The 43 Women Who Should Still Be Alive.

We are currently on day 13 of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, in those thirteen days, three women have been murdered. 

The international awareness campaign begins on the 25th of November, International Day from the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until the 10th of December, Human Rights Day. The aim of the campaign is to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls, something that is a serious problem here in Australia, as proven by the avoidable deaths of three women in the past thirteen days. 

On the 30th of November a daughter discovered the body of an unnamed 51 year old woman, her mother, in the garage of her Northcote home in Melbourne. Her husband was charged with her murder. 

On the 3rd of December, 44 year old Nelomie Perera was at home with her three children when her husband stabbed her to death. Perera has recently separated from her husband Dinush Kurera when he decided to end her life. 

Two days later, on the 5th of December WA Police were called to a Landsdale property after reports of screaming. The screams were that of 51 year old Lynn Cannon as she was murdered by her estranged husband Paul Cannon. 

Three women in thirteen days. Three deaths that were entirely preventable. Three deaths that should not have happened. But it does not end there. 

According to Destroy The Joint, who count the senseless deaths of women by violence in Australia, these three women have brought the count in 2022 to 43- the same number as the complete total for 2021, and we still have three and half weeks to go. 

On the 20th of November, 40 year old Vitorina Bruce was stabbed at a Perth hotel, her partner Julian Pau was charged with murder. 

On the 10th of November, 39 year old Sheena Fairfield was found with multiple stab wounds by her husband, on their front lawn. She had been stabbed by a man she knew, Joerg Kloepper. 

On the 22nd of October, at only eighteen years of age Emily Thompson was murdered by her ex partner Aaron Huckel.

On the 7th of October the body of 40 year old Nardia Louise Spice was found in bushland near Jarrahdale in Perth's south-east. 

On the 6th of October 74 year old Christine Barker was found with critical injuries in her Sydney home. She was taken to St Vincent's Hospital where she died soon after, her husband Stephen Barker was charged with her murder. 

On the 6th of September 51 year old Louise Hughes was found unresponsive at a Park Holme house in South Australia. A man who lived there, and was known to the victim was charged with her murder. 

On the 24th of August South Australian Police were called to a retirement village in Glynde where Dennis Willshire had murdered his wife Barbara Willshire, before taking his own life. They were 92. 

On the 21st of August Queensland Police found the body of 71 year old Susan Duffy with “substantial injuries from a weighted instrument”. Portmoresby Cecill, aged 35 who was believed to have known the victim was charged with her murder.

On the 13th of August the body of an unnamed woman was found in Queensland bushland by a group of young people riding quad bikes. A 38 year old man who likely knew the woman was charged with her murder. 

On the 13th of August emergency services were called to the Revesby residence of Lametta Fadallah and her two sons. When they arrived they found 48 year old Fadallah and her hairdresser friend, Amy Al Hazouri, 39 with gunshot wounds in the backseat of a Mercedes. It is believed four men walked up to the car, pushed a 16 year old girl's head out of the way as she sat in the passenger seat, before shooting a round of bullets into the backseat of the car. 

On the 9th of August Police were called to the home of a 47 year old Florrie Reuben who was under the protection of a domestic violence order, they left the home citing it as “a mental health matter”. A mere hours later they were called back to the home due to a house fire in which Ms Reuben and her unnamed 65 year old partner both received severe burns. Ms Reuben was in fact killed before the fire started, while her partner died weeks later in hospital. 

On the 8th of August the bodies of Jifeng Liu, aged 47 and her son Wenhao Du aged 20 were found in a Queensland home. The attack was described as “frenzied” and with the use of knives. Weifeng Huang, the 49 year old partner of Ms Liu was charged with two counts of murder. 

On the 4th of August, 59 year old Maree Schwarz, along with her husband Mervyn and sons Graham and Ross by their neighbour Darryl Young, 59. Maree, Mervyn and Graham all died from gunshot wounds on their remote Bogie property, Ross was able to escape despite having critical wounds to raise the alarm. 

On the 28th of July an 82 year old woman was found dead in her home from head injuries in Tumbi Umbi in NSW. Her 56 year old son, David Mapp was charged with her murder. 

On the 24th of July, the body of 43 year old Shereen Kumar was located in Dural. Her 37 year old boyfriend, Vincent Carlino was charged with her murder. 

On the 19th of July a 33 year old woman was found by emergency services in Rockhole, Northern Territory. She had been involved in a fight with a 26 year old female relative and was severely injured. She died at the scene. 

On the 17 of July the bodies of 30 year old A.K, her fifteen week old baby and her 41 year old partner were found on a property 25 kilometres north of Alice Springs. The man had shot his partner and his infant before turning the gun on himself. 

On the 13th of June 62 year old Cheryl Johsnon was found stabbed to death in her Prairiewood home. Her long time friend Antonio Dalla-Betta, 58, handed himself into police and was charged with her murder. 

