Last week was another tragic week of domestic and family violence. In New South Wales three women were killed , allegedly by men known to them, in three separate incidents on a single day.
Author
- Anastasia Powell
Professor of Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University
According to Australian Femicide Watch , 52 Australian women have lost their lives to violence so far this year.
Each death leaves behind grieving families, friends and communities. And each is a life lost that should not have been.
But something about the public response to these deaths feels lacking.
In previous years, a series of family violence deaths prompted a palpable sense of national grief and anger. In April 2024, thousands marched in mass protests across Australia to demand more government action on gender-based violence.
National Cabinet was urgently convened, and the federal government announced further measures, including the $925 million Leaving Violence Program .
In the past week the response has been much quieter. So much so, that NSW Premier Chris Minns commented that:
this is confronting and incredibly violent, but we can’t become numb to the pain or the violence that we see.
Have we become numb?
We have seen the cycle before.
There are reports of another woman killed . There is intense media attention and public anger.
Political leaders promise action. Governments announce reviews, reforms or funding.
Public attention moves onto other issues, as it tends to do.
Then another woman is killed.
When this happens repeatedly, violence against women can begin to feel inevitable. We may turn away because it is too upsetting, or we may feel there is little we can personally do.
We may even become numb, or somewhat accustomed to hearing news reports of violence against women.
But violence against women is not inevitable. And how we tell these stories can also influence whether, as a community, we are only saddened by the individual tragedy, or we also understand the whole problem and its solutions.
Certainly, compassion fatigue is something we must resist.
Violence against women is not inevitable
The scale of violence against women continues to be deeply disturbing. On average, one woman is killed by an intimate partner every 11 days .
In fact, these preventable deaths are far more frequent than the typical news cycle suggests.
And of course, these figures are only part of the story. One in four women has experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15.
And we know children are not just “exposed” to family violence , but are directly impacted when living with violence at home.
But the long-term data also tell us something important. While every life lost to violence is unacceptable, the female intimate homicide rate has fallen substantially over the past decade.
And women’s 12-month victimisation rates for intimate partner violence also showed some promising signs of reduction in previous surveys.
There is no doubt Australia remains a long way from our national goal of ending violence against women and children in one generation .
There are also emerging challenges that could seriously undermine that goal. Concerns about the role of social media algorithms , violent sexual content online and manosphere influencers are real, and they warrant our urgent attention.
But the signs are also there that violence against women is neither a fixed reality nor inevitable. This makes it even more crucial we do not become numb to this violence but instead increase our efforts.
Sometimes we do need to march. Sometimes anger and grief is what forces governments to listen. Such public outrage can have enormous political force.
But ending violence against women requires more than outrage at particular moments of national “crisis”. It requires persistent and sustained action.
There’s a role for all of us
Of course there are actions we need governments to do. Australia has a National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children , and an evidence-based national prevention framework in Change the Story .
And we know what more needs to be done. We need properly funded specialist family, domestic and sexual violence services . We need safe, affordable and accessible housing . We need earlier and effective interventions with people who choose to use violence .
We also need sustained investment in prevention . We have yet to see the scaling up and embedding of prevention education, organisational change and the important skills-building work across our schools, workplaces, communities and online spaces to promote safety, respect and equality.
These are not mysterious solutions. The evidence base is well established. But it will take persistent political will, as well as scaled-up implementation and resourcing to keep driving change.
And there is a role for everyone in our communities too. Victim-survivors often disclose first to a friend, family member, neighbour or colleague. Someone may have even noticed a change in their behaviour or demeanour.
Listening, believing and connecting someone with support might be the small action we take that makes a big difference.
We can all keep having the everyday conversations that name violence against women, that challenge excuses for it and emphasise respect. Those everyday conversations in our families, schools, workplaces, sporting clubs and social circles are an important part of how we build communities where safety and respect are expected.
Violence against women is a collective problem. Ending it will take a persistent and collective effort for change.
The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
