Unity. Advocacy. Solidarity. Remembrance. Unite Against Violence: No More Empty Shoes 2025.

On Tuesday, 25 November 2025, Lou’s Place marked the first day of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence by standing together with the NSW Vigil Collective in Martin Place for our "Uniting Against Violence: No More Empty Shoes" campaign. The event was a poignant reminder of the lives lost due to domestic and family violence (DFV) since the November 2024 Vigil.

Plinths lined Martin Place, each with a pair of shoes on top to honour and remember the 49 women who have been killed.  A rose was placed beside each pair of empty shoes during the reading of their names.  We never forget these victims. A special installation to honour, remember and acknowledge the children killed by DFV stood directly in front of the stage. For the first time, a single plinth, separate from the others, stood as an acknowledgement of the animals killed by perpetrators of DFV. It supported the work of one of the collective members to raise awareness of the use of pets as a form of coercive control. 

Strong voices spoke of the need for funding, for change and for standing together in UNITY.  It takes us all in all our unique capacities, with what we do to make the changes that are needed to address this devastating endemic. Thank you to Hannah Tonkin, Women's Safety Commissioner, Delia Donovan, CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, Corey Anderson "Healing Through Yarning" and our main speaker Tabitha Acret. Tabitha’s powerful words spoke of the pain and love of a mother whose life was forever altered with the murder of her daughter Mackenzie due to DFV. 

Tabitha continues to fight for change in policy, attitudes and systems, using her voice in the hope that no more families have to endure what she has.  We congratulate her on what she has been able to achieve already, especially the recommendations to changes to the law for minimum sentencing for perpetrators of intimate family violence.

Lou's Place was proud to be chairing the collective which had expanded to include: Asylum Seekers Service  | Banksia Women  | Barnardos Australia |  Bonnie Support Services | Centre for Women's Economic Safety | City of Sydney | Dress for Success | DV NSW | DV Service Management (DVSM) | Full Stop | Hope & Heal | Lou's Place | Lucy's Project | Muslim Women Australia | Northern Beaches Women's Shelter | NSW Aboriginal Women's Advisory Network | Pop In | RACS - Refugee Advice & Casework Service | South Eastern Community Connect - Domestic and Family Violence Service | SSI | Two Good Co | VOCAL | WAGEC | WEAVE | Women and Children First | Women's Community Shelters | Women's Housing Company | Women's Resilience Centre | Zonta International District 24 | 4Voices. 

Special thanks to the City of Sydney for sponsoring the event, and to the wonderful Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for their uplifting music. To everyone who stood with us, the men, the services, the area police, the 81 year-old grandmother who travelled from Taree to remember and share her own experiences, the brave survivors, the people willing to bear witness and remember, thank you.

Police are called to a DFV situation in NSW every 3 minutes.

Our advocacy is not one day; it is ongoing.  Thank you for your support of the NSW Vigil Collective and Unite Against Violence: No More Empty Shoes.

Plinths of empty shoes honouring the women, children and animals who have been victims of domestic and family violence (DFV).

A passerby reads the name of a woman who died.

Members of the public place roses on pairs of empty shoes.

Tabitha Acret, main speaker at Empty Shoes.

Representatives of the collective at the Empty Shoes vigil.

City of Sydney banner at Wynard bus stop.

Photography by Amanda Lawson