"They won't get away with it": Sylvia Jeffreys’ moving message
Sylvia Jeffreys delivered a moving message this morning, paying tribute to Eurydice Dixon whilst passionately urging for change to take place across the country.
The Today show reporter delivered her emotional speech during a live cross from Princes Park in Carlton North, Melbourne, where the memorial for the 22-year-old rape and murder victim sits.
Jeffreys returned to the site of last night’s candlelight vigil, to speak of the tragic incident that has struck a chord with hearts around Australia.
“Once again this morning, I stand here 900 metres from Eurydice’s home, on the soccer pitch where her body was found last week as we, as a nation, search for answers,” Jeffreys said.
“How did we let her down? How do we stop this from ever happening again? We can light more footpaths, we can mount more cameras, but there will always be shadows. We can, and we must, teach our sons and our brothers to respect women and to strive for gender equality.
“But attitudes won’t change overnight. So for now, it’s on our leaders, our law makers, our law enforcers to hold perpetrators to account, to send a clear message that they will not get away with it, that there is zero tolerance for violence against women.”
Jeffreys urged listeners to keep the dialogue alive about gendered violence.
“It is also on every one of us to keep this dialogue going, to look out for one another and to continue to apply pressure on the men and the women we elect to end this crisis of gendered violence that is robbing mothers of their daughters, husbands of their wives, children of their mothers,” she said.
“Last night, I learned a little bit more about Eurydice Dixon. She volunteered at a community kitchen and she was about to become an aunty.
“She was on the verge of big beginnings, she was brave and she was smart. She was funny and just like every one of us, she thought ‘it won’t happen to me’.”
The Channel Nine reporter’s passionate appeal for change was applauded by viewers and quickly shared on social media.
“Long after these candles go out, we have to carry her flame,” Jeffreys said.
“Eurydice, just like her name, will always and forever be a symbol of justice. And it's on us now to ensure that her life drives change to make our streets and our homes a safer place for every one of us.”