Excerpts from: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/is-2024-australias-worst-year-for-violence-against-women/8rejzzpza?fbclid=IwY2xjawHkFs5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRPaDmeaRvmLS0z4huTRbSJNUdvOScIjeLLV1RUgR7REAkRHBZZQkgBT1A_aem_t4OvUCxL5q7d08jR2SRKvQ
Australian Femicide Watch, which is run by researcher and journalist Sherele Moody, keeps track of female victims of violence, including Australians who have died overseas. According to their tally, 101 Australian women have been killed this year at the time of writing, up from 74 in 2023.
Rasha Abbas is CEO of inTouch, a specialist family violence organisation that supports migrant and refugee women said, “They’re often on a temporary visa, there are language barriers, there are cultural barriers, social isolation, no financial wellbeing, they’re at the highest risk of homelessness … the intersectionality of what they’re facing just makes them more vulnerable…And the other problem for us is they often don’t even know that (what they’re experiencing) is actually even family violence and that it’s against the law.”
Neesha Eckersley, acting CEO of Women’s Community Shelters, an organisation that works with communities to set up crisis accommodation, said it had been an “incredibly demanding” year. “We’ve seen unprecedented demand across our growing shelter network. Many shelters have consistently operated at capacity, and unfortunately, this has meant turning away women and children seeking safety due to limited space,” she said. “The crises in housing supply, housing affordability, and the rising cost of living, alongside an increase in domestic violence-related homicides, have made the situation even more urgent.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are also disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence.
Patty Kinnersly, CEO of anti-violence organisation Our Watch said, “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are eight times more likely to be killed by homicide and 31 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of violence…The sad reality is that while some men continue to hold unequal, disrespectful, racist, homophobic or ableist views, women in this country are not safe.”
United Nations Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, approximately 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members last year.
The federal government has invested $4 billion into women’s safety across the four domains of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 across its three budgets. This includes 113 individual initiatives to address prevention, early intervention, response, healing and recovery. In 2024, the government also held two dedicated National Cabinets on women’s safety and made the Leaving Violence Program permanent.
Dr Jill Tomlinson said the fact that the number of deaths had increased despite support and resources illustrated the complexity of the issue.
“We need consistent attention, we need support for women experiencing family violence … there are lots of factors that we need and we need them all to be working together so that we can see that reduction in the numbers.”
Kinnersly said underlying causes of violence including gender stereotypes, sexism and disrespect also need to be addressed in order to change the story.
“The sad reality is that while some men continue to hold unequal, disrespectful, racist, homophobic or ableist views, women in this country are not safe,” she said.