Big crowds to call for action against domestic violence

Thousands of people will take to the streets demanding an end to gender-based violence, days after a man was charged with killing a 19-year-old woman and dumping her remains at a tip. Vast crowds are expected to march in Melbourne on Friday to mark the beginning of 16 days of activism. The global campaign is for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. It comes after human remains were found at a Melbourne rubbish tip on Tuesday, with a man charged over the murder of missing teen Isla Bell. Ms Bell was last seen leaving her home in Brunswick on October 4. Premier Jacinta Allan said Ms Bell's family would be be going through "unspeakable grief" and her loss was that of another woman in the community deserving of a right to live safely and without fear. "That has been taken away from her," she said on Thursday. "We are seeing in Victoria and in Australia, too many women are losing their lives at the hands of either someone that was known to them or someone who was a complete stranger -- it is happening too often." A Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence in South Australia heard on Wednesday the system was in crisis due to shortages in resources and increased demand. The SA domestic violence hotline received a record number of calls on the day the commission started its work in July and expected to take 35,000 in 2024. In Queensland, police deal with about 140,000 calls for domestic and family violence service every year with 2024 tracking towards 190,000. Respect Victoria Chairperson Kate Fitz-Gibbon said Friday's walk was a powerful demonstration of unwavering community support to end behaviour and attitudes enabling the use of violence against women. "The 16 days of activism provide great opportunities for all Victorians to get involved in shifting the narrative," she said. More than 5000 community members joined the walk in 2023. Similar marches were held in regional areas including Ballarat in Victoria and Tamworth, in NSW earlier in 2024 after several women's deaths cast light on higher rates of domestic violence outside the cities. The NSW government tightened bail laws after the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, 120km west of Orange, in April. The 28-year-old childcare educator was allegedly murdered by her former boyfriend, who was free on bail. In the weeks after, the federal government funded a $1 billion program that will provide $5000 payments to people fleeing domestic violence. This funding was spurred on after five women and one man were killed at Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney when Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage. The same month, thousands of demonstrators marched in a dozen towns and cities across Australia over several days to demand action to end violence against women. Ballarat also became a hub for rallies after local women Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young and Hannah McGuire allegedly died at the hands of men. In Australia in 2024, 85 women have allegedly been murdered by a man, according to Australian Femicide Watch. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14