‘Devastating’: 3 women allegedly murdered in single week in Australia
The deaths of three women in Australia in a week of alleged domestic violence murders have reignited calls for urgent action.
The body of 30-year-old new mother Jana Armstrong was found by pig hunters on July 11 about an hour from her home in south-west Queensland.
Her former partner and father of her child, Dharminder Singh, 48, was charged with murder.
Mr Singh’s lawyer said his client denied the charges against him.
Just days ago, on July 7, loving mother Lavanya Chappa, 39, was stabbed to death at her home in Vermont, east of Melbourne. Ms. Chappa’s 39-year-old husband was charged with murder.
An unnamed 17-year-old girl allegedly died from blunt force injuries on a remote island in the Northern Territory the day before.
He had a domestic relationship with 34-year-old Jordan Garrawurra, who is accused of murder.
Patty Kinnersly, chief executive of the Watch, said it was devastating to see the deaths, all allegedly at the hands of men, in such a short period of time.
“Behind every headline is a woman whose life was taken, families, friends and communities whose lives were changed forever,” she said.
“Every death caused by violence against women is preventable.
“This violence is not inevitable and should never be accepted as an inevitable part of Australian life.”
Ms Kinnersly said preventing violence against women required a sustained, whole-of-society approach to challenge sexism and promote equality and respect.
“Governments, businesses, schools, sporting organisations, media, communities and individuals all have a role to play in building a society where all women are safe, equal and respected,” she said.
According to the Australian Femicide Watch, the number of women killed in Australia this year has reached 37.
Latest statistics show that a woman is killed approximately every nine days.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said Australia had thousands of recommendations from major studies on how to tackle these issues.
“What we need to see is action and funding commensurate with the size of the problem,” he said.
“We need everyone in society, services and all government agencies to realize that it is everyone’s job to take action, ask questions and offer support.
“This is not just a problem that specialist domestic, family and sexual violence services can solve – we all need to take action.”
The Federal Government has invested $4.4 billion to end violence against women and children as part of a 10-year national plan ending in 2032.
The government is currently consulting with frontline workers, peak groups and governments across the country to develop a new action plan that will focus on areas such as prevention in the second phase of the programme.
A Department of Social Services spokesman said the latest deaths were a reminder that more always needs to be done.
“Every life lost to violence is too many,” a spokesman said.
“(These) women losing their lives in a single week is a sad reminder that domestic violence and family violence continues to have tragic consequences for individuals, families and communities across Australia.
“Preventing domestic, family and sexual violence requires sustained efforts to ensure prevention, early intervention, intervention and recovery, as well as holding perpetrators accountable and improving the safety of victim survivors.
“Addressing and preventing domestic, family and sexual violence requires coordinated action across governments, communities and service systems.
“We must support victim survivors through specialist services, strengthen early intervention efforts, improve interventions for people experiencing violence and develop programs that work with perpetrators and those at risk of offending to change behavior and prevent violence from escalating.”
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