alaqad went back to sleep. How accustomed to bombings do you need to be to be able to fall back asleep after hearing that kind of news? The answer is, very. Her mother, hearing the bombs fall in the night, thought it was raining. She got up, brought the washing in and went back to bed.

“I thought that was hilarious,” Alaqad writes in her upcoming book, The Eyes of Gaza, a series of diary entries from the first 45 days of the war.

Then she reflects: “How much trauma does it take to start thinking that bombs are like rain? And how much trauma does it take to consider that funny?”

Alaqad always wanted to be a journalist. She had studied and worked abroad and in Gaza, and when the attacks began she grabbed a press helmet and bulletproof vest and refused to be left behind by her two male colleagues, Mohamed and Hatem, who were heading off to gather footage across the region.

For a month and a half, the three of them practically lived in their car – eating whatever snacks they could get their hands on as rations dwindled and aid was halted, strategically sipping water in case that was it for the next few days, and spending hours on end searching for fuel and bread. They scurried between makeshift camps, bombed-out homes, hospital shelters and multiple evacuation relocations to give live interviews to international news outlets.

Alaqad was also posting to her Instagram in a desperate attempt to bring the world’s attention to Gaza. It worked. A video of her spontaneous reaction to a bomb going off nearby went viral. In it, she’s filming inside a house when suddenly there’s the sound of an explosion and her hair blows around her face.

She’s stunned, but doesn’t flinch. She calmly tells the camera she’s going to go and check on her parents.

There often wasn’t electricity to charge her devices and she rarely had internet – often just enough to slowly upload one video a day, a miniscule amount of the footage she actually captured – so she didn’t notice as her follower count crept up into the multiple millions and she became known to the outside world as The Eyes of Gaza. Alaqad has seen more atrocities than anyone should in a lifetime, let alone someone so young.

In her book, Alaqad describes herself as “four Israeli Aggressions old”. (She was 21 when this one began. She’s now 23.) That’s a lot of trauma, and so The Eyes of Gaza is written with a lot of dark humour.

She writes about being worried about having to evacuate halfway through a shower (“the quickest showers of my life have been those that I’ve taken during Aggressions”); about how she never learnt the name of one of her hosts, but assumes it was “probably Mohamad” (“nearly everyone in Gaza is called Mohamed”); and how relieved she was while sheltering with neighbours during a raid that they wouldn’t need to clean up after lunch (“we might get killed any minute, so who cares about the dishes?”). When asked about her use of humour, Alaqad starts to speak and then catches her reflection. “Wait,” she says. “I don’t like my hair.”

Her comedic timing is startling. Alaqad has seen orphans in hospitals, dead babies wrapped in blankets on the street; her building was bombed and she was separated from her family. On day eight, she couldn’t believe she was still alive.

She’s heartbroken and traumatised, and yet here she is on a Zoom call making me laugh, and laughing too. Of course, it’s not funny. Alaqad and I are speaking barely a week after the ceasefire that seemed to promise an end to the fighting was broken. “I did use humour [in the book] on purpose. I can’t generalise because different people cope differently, but for me it’s a coping mechanism and I do think it’s the spirit of Palestinians,” she says.

“Realistically speaking, no-one is crying 24/7. Yes, we’re crying on the inside 24/7, but we try to cope using a sense of humour. It’s not funny, but this is all we’ve got, so we’re going to try to cope and push through. That’s something humanising about Palestinians. “Usually when you learn about Palestinians, it’s through TV or the news and you see them in a specific way – for example grieving in a certain way,” she continues. “You see them as a news story not as humans, how they are behind the scenes, their sense of humour. So that’s why I made sure to show that.”

Reading The Eyes of Gaza with Alaqad’s Instagram open at the same time is a powerfully visceral experience. You can read a few days’ worth of entries, and scroll back to what she posted on those dates. It makes those posts – after which her followers would likely have been served a post by a tradwife or fit-fluencer, as is the nature of Instagram – all the more potent, and her diary entries all the more real.

