Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by Central Western Daily deputy editor Grace Ryan.
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![Annette Brennan and Nunia Kurualeba. Annette Brennan and Nunia Kurualeba.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/39334uWFriQ6mZbDw7tBDLC/5cec828f-f01e-491c-b4fc-246babaa6829.png/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Four women have been murdered in the last 12 days.
It's been 10 weeks since I last wrote an opinion piece on gendered violence. Since then 12 women have been murdered.
That's 41 women who have been killed during 2024. That's one woman every four to five days. That's 16 more women than this time last year.
These statistics are horrific.
But, even one woman, dying unnecessarily at the hands of violence is one too many.
We are in 2024, in Australia and these women are dying every week.
In the last 12 days Nunia Kurualeba, Annette Brennan, Sarah Miles and Carolyn McCarthy have all died in violent situations.
Nunia was just 21 years old and had the ambition to be a police officer like her dad. Annette Brennan was a beloved English teacher. Sarah Miles has been remembered as "loving and compassionate". Carolyn was a domestic violence advocate and has helped many victims in her life.
Every single one of these deaths has been tragic.
Every single one of these deaths has been unnecessary.
How do you break the cycle? How do you guarantee your friend or sister or daughter or cousin doesn't end up in a relationship like this?
I used to think that I could educate my four-year-old enough to make sure she doesn't fall for one of these narcissistic, disgusting men, who seem to be everywhere we turn.
But then, I had to add Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc's name to the Counting Dead Bodies list.
![Colleen McCarthy. Colleen McCarthy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/39334uWFriQ6mZbDw7tBDLC/51841596-f406-4056-8659-e117043bac06.png/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Jennifer was housing a friend who was a victim of domestic violence. She was trying to help someone escape.
That's the kind of woman I'm trying to raise my daughter to be. Someone who supports other women, especially in times of need.
But it appears no one is safe. Not even Jennifer's daughter Gretl.
How many more times are we going to read about this? See this, before something is done?
Kristy Armstrong was allegedly murdered by her former husband in June 2023. He died before the case was concluded before the courts.
Ms Armstrong's mum, Donna Thornell, believes some conversations can be had to stop these kinds of incidents.
![Sarah Miles. Sarah Miles.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/39334uWFriQ6mZbDw7tBDLC/9c3df001-a700-4c5f-9943-6fee9d3c0ec4.png/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"If your son, uncle, nephew, workmate is being a dick, tell them to pull their head in and check in on the female," Mrs Thornell told ACM journalist Riley Krause.
Australia said "No More" in April after the death of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes.
Australia is saying "No More" again at the end of July.
Rallies will be taking place on Friday, July 26 in Byron Bay, Logan and Wollongong. On Saturday, July 27, rallies will take place on the Gold Coast, Wangaratta, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, the Central Coast, Weeibee, Bundaberg, Ballarat, Melbourne and Canberra. On Sunday, July 28 rallies will take place in Adelaide, the Sunshine Coast, Geelong, Bendigo, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Orange and Port Macquarie.
Organisers of the "No More" rallies, the What Were You Wearing advocacy group, have put forward two demands to the federal government:
- Mandatory informed training for first responders across Australia
- Funding for grassroots organisations in the domestic, family, sexual violence sector, including men's behaviour change programs and women's refugees
If you don't know what to do, or how to make your voice heard you can do it here.
In April hundreds turn out at Robertson Park, Orange. Thousands turn out around the nation.
What's happening right now, isn't okay and it needs to change.
We need to do everything we can to make it happen.
Do you have thoughts about gendered violence? Do you have a story to tell? Email grace.ryan@centralwesterndaily.com.au