White Balloon Day in Australia Date in the current year: September 8, 2017

White Balloon Day is organized by Bravehearts, a non-profit organization that focuses on educating, empowering, and protecting Australian children from sexual assault. Its mission is to stop child sexual assault in society and make Australia the safest place in the world to raise a child.

The White Balloon Day campaign was launched in 1997. The white balloon was chosen as it is regarded as symbolic of the issue of child sexual assault because of a public demonstration that took place in Brussels, Belgium on October 20, 1996. On that day, about 300,000 people participated in a demonstration after child molester and serial killer Marc Dutroux was arrested. They demanded better protection for children.

The demonstration was named the White March because everyone was carrying a white balloon, flower, etc. as a symbol of hope. Since then, white balloons have been used to show sympathy and support of the parents whose children have become victims of sexual assault.