“The reason I decided to make a book out of my diary is because it’s a way of documenting history,” says Alaqad. “I always feel helpless – no matter what I’m doing it’s not enough, I need to do more. So this is my way of helping, by writing history [and] hoping future generations will read it and get something out of it, because a lot of the footage that is online is getting censored.” She points out there’s also less news coming from inside Gaza because journalists are being killed.

To date, between 170 and 206 have been killed, including two on the morning Alaqad and I are due to speak. Alaqad’s career made it increasingly unsafe for her and her family to stay, and she was forced to flee Gaza with just 24 hours notice.

Her last meal was a candy bracelet she shared with Mohamed and Hatem. It was all they had – and a far cry from hot chocolate and pizza in a restaurant with water views. How much can change in 45 days.

The last page of Alaqad’s journal jumps to January 19, 2025: the day the ceasefire was announced.

It had been agreed that over three phases, Hamas and Israel would exchange hostages for prisoners, aid trucks would be allowed back into Gaza, and the Israel Defense Forces would retreat from the area. For eight weeks, Palestinians had hope; they returned to the shells of their homes and started to think about rebuilding their lives.

But on March 18, Israel’s bombing resumed. Alaqad’s morning routine once again involved checking her phone to see which of her loved ones made it through the night. In her book, Alaqad refers to ceasefires as “the space between tragedies”. “This ceasefire is not an end, it’s a pause,” she predicted. “Wars do not end when the bombs stop falling. They linger in the minds of those who survive and in the void left by those who do not.”

“The ceasefire obviously gave [the people in Gaza] hope because they are desperate for hope, they are desperate for the day the bombings stop – but that doesn’t make it any easier,” she says now. “When the bombs stopped, many people went back to their homes and discovered that [they had been] bombed. There are people still under the rubble because families and parents didn’t get the chance to bury them [before having to flee], so they’re trying to search for them.

“People started moving around during the ceasefire, and everyone was surprised by the scale of demolition. But it also gave them hope, like, ‘At least we will sleep knowing that we won’t wake up to the news of a loved one being killed,’” she adds. “But now we’re back in that loop. It sometimes feels like the only guarantee in Gaza is eventually death, because no matter how much you try to escape that loop, you keep getting stuck in it, so people are tired. The situation leaves you speechless.”

For her reporting on Gaza, Alaqad was named one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2024, and won the One Young World Journalist of the Year Award, the Lyra McKee Award for Bravery and a Human Rights Defender Award. Her work has appeared in Al Jazeera, The New York Times and The Washington Post. She also delivered her first TEDx Talk last year. All of this, even though she didn’t set out to be a war correspondent.

She wanted to be a journalist so she could write about the beauty of her homeland, Gaza, a place much of the world knows as an “open-air prison”. The Eyes of Gaza may not be the type of reporting Alaqad wanted to do, but in it she’s achieved her goal of capturing the beauty of Gaza: the resilience of its people, their love and community. Even though her body is elsewhere, her heart is still in Gaza – the most beautiful place on earth – waiting for her to come home.

The Eyes of Gaza, by Plestia Alaqad (Macmillan), is out now.

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Last week, Adrian Torrens was charged with the murder of Audrey Griffins, 19, after DNA evidence was found under her fingernails. However, the case took a tragic turn when Torrens took his own life in Silverwater Prison, just two days after his arrest. Audrey’s family is left grappling with unanswered questions, as Torrens will never face justice.

At the same time, a viral video of criminologist Vincent Hurley reaired, where he passionately criticised politicians for their inaction on domestic violence, highlighting the systemic failures in the judicial system. Dr. Hurley, a former detective who witnessed up to 20 domestic violence cases a day, argued that the law no longer reflects social attitudes, especially when violent offenders like Torrens, who had a history of harassment and domestic violence, were allowed leniency, such as being placed on a community corrections order earlier this year.

