According to recent reports, the number of women dying as a result of domestic violence in Australia has surged, with 5 women killed in just 10 days ¹. This brings the total number of women killed by violence in Australia to 49 over the past year, surpassing the 43 that were killed last year ¹. Despite increased awareness, one woman dies as a result of domestic violence every week in Australia ¹.
The spike in recorded family violence deaths is just the "tip of the iceberg" ³. Experts have called for urgent action, including establishing a national list of offenders ³. The idea is that the person would then be entered onto a register, that upon application is searchable by a defined set of the public ³. Records on the proposed register would be accessible by intimate partners, but also the family of the partner, which follows a model practised in South Australia ³.
The stark figures are a reminder of the need for greater investment in family and domestic violence prevention ⁴. The United Nations has declared the alarming surge in violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 crisis a "shadow pandemic" ⁵. On average, one woman per week is murdered in Australia by a current or former partner, while one child is killed by a parent almost every fortnight ⁵.
Source
(1) Gendered Violence On The Rise: 11 Women Dead In 21 Days - ELLE Australia. https://www.elle.com.au/news/women-gendered-violence-deaths-australia-2022-28058.
(2) Domestic violence crisis: Number of women allegedly killed in family .... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-01/women-murder-spike-sparks-calls-for-domestic-violence-register/103048644.
(3) ‘Horrific’: decade-high number of women killed in December demands .... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/24/horrific-decade-high-number-of-women-killed-in-december-demands-serious-investment-in-prevention.
(4) Welfare concerns for children exposed to more family violence during .... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-01/escaping-family-violence-children-during-lockdown/100040326.