On the 28th of May police were called to a Darley, Melbourne home where they found the body of 68 year old Shirley Kidd. Her 20 year old grandson, Hayden Kidd was charged with her murder. 

On the 27th of May, 25 year old Feebie McIntosh was taken to Caloundra Base Hospital in Queensland where she was found to have a severe gunshot wound to the head after an argument at the house she was visiting. Bradley Cotton, aged 30, was charged with her murder six hours later, before a second man, also 30, also being arrested for the murder on May 29. 

On the 30th of April police were called to a home in Croydon North where they found 35 year old Chen Cheng suffering critical stab wounds. Her husband, Adam Brown, 40, was charged with murder after she died at the scene. 

On the 15th of April a 40 year old, unnamed woman was taken to hospital after sustaining critical injuries from falling from a moving vehicle in the ACT. An unnamed man was charged with manslaughter, breaching bail and perverting the course of justice after her life support was switched off. It was a family violence incident. 

On the 9th of April a 47 year old woman was found unconscious in the driveway of an unoccupied unit in Queensland. Her 47 year old partner, who called the paramedics, was charged with her murder after she had sustained “unsurvivable” injuries. 

On the 1st of April Police found the body of 62 year old Linda Simon in the rear shed of her home in Crafers West. Her son, Bo Sebastina De-Simone was charged with her murder. 

On the 25th of March, at the age of 21, MacKenzie Anderson was stabbed several times by her ex-partner Tyrone Thompson in Mayfield, NSW. Her three year old child was at the scene as his mum died. 

On the 22nd of March, a 26 year old woman in Nollamara, WA was found with “very violent” injuries. After the woman died later in hospital, a search of the area led to a 40 year old man who was known to the victim being charged with her murder. 

On the 20th of March, Police in Queensland arrived at a Molendinar home to find the body of 74 year old Susan Walker with significant injuries. 50 year old Jason King who lived at the house but was not related to her, was charged with her murder. 

On the 18th of March the “severely emaciated” body of 60 year old Sharon Simonds was found by paramedics in Greenacre, NSW. The sole carer of Ms Simonds, Fady Adhamy, aged 82 was charged with her murder. 

On the 14th of March Roland Griffiths, aged 38 set his house on fire with his wife, nine month old baby and 17 year old daughter inside. Kylie Griffiths, aged 36 was critically injured after Mr Griffiths had poured petrol on her, she died in hospital, a 17 year old girl was also hospitalised with burn injuries. Mr Griffiths was charged with murder and attempted murder.

On the 12th of March the body of Synamin Bell, aged 26, was found at a home in Millicent in South Australia. Cody Edwards, aged 25 and believed to be known to the woman was charged with her murder. 

On the 14th of February staff at Pelican Waters Resort in Queensland found the body of Vanessa Godfrey, aged 46. Jefferey Godfrey, aged 50, her estranged husband was charged with murder (domestic violence offence). 

On the 10th of February emergency services attended a property in Springvale, Victoria, where they found the body of 41 year old Angela Huata. 20 year old Tia Mininnick was charged with her murder, he was known to the victim. 

On the 31st of January the body of Krishna Chopra, aged 61, was found in her home, in which she lived alone, with severe head injuries. Her 33 year old son-in-law was charged with her murder. 

On the 30th of January Police were called to a domestic violence incident in North Parramatta, NSW. Here, they found 19 year old Arnima Hayat dead, in a bath filled with acid. After a public appeal, her partner Meraj Zafar, aged 20 handed himself into police and was charged with her murder. 

On the 23rd of January police attended a house fire in Collingwood Park, where they found the bodies of Christine and Joe Stephan, 68 and 73. While originally thought to have perished in the house fire, they had in fact been inflicted with “significant injuries caused during an act of violence.” A 26 year old man was charged with two counts of murder and arson. 

On the 13th of January Poonam Sharma, aged 39 and her daughter, Vanessa, aged 6, were found with critical injuries from stabbing. Prabhal Sharma, aged 40, the husband and father of the victims was also found with self inflicted stab injuries. Poonam died from her injuries at the scene, while Vanessa died in hospital a short time later. A second daughter, 10 year old Angela was also present, but managed to escape and was physically unharmed. Prabhal Sharma was charged with two counts of murder.

On the 13th of January a 45 year old woman was found with a stab wound in her leg at a block of units in Kilburn, SA. The woman died later that morning at Royal Adelaide Hospital, while a 26 year old woman known to her was charged with murder.

These 43 women should still be alive, their deaths were preventable, they were senseless and they were needless. Women are dying at an average of one per week in Australia, while one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetuated by a man they know. 

What about Aboriginal women? They are a staggering 32 times more likely to be hospitalised from family violence than a non-Aborignal women. 

If these stories, these women, aren't enough to convince you that change needs to happen.. What the fuck will?