Femicide in Australia

Written By Dr Joy Townsend

Content warning: This blog discusses femicide and suicide.

She Matters mural, Hosier Lane, Melbourne

In the 5 days leading up to my birthday last month 7 women were killed by men in Australia. I live by the ocean and that same week in NSW we had huge swells and dangerous surf conditions. Many of you will have seen the media coverage that 5 people died drowning along the coast of New South Wales that week. It was tragic. But as I was following the media coverage of the drownings, I was struck by how little media coverage there was of the murders of the seven women. Some of those women’s names were:

Claire Austin 

Louise hunt 

Kim Duncan 

Thi Kim Tram 

Jocelyn Mollee

Last week my team and I visited the She Matters mural in Hosier Lane Melbourne. Here Sherele Moody of Australian Femicide Watch has been doing the incredibly important work of documenting how many women have died as a result of femicide since 1 January 2024. Femicide is defined as the intentional killing of a woman, with a gender-related motivation.  Current and former intimate partners are by far the most likely perpetrators of femicide. The latest report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women, shows that femicide is rising around the world. 

In 2024, 103 women were killed as a result of femicide here in Australia. Thus far in 2025, 24 women have been killed. One of them was Rachel McKenna. When we visited the She Matters mural we noticed a handwritten note stuck to the poster of Rachel McKenna’s face. It read ‘love you mummy so much’.

 

I find it difficult and overwhelming to come to terms with the realities of gender-based violence in our communities. And femicide is the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls.  

The night after we visited the She Matters mural, it was defaced. Many of the faces of the murdered women had been painted over and the words ‘war on men’ were written across the mural. Rage. Despair. Disturbed. These were some of the valid feelings that my team and I had in response. 

 

Notwithstanding the utter disrespect and disturbing nature of the vandalism, as I reflected on the words ‘war on men’ the statistics of male suicide came to mind. In Australia, on average, six men kill themselves each day. Suicide is the leading cause of death for males aged 15-55. And there’s little to no media coverage of that. 

When I speak publicly about the issue of gender-based violence in Australia, and the associated horrifying statistics, I also mention the male suicide statistics. Not because I think there is a direct correlation - or that it’s a straightforward comparison - but simply to bring to light the fact that all genders are experiencing incredible suffering and violence in our country. 

Recently I listened to Jameela Jamil speak powerfully about the male loneliness epidemic. She said this:

"They're not taught how to talk to each other. The amount of times I'll know so much more about my male friends than my male friends know about each other… They're not taught to build out their emotional skill sets, and it's hurting them because look at how fast they're killing themselves. There's a reason more men kill themselves than women, and it's because women have each other. Men don't have each other, and they don't really have us.”

Is the male loneliness epidemic linked to men’s violence against women? It’s complicated. But the happier and more connected men are, the less likely they will be to perpetrate violence against themselves and others. That is why as an organisation we continue to champion the work of Australian organisations like the Man Cave and Tomorrow Man who do powerful transformative work with boys and men so they can live fulfilling and connected lives, and enjoy meaningful relationships with one another and the women in their lives. 

 

Dr Joy Townsend https://www.learningconsent.com/theteam
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