International Women’s Day 2026:
In Conversation with Anna Coutts-Trotter
Published on 2nd of March 2026
If the scales were truly balanced, safety wouldn’t be conditional. Every young woman and girl would have the freedom to grow up without fear - safe in their relationships, supported in their families, respected in their communities.
For International Women’s Day 2026, the theme ‘Balance the Scales’ invites us to reflect on gender inequality and the action still needed to create safety and equity for women and girls.
We sat down with DV-alert Ambassador Anna to talk about what International Women’s Day means to her, how domestic and family violence affects young people, and what true balance would look like for young women and girls in Australia.
Q: Anna, when you think about International Women’s Day (IWD), what does it mean to you - particularly through the lens of young people and their experiences of domestic and family violence?
Anna:
International Women’s Day means many things to me. It is a celebration of women, a day of reflection, and a chance to raise awareness.
It’s a day to recognise women and girls of all backgrounds, ages, identities and abilities. We can celebrate how far we’ve come, while also being honest about how far we still have to go. There is still much more that needs to happen to promote equity, fairness and safety for women.
It’s also a day to be honest about the work still ahead of us. Recent national figures show the scale of the issue clearly. In 2024, a woman was killed by violence every four days in Australia, resulting in the deaths of 105 women and 17 children.¹ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women continue to be disproportionately impacted — they are up to seven times more likely to be victims of intimate partner homicide.²
For young people, IWD is a reminder that gender inequality shows up early. The experiences they have in their first relationships and within their families can shape their sense of safety and self-worth for years to come.
While progress is being made, the reality is that too many women and girls continue to be harmed by violence. IWD is an opportunity to honour survivors, amplify young people’s voices, and continue to commit to creating a future where every young person can grow up safe, respected, and believed.
Q: What does “feeling safe” actually look like for a young person - in a relationship, in a school, or at home?
Anna:
For a young person, feeling safe looks like:
- Being respected, listened to, and taken seriously
- Being loved in ways that never involve fear, control or pressure
- Knowing they can speak up about discomfort or harm and be believed
- Having adults and peers who support them without judgement
- Being able to be themselves without monitoring, manipulation, or threats
Safety isn’t just the absence of harm - it’s the presence of trust and genuine care from the people who say they love you.
Q: What is one thing you wish more people understood about domestic and family violence in young people’s lives - and what needs to change to prevent it?
Anna:
I wish more people understood that young people absolutely can - and do - experience domestic and family violence. Their experiences are real, valid, and often deeply harmful, yet too often dismissed as “young love.”
Our experiences of relationships when we’re young are formative. They shape what we see as normal and acceptable in future relationships. When a young person experiences violence early on, they may not always recognise it for what it is, which can make them more vulnerable later in life.
To prevent this, we need earlier conversations about boundaries, respect, and consent. We need systems that believe young people the first time they speak up. And we need to send a clear message that every young person deserves support, safety, and the chance to build healthy relationships.
Q: This year’s IWD theme is Balance the Scales. In your view, what would it look like if the scales were truly balanced for young women and girls in Australia?
Anna:
The theme Balance the Scales speaks to a simple idea - that young women and girls should be safe, heard, and free to shape their own lives.
Right now, that isn’t the reality for many. Too many young women and girls still experience harm in the places where they should feel safest, especially in their own homes or relationships.
If the scales were truly balanced, safety wouldn’t be conditional. Every young woman and girl would have the freedom to grow up without fear - safe in their relationships, supported in their families, respected in their communities.
True balance would mean systems that protect rather than fail them, opportunities that aren’t limited by gender, and a society where violence is the exception, not something young women are expected to navigate.
International Women’s Day 2026 is more than a moment of recognition. It is a call to action.
As Anna reminds us, gender inequality and domestic and family violence do not begin in adulthood. They shape young people’s lives early, influencing how they understand love, safety, respect and power. If we are serious about ‘balancing the scales’, we must start by listening to young people, believing them, and equipping families, schools and communities with the tools to respond.
True balance means creating environments where young women and girls are not navigating harm, but growing up with confidence, safety and opportunity. It means challenging harmful norms, strengthening prevention efforts, and ensuring that when young people speak up, they are met with support, not dismissal.
This International Women’s Day, DV-alert stands alongside young people across Australia. Because balancing the scales isn’t symbolic, it’s about building a future where every young person is safe, respected and free to thrive.
Sources:
- Next Steps Australia. https://nextstepsaustralia.org.au/learn/
- Department of Social Services. https://ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releases/18696