This tragedy underscores the persistent issues within the legal system and the devastating consequences for victims like Audrey.

Here, we tells Marie Claire why we need to keep politics out of domestic violence policy

“After I gave that [Q&A] lecture, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $925 million domestic violence fund. In the press release they [wrote of] “generational change”, yet the funding only goes for five years. Why? Because everything runs on an election cycle, so that’s as far as politicians are willing to look. Policy will always be tainted by politics, which makes long-term investment in people by governments challenging. Incremental change takes a generation, not five years. It’s appalling,” Dr Vincent Hurley says.

“There’s an unrealistic expectation put on police to be able to solve domestic violence. The NSW Police have had a pro-arrest policy in place for nearly 40 years, meaning they can arrest offenders based on scant evidence, but this is an issue we can’t arrest our way out of. It’s gone beyond that, because of the lack of investment [in frontline services] over the years.

Having read over 1000 coroners’ reports, I’ve come up with the conclusion that men need to go somewhere. They need to learn, but they also need to go somewhere to vent. There needs to be more shelters for men, [to be] taken out of domestic violence situations and put in the equivalent of a women’s refuge.”

“They can still go to work during the day, but they can’t go home. Ideally, they would stay there for six months and have counselling and group session at night about their behaviour. We need to reverse the situation so all those women’s refuges are handed over to male offenders, because the infrastructure is already there. The women shouldn’t have to leave their homes. Even if there’s one person that can be changed out of it, and then they can mentor someone else, that’s got to be good.

The decision to commit violence against a current or former partner is mostly linked to anger management issues or intergenerational trauma.

The investment needs to be in mental health. Putting things like AVOs in place doesn’t solve the problem. The only people who take any notice of an AVO are your middle class and upper class, who have a social standing to lose. People outside of that bracket often don’t have anything to lose, so there’s no accountability.

After my appearance on Q+A, I received about 660 emails. A quarter were from men who really supported the cause. It can be challenging to get good men into the conversation, because there are a lot of women’s groups who would not necessarily want to see men come into the conversation because it seems counterproductive. We need men and especially boys to come into that conversation if we’re going to see change.”

Read more about Dr Vincent Hurley and the other inspiring advocates and thought leaders calling for real solutions to Australia’s domestic violence crisis, here.

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Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the most outspoken and courageous voices in the fight against sex trafficking and abuse, has died by suicide at her farm in Neergabby, Western Australia. She was 41 years old. 

In 2020, Giuffre was honoured as one of Marie Claire’s Women of the Year for her tireless advocacy on behalf of survivors and her fearless pursuit of justice against some of the world’s most powerful men. Her recognition underscored her role as a symbol of resistance and hope for countless victims of sexual exploitation. 

2020 was also the year Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s longtime confidante – was arrested. For Giuffre, it was a turning point in her campaign for justice. “2020 will forever mark the year that Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested for her alleged involvement in convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s rampant abuse of young women and girls,” she told marie claire at the time. “It was Maxwell who lured girls into the US billionaire’s world – and I was one of them.” 

The former British socialite’s arrest on July 2 was intensely emotional for Giuffre. “In the months after Epstein died last year, I kept waiting to hear that Ghislaine had been taken into custody, denied bail and locked away for her heinous crimes against children,” she told Marie Claire from her home in Cairns. “When it happened, you can’t imagine the tears of joy pouring down my face. That was the best day of my year.” 

In a statement released by her family, attorney Sigrid McCawley, and publicist Dini von Mueffling, they wrote: “It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia. She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.” 

“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors… She will be missed beyond measure.” 

Her death comes as a crushing loss for the many survivors she empowered and inspired. It is also a devastating reminder of the lingering toll that trauma can exact, even years after justice has begun to be served. 

