Global D.V - Australia & Oceania:
30% of Homicides Linked to Domestic Violence
August 10, 2024
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A recent report by the Domestic Violence Death Review Team (DVDRT) reveals that 30% of homicides in New South Wales over the past 22 years were related to domestic violence.
Key Findings from the Report
The DVDRT examined 550 homicides that occurred between 2000 and 2022, all of which involved a history of domestic violence. Key findings include:
- 58% of these deaths involved a person killing their current or former intimate partner, with nearly 1 in 5 cases involving a man killing a woman.
- 18% of cases involved a filicide, where a parent killed a child under 18, with a third of these involving children aged one year or less.
- 17% involved a person killing another family member or relative.
- 10% of the homicides involved a situation where the victim was not in an intimate relationship with the offender, such as a bystander killed while intervening.
Further Alarming Statistics
The report also highlights several concerning trends:
- Two-thirds of women were killed at the point of separation or shortly after, with men frequently stalking their former partners before the homicide.
- 75% of the relationships had a history of violence, yet less than half of these cases had been reported to the police.
- Men who killed women were almost always the predominant domestic violence abuser in the relationship, while women who killed men were almost always the predominant victim of their partner's violence.
- Around 1 in 4 male abusers had no history of physical violence against their female partner before the homicide.
- 53% of the cases had a history of abuse reported to the police.
- More than 40% of men who killed an intimate partner had experienced trauma and adversity in their childhood.
Implications for Policy and Action
Magistrate O’Sullivan, Convenor of the DVDRT, emphasized the importance of this data in informing future policies and actions to prevent domestic violence-related homicides. "This report highlights the fatal impact of domestic violence and provides crucial insights to guide policymakers, service providers, and advocates in preventing and responding to domestic and family violence."
Dr. Hannah Tonkin, NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner, stated, "Every domestic violence-related homicide is a tragedy. These are lives cut short, families destroyed, and children left behind to deal with unimaginable trauma."
The report underscores the critical need for culturally appropriate support and local responses, particularly within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where domestic violence rates are disproportionately high.
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