Last November, during Parliament question time, Prime Minister John Key accused the Opposition of backing “rapists and murderers”.
In response 15 Labour MPs immediately walked out of Parliament. The next day, Wednesday 11 November, 10 female MPs (above) stood up to demand an apology from the Prime Minister for using sexual violence as a political tool and eight of them subsequently disclosed their own experiences of sexual abuse.
In response, some had their microphones turned off mid-sentence by the Speaker of the House, and some were ejected. The others walked out in support.
On December 9, John Key apologised for his comments. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei responded by saying “It was all worth it. The Prime Minister’s apology tells the women of New Zealand that when we show leadership together, we can be heard.”
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei
This month The Australian Women’s Weekly spoke to those 10 women MPs, from both Labour and the Green Party. Each spoke about why they stood up and made history in parliament that day, and eight shared their deeply personal stories of abuse.
“When we go into Parliament as women, as mothers, as professionals, we make a personal commitment to make things better,” says Metiria. “Sometimes the only way to do that is to take your personal life and put it on the political line.”
To read the women’s individual stories see the January edition of The Australian Woman’s Weekly on sale now.
If you are a sexual violence sufferer, you can access nationwide support services on 0800 88 33 00 or call Women’s Refuge on 0800 REFUGE (0800 733 843).
For more information, visit the Rape Prevention Education website, rpe.co.nz.