A Voice That Couldn’t Be Silenced 

Brave doesn’t even begin to describe the mother of three, whose tireless fight against sex trafficking and child sex abuse began nearly a decade before her death. Giuffre had publicly accused Epstein and Maxwell of grooming and trafficking her to a circle of influential men, including Prince Andrew, when she was just 17. In 2022, the Duke of York paid a reported multimillion-dollar settlement to Giuffre in a civil case that rocked the British royal family – though he did not admit any wrongdoing. 

“At times it has been truly frightening speaking up – particularly as a wife and mother concerned about her family,” said Giuffre. “I’ve had death threats. I know the people I’m speaking out against have limitless power and money – Epstein and Maxwell wielded immense power and often let me know that they would never go to jail. But if I had stayed silent, they would still be running one of the most prolific sex trafficking rings of modern times.” 

Yet she refused to be censored. Her courage was further documented in the Netflix series Filthy Rich, where she spoke openly about her experiences. She also founded the non-profit organisation Victims Refuse Silence to support survivors of trafficking and abuse. 

“This doesn’t end with Epstein’s death and Maxwell’s incarceration,” she insisted. “The fight is far from over, and we must continue to speak out for the voiceless. I want all survivors to know that it is not their shame to carry any longer, and it never was.” 

Back in 2020, Giuffre remained confident that justice would continue to be served. “I believe the truth has a way of coming to light, exposing the ugly realities of what happened. It’s just a matter of time, and time is on my side,” she said. 

A Devastating Crash Weeks Before Her Death 

Just three weeks before her death, Giuffre posted a harrowing update to Instagram describing a near-fatal car accident. In the post, she revealed that her vehicle had been struck by a school bus traveling at 110 km/h as she was slowing for a turn. 

“This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won’t bore anyone with the details,” she wrote. “But I think it important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can.” 

She shared that the crash had left her in kidney renal failure and that she had been given just four days to live. “I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time,” she added.  

The post, now viewed in tragic hindsight, reveals the physical and emotional strain she had been enduring in her final weeks. 

Survivor, Mother, Fighter 

Her words and actions brought hope to survivors around the world, offering proof that it was possible to fight back – even against the most powerful. Her courage helped shift the global conversation around sexual violence, consent, and the abuse of power. 

Giuffre’s children – Christian, Noah, and Emily – were the light of her life, according to her family. “It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realised she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others,” their statement reads. 

She spent years balancing motherhood with activism, often working behind the scenes to help others tell their stories, seek legal advice, or find the strength to report what had happened to them. 

The Toll of Trauma 

But while her strength seemed boundless, the emotional weight of her trauma eventually became too much to carry.  “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight,” her family wrote. “We know that she is with the angels.” 

Her passing has triggered an outpouring of grief from fellow advocates and survivors across the world, many of whom credit Giuffre with giving them the strength to come forward. 

Virginia Giuffre’s legacy will live on in the millions of women and men she empowered to speak up, to fight back, and to demand justice.  

If You Need Help

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.

The post Virginia Giuffre, Epstein Survivor and Global Advocate, Dies by Suicide at 41 appeared first on marie claire.

It gets better – Leary has shattered her own world record at the Australian Open Swimming Championships.

Breaking Barriers at the Australian Open Championships

Leary powered through the heats of the women’s 100m freestyle, setting an incredible time of 59.22 seconds – breaking her previous world record of 59.53, set just months earlier at the Paralympic Games in Paris. “We’ll do it again in the final!” she said.

“Honestly, I felt so good… I was like, just so confident on this one. I know all the hard work I’ve been doing since the Paris Games, and I was like, come on! You got to bring something home!”

Leary’s victory is not just about the gold medals or the world records. It’s about the journey. It’s about every step she took to get back in the pool after her accident, every moment of self-doubt she overcame, and every person she inspired along the way.

“I want to inspire people to move their bodies for those who can’t,” she says.

The post Doctors Said Alexa Leary Would Never Walk or Talk Again – Now She’s Broken Another Record at Australian Open Swimming Championships appeared first on marie claire.