Born: 9 February 1962, United Kingdom
Died: NA
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Rosie Batty’s anti-violence advocacy also came out of tragedy. In 2014, Batty’s 11-year-old son, Luke, was murdered by his father as she waited to take the boy home from cricket practice. Born in England in 1962, Batty settled in Australia in her 20s and later married a man who would turn out to be erratic, aggressive, and violent. By the time he murdered Luke, Batty’s ex-husband had several warrants out for his arrest; he would die the following day from police-inflicted gunshot wounds. Her advocacy against family violence in the wake of losing her son moved people across the country, and she was named Australian of the Year in 2015, the same year her memoir, A Mother’s Story, was published. She used both platforms to continue drawing attention to the problem and campaign for action. After meeting with her, the Victorian premier established the state’s 2015 Royal Commission into Family Violence, which led to $3 billion in funding for violence prevention and victim support.