Empty Shoes: a Vigil in Martin Place
On 28 November last year, Lou’s Place held a vigil in Martin Place as part of the United Nations' 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The vigil aimed to remember and honour all of the women who had, to date, lost their lives to family and domestic violence in 2023.
52 white balloons, each tethered to an empty pair of shoes, floated above the solemn public installation despite the wind and the rain. Each pair of shoes symbolized that, on average, one woman a week is lost to family and domestic violence. As of the date of the vigil in November, the number was tragically already 54. By the end of the year, it had risen to 63.
The goal of the vigil was to raise awareness by fostering open conversations about domestic and family violence. It sought to humanise the issue, reminding everyone of the real people affected by these horrible statistics. Additionally, the event aimed to generate funds to support Lou’s Place, in its mission to assist women dealing with this crisis.
Lou’s Place is very grateful to our sponsors for the event Allens Linklaters, BGC, The Royal Bank of Canada, Parc Capital, Gresham, Wotton & Kearney, the City of Sydney and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for helping to make the day such a successful event.
Amanda Greaney, General Manager of Lou’s Place, spoke passionately to the crowd. She conservatively estimated that 80% of women who access Lou’s Place have experienced either domestic violence or sexual assault. Jess Hill, an award-winning journalist and author of See What You Made Me Do, served as the guest speaker for the event. Despite the drizzle, the crowd gathered under their umbrellas as Jess delivered a poignant message:
“We are confronting an epidemic of coercive control that affects millions of Australians, essentially a process of psychological torture that goes largely unnoticed and at a scale difficult to comprehend. It will take all of us working together to end it.”
CMMA female country artist of the year Amber Lawrence concluded the vigil with a stirring performance of This Is Me accompanied by the Sydney Philharmonia Choir. Together, their performance instilled a sense of hope, illustrating what can be achieved through collective effort.