A New Mother, A Loving Mum, A Teen Girl: Three Alleged Domestic Violence Tragedies in Days Leave Australia Demanding Answers
Three women have died in alleged domestic violence murders in a single week in Australia, sparking renewed cries for urgent action.
The body of new mother Jana Armstrong, 30, was found by pig hunters about an hour from her home in Queensland’s southwest on July 11.
Her former partner and father to her child Dharminder Singh, 48, has been charged with her murder.
Mr Singh’s lawyer has said his client denies the charges against him.
Jana Armstrong is pictured holding her newborn child. Picture: GoFundMe
Lavanya Chappa was allegedly murdered by her husband.
Just days earlier on July 7, loving mother Lavanya Chappa, 39, was stabbed to death at her home at Vermont in Melbourne’s east. Ms Chappa’s husband, 39, was charged with her murder.
A 17-year-old girl, who has not been named, allegedly died from blunt force injuries on a remote island in the Northern Territory the day prior.
She was in a domestic relationship with Jordan Garrawurra, 34, who has been charged with her murder.
Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersly said their deaths – all allegedly at the hands of men – in such a short period was devastating.
“Behind every headline is a woman whose life has been taken, and families, friends and communities whose lives have been changed forever,” she said.
“Every death caused by violence against women is preventable.
“This violence is not inevitable, and it must never be accepted as an unavoidable part of Australian life.”
Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersly. Picture: supplied
Ms Kinnersly said preventing violence against women required a sustained, whole-of-society approach to challenging sexism and promoting equality and respect.
“Governments, workplaces, schools, sporting organisations, the media, communities and individuals all have a role in building a society in which all women are safe, equal and respected,” she said.
The number of women killed in Australia has reached 37 this year, according to Australian Femicide Watch.
The latest statistics indicate one woman is killed about every nine days.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said there were already thousands of recommendations from major inquiries into how to combat these issues in Australia.
“What we need to see is action and funding that is commensurate with the scale of the problem,” she said.
“We need everybody in the community, services, and across all government agencies to recognise that this is everybody’s business to take action, to ask the questions and offer support.
“This is not a problem that can be tackled by domestic, family and sexual violence specialist services alone – we all need to act.”
The Federal Government invested $4.4bn to end violence against women and children under a 10-year national plan that ends in 2032.
Ms Cronin said action and funding were urgently needed. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
The government is currently consulting frontline workers, peak groups and governments across the nation to develop a new action plan during the the second phase of the program, that will focus on areas such as prevention.
A Department of Social Services spokesman said the recent deaths were a reminder that more always needed to be done.
“Every life lost to violence is one too many,” a spokesman said.
“(These) women losing their lives in a single week is a distressing reminder that family and domestic violence continues to have tragic consequences for individuals, families and communities across Australia.
“Preventing family, domestic and sexual violence requires action across prevention, early intervention, response and recovery, as well as continued efforts to hold perpetrators to account and improve the safety of victim-survivors.
“Addressing and preventing family, domestic and sexual violence requires coordinated action across governments, communities and service systems.
“We have to support victim-survivors through specialist services, strengthening early intervention efforts, improving responses to people experiencing violence, and build on programs that work with perpetrators and those at risk of offending to change behaviour and prevent escalation.”
