A married former First Sight star has called on a major AFL club to ignore players' taunts. Domestic violence and the league says men must be held accountable.
Perth-based Lauren Dunn, 32, who rose to fame on the 2024 season of Married at First Sight Australia, posted about her past domestic violence on Instagram earlier this year.
After the publication, he warned many players not to take his situation lightly.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Dunn said that as an Australian woman, she felt an obligation to speak out on behalf of victim-survivors.
“I noticed that members of a particular AFL club were discussing my posts on social media,” he said.
“They made fun of the situation, called me 'ridiculous' and said they were all supporting each other.”
The media personality took to his Instagram Stories after learning he was mocked by a group of former AFL players for publicly sharing his grief.
“As an Australian woman, it is my duty to use my platform to call out the systemic abuse of women in Australian men's sports clubs and in Australia as a whole,” she said.
“Sports clubs have an important role to play in tackling this issue because 'seriously discrediting men who have abused women will start a real cultural change'.”
Married at First Sight star Lauren Dunn has criticized a major AFL club for allegedly turning a blind eye to players who mock domestic violence, and says the league must hold men accountable.
“Not only is it absolutely horrifying, but it is also very brave, considering the information I have, some of this failed information, which came directly from women who came to me with stories of their own experiences. DV with specific members of this WA club.
In the post, Dunn explained that he had chosen not to publish the names of the AFL players to protect the privacy and well-being of the women and their children.
'If I didn't respect the safety and privacy of the women involved and their children, I would expose each of these actions to the cerebral hemispheres.'
He tagged @AFL in the post and called on the league to address the “widespread issue” among members of the organisation. She got no response.
“Since speaking out, I have been inundated with stories from women who have had similar experiences with current and former soldiers,” Dunn told the Daily Mail.
She said many women who came into contact with her went to the league for help, only to be “kicked out.”
“The AFL has a strong history of whitewashing its players and turning away women who are brave enough to approach them with their experiences,” Dunn said.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Dunn said that as an Australian woman, she felt an obligation to speak out on behalf of victim-survivors.
The AFL Integrity Unit did not respond to requests from Daily Mail Australia to comment on the allegations.
His statement comes after all AFL players, coaches and referees observed a minute's silence on August 30 to honor victims of gender-based violence against women.
The move comes before nine matches are played across the country following widespread social, political and media condemnation of Australia's national “feminicide” crisis.
The rise in murders of women sparked demonstrations in several Australian cities in late April. The death toll of Australian women so far stands at 29.
“Behind the gesture were the AFL's keen antennae for interest marketing, organized around a socio-progressive social cause,” Monash University professors Lucas Santos and Tom Heenan wrote in their note on the “interest signaling” measure. virtues.”
“Football administrators and fans are a forgiving bunch, especially towards past champions,” they wrote. “But the AFL has clumsily revealed in its position presentation that it is not looking at its skeletons in the closet.”
That includes North Melbourne captain and senior player Wayne Carey, who was named a NSW Hall of Fame legend the same weekend despite a long history of domestic violence allegations and assault charges.
The AFL has a long and checkered history when it comes to tackling gender discrimination and violence against women.
AFL players, coaches and referees observe a minute's silence in memory of victims of gender-based violence against women on August 30, 2024 (Image: Round 08 match in Adelaide)
Lauren told Daily Mail Australia that as an Australian woman she felt an “obligation” to speak out about what was happening to her.
For example, in 2009, then-Carlton president John Elliott boasted of paying “hush money” to women who came forward with rape allegations against players.
For Dunn and the women who have shared their stories with him so far, a sense of silent tribute is not enough.
Lauren Dunn is an ambassador for The Polished Man. An Australian organization dedicated to ending violence against women and children.
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