Hundreds gathered for a candlelit vigil simultaneously held across the state in memory of Eurydice Dixon and in protest of victim-blaming culture.

Eurydice was raped and murdered in Melbourne’s Princes Park on her way home last Monday. 

Erin McCallum, 26, said rape and murder can happen at anytime of the day, with the majority of rapes and murders committed not by strangers in the dark, but by someone known.

She hoped people gained understanding about the impact of victim-blaming through her speech.

“It happened to me in the day, in the middle of Wodonga, not at night in a dark creepy alley,” she said.

“Victim-blaming makes you become your own worst enemy, your inner dialogue is saying ‘you could have done this or that’

“But it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t Eurydice’s fault. No one this has happened to has it been their fault, we need to hold people accountable for their actions, not blame women.”

Jade Fitzgerald, who was a colleague of Eurydice in the comedy community, said women are taught from when they are just girls to take precautions when they are in public spaces, especially at night.

“We all have this hyper-vigilance about ourselves and Eurydice had that too,” she said. “This can’t go on.”

Reverend Doctor Judy Redman said there was hope.

“The fact is we need to change how society thinks but we have managed to do this through history,” she said.

“We no longer think slavery is okay, women can now vote, and same sex couples can get married. These are all things people used to think wouldn’t happen. When people stand up and speak, they can make change.”