 I'm Natasha Stock Despoia, Australia's ambassador for women and girls, and Chair of Our Watch, the New Look Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and Their Children. On November 25 we commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, White Ribbon Day, and we welcome the start of 16 days of activism against gender violence. We condemn the acts of violence that are perpetrated against women around the world, within the home, as a deliberate tactic of war, and across borders through the trafficking of women and girls. According to the World Health Organization, gender-based violence is a global epidemic. In Australia, I believe it's a national emergency. Nearly every week in Australia, a woman is killed, most often by a partner or former partner. One in six Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner. An intimate partner violence is the leading cause of ill health and disability in Australian women aged 15 to 44. In fact, the biggest risk factor for being a victim of sexual assault is being female. The good news is that violence against women and children is preventable. International evidence shows we can create the change necessary to prevent violence against women and children. But to do this, we must address the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate, justify, excuse, and fail to counter such violence. We all have a critical role to play in shifting the culture that allows violence to occur in the first place. This includes taking daily acts of courage to confront attitudes, beliefs, and the distorted values that justify, excuse, minimise or hide violence. We need to do this in our homes, in our neighbourhoods, our workplaces and further afield. As Australia's ambassador for women and girls, I'm proud that Australia places this work centrally in our foreign policy and in our development agenda. In our region and beyond, Australia is pressing for an end to gender-based violence and is actively supporting survivors. We're saying loudly and clearly, there's no excuse for violence against women or girls anywhere, anytime.