Under the blazing midday sun in Wollongong's CBD, a sombre crowd fell silent as the names of 43 women and children were read aloud, each one a victim of gendered violence in Australia this year.
The fourth annual rose vigil, held in MacCabe Park on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. For Michelle Glasgow, General Manager of Women Illawarra, the act of reading the list is a heartbreaking task that never gets easier.
A Growing Toll of Lives Lost
Clutching a white paper filled with names, Ms Glasgow's voice choked with tears as she proceeded. With each name, a single rose was laid on the grass beside her. The list of 43, compiled by researchers from Counting Dead Women Australia and Destroy The Joint, represented a cross-section of Australia: the rich and poor, the young and old, from major cities to tiny country towns.
"We see the impacts of this violence in our community on a day-to-day basis, but when you put a name and a face and an age, and humanise the victims... it's heartbreaking. You never get used to it," Ms Glasgow said.
Alarming Spike in Local Violence
The emotional vigil comes against a backdrop of rising violence in the Illawarra region. Official police data reveals a disturbing trend: domestic violence assaults have spiked by 12.4 per cent in the last two years, rising from 1003 to 1127 annual incidents.
Even more alarming is the 17.2 per cent jump in reported sexual assaults, which increased from 443 to 519 cases. Experts stress that these figures only represent crimes reported to police, indicating the true scale of the problem is likely much greater.
Jess Davidson, General Manager of the Illawarra Women's Health Centre, joined Ms Glasgow at the event, underscoring the unified community response needed. Authorities point to men's attitudes, misogyny, pornography, and broader cultural issues as drivers of this violence, noting that the vast majority of these deaths are at the hands of men and boys.
A Call to Action: 'If You See Something, Say Something'
Ms Glasgow emphasised that gender-based violence is a pervasive issue that knows no boundaries. "It affects women from all socioeconomic [backgrounds], it knows no boundaries unfortunately," she stated.
She urged the community to take concrete steps to combat the crisis, advising people to educate themselves about gender-based violence and familiarise themselves with local support resources. Her key message was a simple but powerful one: "If you see something, say something."
"You can call it out in a very gentle way, but most women experiencing violence... are very isolated," she explained. "Don't lose connection with them and just be very gentle in your support."
The rose vigil also launched the United Nations' 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. Ms Glasgow encouraged people to get involved by sharing educational posts from Women Illawarra online to help spread awareness across the community.
As the roses lay on the grass—a poignant, colourful testament to lives cut short—the message from Wollongong was clear: ending gendered violence requires vigilance, education, and a community willing to speak up.
