All of us have a role to play in lowering DV toll

IN 2018, we’ve already seen 104 Australians lose their lives to violence. But there are steps we can take to lower this tragic and avoidable toll — and it’s up to all of us, writes Sherele Moody.

HASSAN Jeng and Roy Murray lived at opposite ends of Australia, there was a 19-year difference in their ages, one of them was a convicted drug dealer and the other resided in one of Australia’s remotest communities.

These men seem different in almost every way, yet they have one terrifying thing in common — they were both stabbed to death on the first day of 2018.

Hassan was a 23-year-old maximum security inmate at Port Phillip Prison and Roy was a 52 year-old resident of Palm Island.

Since these men were killed six months ago, Australia has lost a further 102 people to violence.

That’s about four killings a week.

Fellow journalist Katherine Benson and I record violent deaths as they happen.

It is no surprise that our research shows men figure highly as both victims and perpetrators.

Aussie families are mourning the killings of 62 men in the past 26 weeks.

Women are the second most at-risk group, with 33 adult females now dead as a result of someone else’s brutality.

And the most heartbreaking statistic of all — nine Aussie kids have lost their lives to violence this year.

Hassan Jeng, 23, was stabbed to death in Port Philip prison at the start of the year. (Pic: Supplied)

Men are suspected in 85 violent deaths and women are suspected in 14.

A number of people were allegedly killed by both genders and police are yet to determine who killed about nine Australians.

Domestic violence is alleged to have played a part in 38 deaths.

Of the 62 male victims, 49 were allegedly killed by other blokes while women stand accused in 10 of these deaths

About 10 of the male killings were attributed to DV — with five male and five female family members charged.

Twenty-nine of the 33 women killed this year allegedly died at the hands of men. Three women are believed to have been killed by other women.

About 21 of the femicides are attributed to domestic or family violence.

One man was responsible for almost half the child killings in Australia in the past six months.

As well as murdering his four grandchildren, Peter Miles shot his daughter Katrina and his wife Cynda at Margaret River in May before ending his own life.

Two men are suspected in the deaths of two other children and one woman has been charged over the death of another child.

We do not know who killed Canberra siblings Ezvin, 8, and five-year-old Furaha Muhoro — they died in a suspicious house fire in Canberra on February 19.

Peter Miles (centre) killed his wife Cynda Miles (back), their daughter Katrina Miles (right) and her four children before ending his own life. (Pic: Courtesy of Nine News)

Their mother Anne Wachera was also killed.

NSW had the most killings, with 30 deaths recorded in that state.

Victoria had the second highest number with 27 killings and there were 20 in Queensland.

Stabbing was the primary act of violence with shootings and bashings also figuring highly.

As we move into the second half of 2018, it is important for all Australians to acknowledge the impact of violence on our communities.

For each person lost to violence, there are countless loved ones having to come to terms with these preventable tragedies.

The impact of violence does not end when a person dies. It taints every aspect of the lives of those left behind for many years.

In the saddest of cases, parents lose a child or kids are left parentless with one killed and the other jailed.

Often violence deprives elderly or disabled people of their primary carers.

While we all recognise the trauma violence has on surviving family members, it is also vital to realise that the loved ones of perpetrators will go through their own guilt-ridden emotional hell.

The mental healing cannot begin until after justice is served, and in a lot of cases this process can be glacial.

At the end of the day, all Australians are responsible for lowering the toll of violence.

This is not to say that we are all violent or that we should all take the blame for the intolerable acts of a few bad apples.

The fix is never going to be easy, but it does start with good people challenging the norms that give others a green light to act physically on their rage.

Unless we all stand up to end violence, the need for counting dead Australians will continue.

News Corp journalist Sherele Moody is the recipient of 2017 Clarion and Walkley Our Watch journalism excellence awards for her coverage of domestic violence issues. Sherele is also the founder of The RED HEART Campaign.

For 24-hour domestic violence support call the national hotline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.