From the age of 18, I have had an affinity for travelling to developing countries. I love the authenticity of culture that is breathed into everyday life of places that remain largely untouched by the influence of the west. Selfishly, I also love the buzz of gratitude that I experience upon each return to Australia; the continuously renewed appreciation for the luck that allows me to enjoy the life that I do.
A few years ago, on a trip to Nepal, I met a woman three years my junior. She had fallen pregnant as a girl at the age of just 13 to a “husband” who soon left her for his other wife. She was grateful to be skilled in speaking English, as it allowed her to manage a small hostel in Pokora, and therefore, have a means of providing food and shelter (albeit, a small dormitory room) for her and her two children. On a recent motorcycle trip through the mountains of Ha Xiang in Northern Vietnam, I witnessed multiple women old enough to be my grandmother ploughing the side of mountains from sunrise to sunset, harvesting crops to trade at the local market as a means to feed their families, weathering monsoons and harsh suns while their husbands, sons and brothers relaxed inside.
I understand full-well that the political, social and economic rights of women in these circumstances pale in comparison to the privilege that many women - myself included - have in Australia. For this reason, I have been hesitant to call myself a feminist. What’s more, as an avid consumer of the news, I have observed what being labelled as a feminist means for women in this country; more often than not, feminism is synonymous with words like obnoxious… outspoken… opinionated. There are words that I do not believe accurately reflect who I am as a person. However, one thing that I do believe myself to be is just. Justice is core to ethical medicine, and means to consider things in a fair, equitable and unbiased way. My complete unbiased, statistics-based opinion its that gendered violence in Australia is a national crisis.
I initially wrote this piece in 2025, in the aftermath of the Bondi Junction stabbing attack. Five woman died that day: Yixuan Cheng, Pikria Darchia, Jade Young, Dawn Singleton and Ashlee Good. One man - Faraz Tahir - died in the act of trying to protect women. Dozens more were suffered injuries that changed the course of their life. I just so happened to be working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of one of the hospitals that received victims from this incident. Whilst it is not my professional or personal place to disclose the details of injuries of those wounded, the horrific brutality inflicted upon these women haunted me for weeks. I could not - and still cannot - believe a single person could exert so much hatred towards another human. I hoped that this horrific event would stir enough public outrage to prompt stronger laws to protect women against violent offenders. Given that the number of women killed in gendered violence attacks has continued to climb each year since 2023 (including 52 victims so far this year, as of October 2026), what little change was promised is yet to be palpable within the community.
Women continue to be harmed disproportionally to any other member of society when it comes to domestic and family violence. This was highlighted with great shock when Australia’s Family Man - Sam Wood - was arrested in Queensland for two counts of domestic-violence related charges. He was denied bail in October 2026 and will stand trial in November. The allegations against him prove that gendered violence does not discriminate against class, wealth, education or public perception. However, between the Bondi Stabbings and the Wood Family allegations, thousands of everyday women from all sectors of society have continued to experience violence in the household. The latest statistics state that one in four women report experiencing physical violence in a relationship from the age of 15. One in six women report experiencing sexual violence or assault in a relation from the age of 15. One woman is killed by a parter or ex-partner every eleven days. Approximately half of victims that are hospitalised due to physical assault are victims of family and domestic violence. Women in Australia are vulnerable members of society, who deserve to be listened to, advocated for and protected by the law. These statistics do not point to a feminist issue, they point to a societal issue. The numbers point to gendered violence being at epidemic levels within Australia.
Time after time, fingers have been pointed at women - the victims - for somehow facilitating their own deaths, be it through provocation, temptation or poor location. However, the passing of every woman that has died at the hands of violent men this year has reinforced the truth that women are not safe, regardless of what they do. We are not the problem. Samantha Murphy was running in broad daylight. Ashlee Good was shopping with her baby in a public place. Molly Ticehurst had placed an AVO against her ex-partner. To the best of our knowledge, none of these women provoked their killer. None of them were wearing indecent clothing, or had placed themselves in a position of clear danger. This was even more apparent in the Bondi Stabbing attack, and is partly what made it so shocking at the time; in the days and weeks after the news broke, every woman in Sydney simultaneously stopped and questioned, “could that have been me?” The victims of this attack (both those that were killed and injured) were attacked whilst living their life in a, in a sensible, harmless way. As are many of the women subject to violence within their household.
The 52 women who have been the victims of gender-based violence this year alone deserve to be more than statistics. They deserve to be more than a few headlines in the media for a week-or-so at a time. Their experiences need to evoke change within this country. Whether it is through greater access to registries of men known to have a violence history, harsher laws for those who breach AVO and other court orders, or more financial support for women and children fleeing violent homes, it is absolutely necessary for the government to increase protection of these vulnerable members of society.
