The rate of women killed by their partners has fallen by two-thirds over the past 34 years, but a lack of clarity on the reasons behind the decline underscores the difficulty of combating deadly violence.

An increase in the number of victims in Australia in the 12 months ending June – when 34 died at the hands of their partners, up from 26 the year before – is at odds with long-term and global trends in criminality. It seems experts are at a loss to explain both.