The foreknowledge of risk and the preventability of lethal domestic violence against women: A case study analysis

• In Event: Global Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Violence against women is arguably the most important issue threatening the safety and lives of women and girls globally. It is estimated that the costs associated with violence against women worldwide amount to $6.3 trillion each year. In Australia alone violence against women is the biggest contributor to ill health and premature death in women aged 15 to 44 year-old. While research reveals that domestic homicide is the most preventable form of lethal violence, responses to such violence continue to be largely reactive. To demonstrate the foreknowledge of risk and therefore the preventability of lethal violence against women, this paper presents the findings of a case study analysis of 209 women killed by an intimate partner in Victoria (Australia) over a 10-year period. Drawing on sentencing judgment data, the study reveals the presence of significant risk in the lives of women prior to the act of homicide and points to the range of opportunities for intervention in justice, community and health settings. The relevance of these findings for support services, prevention initiatives and justice system responses in Australia and other comparable international jurisdictions will be explored.

Author

• Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Monash University