Shattered To Host Immersive IME Art Exhibition For International Women's Day 2025

IME Immersive Encounter: IWD Accelerate Action for Gender Equality

From the Documentary Series "Shattered" - Episode "Doctor Doctor"

Step into the brutal reality that thousands of women endure every day. On International Women's Day 2025, immerse yourself in a powerful, confronting experience that brings to light the invasive, degrading medical examinations women are subjected to within the Australian insurance system.

Through an evocative artistic performance and installation, witness firsthand the trauma caused by this systemic abuse.

This is consistent with an Australian-first #EndGenderBias study that surveyed

almost 3,000 women. Healthcare professionals and peak stakeholder groups participated in the survey which asked Australian women to share their experiences of the health system.

The landmark report, commissioned by the National Women’s Health Advisory Council, discovered that two thirds of women report they experienced health care related gender bias or discrimination themselves. 

The report also found: 

• Sexual and reproductive health and chronic pain were the top areas where women experienced gender-bias 

• More than 70% of women experienced bias in the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions 

• More than 70% of women reported they experienced bias in GP visits. 

The report also showed that Australian women commonly felt unheard and not taken seriously by their medical practitioner.  

Two out of three women reported health care-related bias and discrimination.

Immersive IME Shows Gendered Bias In Action Within Workers' Compensation and CTP Claims

Feel the terror, the distress, and the violation that so many women face—women whose dignity is stripped away in the name of insurance protocols and medical assessments.

This event is a call to action to Accelerate Action against gender-based violence in the medical-legal system.

• Engage in the installation, where you’ll confront the harsh realities of gendered medical abuse

• Experience the emotional and physical impact of these procedures on women's lives

• Stand with us in challenging the deeply embedded biases of Independent Medical Examiners

• Help us push for the end of this unconstitutional, unjust practice

• Use the campaign tools to hold insurance companies, medical-legal professionals, and powerful institutions accountable

• Together, let’s accelerate change.

The Brutality of the Two-Finger Test in Australia

While internationally banned as unconstitutional and criminalised, the Two-Finger Test persists in NSW, Australia, where it's deployed casually—like a weak tea bag dipping test—to make legal medical decisions about women's vaginal and sexual health. In Australia, the Two-Finger Test persists within the insurance and medico-legal systems, particularly in cases related to sexual assault or personal injury claims. This systemic abuse continues to traumatize women, especially when the procedure is used by Independent Medical Examiners (IMEs) to assess claims related to women’s health, as evidenced by the personal accounts that have sparked the #2FingerIME exhibition.

The use of this test is a stark reminder of how deeply entrenched gender-based violence is within the medical-legal frameworks of many societies. It is a form of gender discrimination that reinforces harmful stereotypes and violates women’s bodily autonomy, dignity, and integrity.

The Inspiration Behind the Encounter

Ballina is the Advocacy Producer for the Shattered Documentary Series and one of five women who joined Chaplain Kathie Melocco to fight against Insurance Systems Abuse. Her personal story is at the heart of this cause. In August 2015, while walking to work, Ballina was hit by a motor vehicle, and her life was shattered. What followed was a brutal, nine-year battle with Suncorp (GIO), exposing the harsh realities of institutionalized economic abuse within the insurance system. Throughout this ordeal, she faced relentless misogyny and financial exploitation. Her claims about the impact of the accident on her menstrual, sexual, and overall women’s health were dismissed, belittled, and ignored. Further humiliating her, the Personal Injury Commission's Independent Medical Examiner used an unorthodox gynecological assessment to trivialize her injury. This dehumanizing treatment sparked the #2FingerIME campaign, a fight to end gender-based abuse in the insurance system.

"Women are entitled to dignity, respect, and autonomy—not to invasive, degrading medical procedures. The fight against the Two-Finger Test is not just a fight for women’s rights, but for our basic human rights. My body, my womanhood, my menstruation and sexual health should never be diminished or violated. We are worthy of care, of justice, of value. It’s time for the world to recognize that women deserve to be valued, not abused.

Insurance companies need to take women’s health seriously and stop belittling us. We are not just Claim Numbers; we are human beings deserving of proper, compassionate care. Women's health is often disregarded, and compensation policies clearly show that a penis has more value than a fallopian tube. This injustice must end. We deserve to be recognized, properly cared for, and fairly compensated." – Ballina Gee

Sadly Ballina's story of betrayal by insurers and medico-legal reports isn't unique. One of the other women in the ShatteredDoco who was sexually assaulted at work has been required to attend no less than 10 Independent Medical Examinations (IME) with Psychiatrists driven by a legal process that has completely traumatised her. The woman was even taken to Court by the Insurer to force her to attend the latest IME. She had refused to retell her story but apparently her voice didn't matter. This lack of body agency is harming women. It is abuse.

Guest Speaker at the IMErssive Encounter - Lauren Muratore

Our guest speaker at the IME Immersive Encounter will be Lauren Muratore who will speak on Sexual Sovereignty.

Sexual sovereignty is a liberating way of thinking about sex. It enables participants to express their individual needs, and feel sexually empowered and confident.  It can return a relationship from a state of flux and into harmony. It’s about unapologetically learning to love and accept yourself.  This uncomfortable conversation shares how to remove negative thoughts and replace them with empowerment, confidence and support.  Honest and an advocate of radical authenticity, Lauren celebrates sex and sexuality by sharing a new language. 

About Lauren Muratore

Lauren is a renowned psychosexual therapist. Direct yet compassionate, she has supported countless individuals and couples to improve their emotional and sexual well-being.

