Standing in Solidarity on Mother's Day

On Mother’s Day, and in fact every day, what every woman deserves cannot be purchased, nor wrapped. Candles, slippers and handmade cards might be sweet, but the ability to live freely and safely is fundamental.

On Mother’s Day, and in fact every day, what every woman deserves cannot be purchased, nor wrapped. Candles, slippers and handmade cards might be sweet, but the ability to live freely and safely is fundamental. 

Without that, nothing else matters. On Mother’s Day 2024, after a horrific spate of murders and attacks, that’s never been more stark. Gendered violence in Australia is finally being understood as a national crisis of epic proportion and the urgent need for systemic change cannot be ignored.  

At The Parenthood our mission is to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. We dream of the day where the full reality and responsibility of being a parent and raising children is recognised and validated and valued - through reform and cultural change. 

Mothers and children being able to live safely is the absolute baseline. Yet, as we have learned so horribly this year, for too many children and mothers it remains an elusive aspiration. This Mother’s Day The Parenthood stands in solidarity with every adult and child who has ever experienced - or is experiencing - violence. Who hasn’t - or doesn’t - live safely. 

We stand in solidarity with victim-survivors, frontline workers and advocates and experts who work tirelessly to ensure women and children are safe. We amplify their informed calls for significantly increased funding and comprehensive reforms to confront this epidemic that shatters lives and communities. 

We know that Mother’s Day is fraught for many in a million ways. For those who desperately miss their own mums, for those who desperately wish to be mums, for those whose relationships don’t reflect the saccharine Hallmark cards it’s easy to believe are the norm, for those who have lost a child, for those whose family has broken in ways they didn’t want… we see you, we acknowledge you and we see the anguish and pain and grief this day may entail. Truthfully, to experience Mother’s Day as straightforward and filled with joy is a privilege.  

The role that mums play in our lives, families and communities cannot be underestimated. Let’s recognise the love, labour and care mums provide. But, this year, let’s also all take a moment to reflect on the love and labour and care that some mums are no longer able to provide because they have either lost their own life to violence, or they have lost a child. 

Those are the mothers and children in our hearts and minds today. Safety shouldn’t be a privilege and yet it is.