This International Women’s Day, two of Australia’s most prominent human rights activists, Grace Tame and Nyadol Nyuon, and author and award-winning fashion magazine editor, Justine Cullen, will band together with CARE, as our 2023 Her Circle Ambassadors, to shine a light on the ‘multiplier effect’ and support women affected by poverty — at a time more important than ever.
Grace Tame
We need people from all walks of life fighting together to tackle gender-based inequality, abuse and poverty.
Grace Tame is a leader of positive change, author, and activist. She is a survivor-advocate for people who have experienced sexual assault, and is the 2021 Australian of the Year. This award has supported Grace in advocating for, and bring awareness to, survivors of child sexual assault, empowering individuals to come forward with their stories after years of silence and pain.
In 2019 Grace was assisted by the #LetHerSpeak campaign, which obtained a court order on her behalf, so she could speak out publicly under her real name as a survivor of abuse. Now 27 and based in Hobart, Grace is a regular guest speaker for high-profile events and television programs. Grace uses her platform to advocate for other vulnerable groups in the community.
After being awarded the 2021 Australian of the Year, she has since started The Grace Tame Foundation, which is a not-for-profit philanthropic organisation that campaigns for, and helps fund, initiatives that work to prevent and respond to sexual abuse of children and others.
“As someone who has experienced firsthand the trauma of gender-based inequality and oppression, it is extremely important to me, and close to my heart, to work with CARE Australia as an Ambassador for Her Circle 2023.
“The campaign is part of a bigger journey – starting with connection. We need people from all walks of life fighting together to tackle gender-based inequality, abuse and poverty. And we need to start by asking questions – listening to women and understanding the kinds of systemic and social disadvantages that affect some women more than others.”
Nyadol Nyuon
We must continue to fight so that our sisters can enjoy equal access to power, to resources.
Nyadol Nyuon OAM was born in a refugee camp in Itang, Ethiopia, and raised in Kakuma Refugee camp, Kenya. In 2005, at the age of eighteen, she moved to Australia as a refugee.
In 2022 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in recognition of her service to human rights and refugee women.
Nyadol is a vocal advocate for human rights, multiculturalism, the settlement of people with refugee experiences and those seeking asylum. Nyadol is also a regular media commentator in these areas, having appeared on ABC’s The Drum, as a panellist on Q&A and contributing to The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and the Saturday Paper, to name just a few.
In both 2011 and 2014, Nyadol was nominated as one of the 100 most influential African Australians. In 2016, she was the recipient of the Future Justice Prize. In 2018 her efforts to combat racism were widely recognised, with achievements including the Australian Human Rights Commission’s ‘Racism. It Stops With Me’ Award. The prestigious award was in recognition of her advocacy and activism on behalf of the Australian-African and Melbourne’s South Sudanese communities.
“I am so proud to rejoin CARE Australia as an Ambassador for the second year running of Her Circle — it is a worthy mission as it serves as an act of remaining vigilant, and there continues to be reasons for that vigilance.
“While we have seen efforts in Australia to close the gender pay gap, the progress has stalled and women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions. This goes to show that we cannot become complacent. We must continue to fight so that our sisters can enjoy equal access to power, to resources — and to the right not just to survive, but to thrive.”
Justine Cullen
Women and girls are the most powerful force for change when it comes to ending poverty.
Justine Cullen has spent her life writing for and about women. A reformed beauty editor and award-winning magazine editor, she has formerly held the roles of Editor-in-Chief of the much beloved SHOP Til You Drop and ELLE Australia magazines. Under Justine’s direction, ELLE Australia became known for its publishing innovation, championing of women, diversity of talent, and groundbreaking, globally celebrated cover executions.
After a stint in agency life, where she created campaigns and content for iconic brands such as David Jones and Priceline, Justine became a founding partner of True North, an independent publishing business. There she holds the dual roles of Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief of its first consumer publication, InStyle.
In 2021, her first book – Semi-Gloss: Magazines, Motherhood and Misadventures in Having it All was published by Allen & Unwin.
“CARE Australia recognises that women and girls are the most powerful force for change when it comes to ending poverty, and the Her Circle campaign harnesses that positive ripple effect and enables all of us (and our circles) to get involved and help make an impact.
As someone who has experienced first hand the transformation that can occur when a girl is given an opportunity she wouldn’t have otherwise had, I’m proud to be an ambassador for CARE Australia Her Circle.”