With a deep understanding of sex, sexuality, and relationships, Lauren prompts her clients to reflect and question themselves and their relationships to better understand how they connect with others and how to get more out of their intimate moments.

As a public speaker, her work is nothing short of thought-provoking. She is funny, energetic and effortlessly combines academic know-how with relatable stories. Audiences get the insights they want and need.

Lauren is curious, empathetic and resilient. She originated from America and has called Australia home for a little more than 20 years.  She didn’t take a predictable career path. Two post graduate degrees and four businesses later, Lauren has found her purpose- normalising sexuality and illuminating the path to confidence and empowerment.  Her experiences have enabled her to cultivate a strong understanding of body confidence, intimacy and self-expression.

Today, Lauren brings her diverse background into her practice. It allows her to see the whole person—mind, body and spirit— and instils optimism, helping individuals and couples achieve lasting emotional and sexual wellness.

Call to Action

The global community must unite to end this unconstitutional, cruel practice. Governments, medical professionals, and legal systems must prioritize women’s rights, health, and dignity, and ban the Two-Finger Test once and for all. The fight for justice must continue, as no woman should ever be subjected to such an invasive and abusive practice again.

Join us on March 8, 2025, as we unite to #AccelerateAction #2FingerIME #ShatteredDoco for gender equality. In a world where it will take over 130 years to reach gender parity at the current pace, we cannot afford to wait. It's time for urgent, decisive action—time to dismantle the barriers, biases, and abuses that hold women back. This is your chance to support something bigger, to demand justice, and to make a tangible difference. Together, we will speed up progress. Together, we will bring lasting change.

Global Legal and Medical Outcry Against the Two-Finger Test

United Nations Human Rights Council: The UNHRC has repeatedly condemned the Two-Finger Test as a form of gender-based violence, emphasizing its role in perpetuating harmful stereotypes about women’s sexuality and reinforcing the subjugation of women’s rights. The Council calls on all member states to cease using the procedure and provide comprehensive support to survivors of sexual violence, rather than subjecting them to degrading medical examinations.

“...the use of the so-called “two-finger” test (where a medical practitioner or other

person inserts two fingers in the vagina of a woman, to attempt to assess her past sexual history or if she had been raped) is prohibited in many jurisdictions and is contrary to international human rights” ~ International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor (2023), Policy on Gender Based Crimes: Crimes involving sexual, reproductive and other gender based violence, International Criminal Court, December, p. 43, Online https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/2023-12/2023-policy-gender-en-web.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO): The WHO has unequivocally rejected the Two-Finger Test, labeling it as a practice that violates human rights. In its guidance for the care of sexual assault survivors, the WHO advocates for medical assessments that prioritize survivors' physical and emotional well-being, not their sexual history or virginity.

“...the practice is a violation of the victim’s human rights and is associated with both immediate and long-term consequences that are detrimental to her physical, psychological and social well-being. The harmful practice of virginity testing is a social, cultural and political issue, and its elimination will require a comprehensive societal response supported by the public health community and health professionals.” – World Health Organisation (2018), Eliminating virginity testing – An interagency statement, World Health Organisation, p. 10-11, Online https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-RHR-18.15 and https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/275451/WHO-RHR-18.15-eng.pdf?ua=1 

India (2013-2014): In May 2013, the Supreme Court of India declared the Two-Finger Test unconstitutional, describing the practice as a violation of a woman’s fundamental rights. The Court ruled that it was an "affront to a woman’s dignity" and had no scientific foundation. Further strengthening the ban, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued guidelines in March 2014 which explicitly prohibited the use of the test in cases of sexual violence, aligning with broader efforts to end victim-blaming and gender-based abuse.

“The use of the two-finger test or the Per-Vaginum examination has no scientific base and is an affront to a woman's dignity.” case of the Supreme Court of India (2013). ~ Pandey. A & Gupta D. (2024), Two Finger Test: A Bain To Women's Dignity, Live Law India, 4 June, Online https://www.livelaw.in/articles/two-finger-test-a-bain-to-womens-dignity-259616 

Journalistic Reports: Numerous investigations and journalistic pieces have shed light on the persistence of this practice, despite widespread condemnation. A 2017 investigation by The Guardian revealed that the Two-Finger Test continues to be used in countries like Egypt, Pakistan, and parts of India, even after formal bans. The report details firsthand accounts of women who were subjected to this degrading practice, including accounts of medical professionals complicit in its use, furthering the narrative of entrenched gender discrimination.

“The Two-Finger Test is a barbaric practice that violates not only medical ethics but also basic human rights. It persists due to ingrained misogyny and a lack of accountability within the healthcare system.” – The Guardian (2017), “How India is battling sexual violence: gender classes for Delhi rickshaw drivers“, Online https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/25/india-battling-sexual-violence-gender-delhi-rickshaw-drivers 

The Big Picture: Workers' Compensation, A Broken Promise

Workers' Compensation, designed as a safety net for injured employees, has become an abuse factory. This century-old system, unchanged since 1910, is particularly devastating for women—many of whom are victims of workplace assault, bullying, and harassment.

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Key issues:

• Economic abuse disguised as healthcare

• Women excluded until the 1970s, still facing systemic bias

• Lives shattered by an opaque, unaccountable process

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This is the greatest unreported scandal in our country's history, affecting tens of thousands. It's time to shine a light on this broken system and demand comprehensive reform to protect all workers, especially our most vulnerable.