TW: Discussion of violence against women
According to the Counting Dead Women Australia project, as of the beginning of December, 71 women have been killed by men in 2024. Despite agreement at the highest levels of Government that we are facing a ‘national crisis,’ and despite significant efforts and investment, violence against women is unrelenting.
This isn’t news to women. It isn’t news to the 1 in 2 of us who have experienced sexual harassment. It doesn’t raise an eyebrow from the 1 in 3 of us who have experienced violence by a partner, other known person or a stranger since the age of 15. This isn’t a shocking to any woman who has walked in the dark with her keys in her hand and her heart pounding. Nor to all the women who have sent their friend the details of the man she is meeting ‘just in case’.
I have had the privilege to spend the last few years leading the development of gender equality policies and programs in Victoria. Working to make the lives of women and girls better, including by ending gender-based violence. But gender equality isn’t where I started. I spent the first 17 years of my career working in national security – driving counter terrorism investigations and leading the development of strategies to combat religious and political violent extremism.
On the face of it, these two worlds seem far apart, but they are joined by a common thread – men’s use of violence. There is a compelling similarity between men’s use of violence against women, and violent extremism in a national security context.
Since 2001, there has been a substantial expansion of powers and investment to counter ‘terrorism’ to protect our very way of life. I have no issue with this. Violent extremism, in all forms, is serious and should be treated as such. However, I am often confronted with the feeling that men’s use of violence against women is not treated with the same zero-tolerance approach.
The reasons for this are complex, rooted in the very heart of the male-dominated structures that control our society. But perhaps it is also simple – the very concept of ‘terror’ is defined by the male experience. Our entire national security apparatus is designed to combat the evils men are afraid of – hostile foreign powers, rogue actors, random attacks by a radicalised few. That is not what women are afraid of. Women are afraid of being killed in our homes by someone who claims to love us. We are afraid of that dark walk back to our car. We are afraid that one day, our luck will run out and we will join those 71 women in that terrible count.
I am privileged to have been awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2024 to explore this very issue. If we start to really see the similarities, then we can identify what we can learn from decades of experience in combating men’s violent extremism to then potentially apply to men’s violence against women.
I am interested in examining a range of existing measures and approaches, including methods to disrupt networks, countering extremist narratives, community engagement, and early intervention and diversion.
I am particularly interested in the impact of online radicalisation of young men. There is significant growth in online, anti-women activity. It is in these forums that a hatred takes hold that will fuel that Dead Women Count for decades to come.
Just as we treat ‘terrorism’ as a product of radicalisation, we should acknowledge the roots of misogyny, and its capacity to fuel violence in our homes, schools, streets and workplaces. Just as we treat ‘terrorism’ as unacceptable, so too we must prioritise what women are terrified of – and take the same zero-tolerance approach.
Michele Clark is a Churchill Fellowship recipient with extensive experience in gender
equality, emergency management, and national security issues. Any views or
commentary provided by Michele are not reflective of her employer or employers and
are strictly related to her research and position as a Churchill Fellowship recipient
If you or anyone you know is affected by domestic, family or sexual violence and needs support, please call 1800 RESPECT.