Women’s cries for help go unheard as system repeatedly fails alleged DV victims

Experts say that authorities need to respond more “diligently and strongly” to cries for help after nearly 20 Victorian women were killed by their former or current partners since 2020.

Authorities need to respond more “diligently and strongly” to women’s cries for help, domestic violence advocates say.

So far this year, eight Australian women have been allegedly murdered by their former or current partners as the nation grapples with a domestic violence crisis.

Clunes teacher Hannah McGuire, whose body was found in a burnt out car near Ballarat in April, and Point Cook mum Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani, whose body was dumped in a wheelie bin in March, are among the women that have lost their lives.

Since 2020, almost 20 Victorian women have been killed pleaby their former or current partners, according to activist project Counting Dead Women.

Jessica Geddes, whose boyfriend Robert Rickerby killed her in an Endeavour Hills home in November 2020, was one of these women.

Jessica’s mum, Saasha Brimble, said her daughter was failed by the system.

University of Melbourne honorary professor of social work Cathy Humphreys said police and prosecutors must work together to take abusive relationships seriously.

Chaitanya Madhagani who was found dead in a wheelie bin near Geelong after she was allegedly murdered by her husband. Picture: supplied

“The system failed Jessica because they didn’t respond to her cries for help,” she said.

“One of the biggest issues and flags for the seriousness of the case is women saying ‘I need help’ and ‘help me now’.

“Police have to start to respond diligently and strongly to that.”

Ms Brimble urged authorities to slap perpetrators with harsher penalties for domestic violence-related offences.

“Now’s the time to act on the laws,” she said.

“It’s not getting any better. It did not stop with Jessica.

“It’s always just another case, another campaign.

“We need harsher penalties because someone needs to be the voice for our lost women.”

Ms Humphreys said domestic violence perpetrators use coercive control to alienate their partners from family and friends.

“He will be intent on making sure she is isolated so at the point that she mostly needs people around her, which is the point of her leaving him, there may be no-one there,” she said.

Hannah McGuire‘s body was found in a burnt out vehicle near Ballarat. Picture: Gofundme

“He will often be so nasty to her social network that they can’t stand to be around him anymore.

“Coercive control is so dangerous partly because it is so insidious … a lot of women don’t recognise it until they are actually out of the relationship.”

Ms Humphreys said perpetrators control what their partner wears, who they see and how they spend their money.

Reported domestic violence incidents rose by 1.9 per cent from 91,489 to 93,237 in 2023, according to the Crime Statistics Agency.

A White Ribbon spokesperson said all men needed to challenge harmful attitudes and beliefs, and speak out against violence, coercion and threatening behaviours.

“As a nation, we need to be doing more to stop women being murdered,” they said.

“This won’t happen without greater investment across all areas of the family domestic violence and abuse sector, including primary prevention strategies and education campaigns to stop violence before it starts.”

Originally published as Women’s cries for help go unheard as system repeatedly fails alleged DV victims