Australia’s Albanese declares ‘national crisis’ after killings of women
Al Jazeera
Government pledges action after tens of thousands of people rally over killings of women by their partners.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has branded domestic violence a “national crisis” amid an outcry over the rise in the number of killings of women by their intimate partners, and pledged action to tackle the issue, including new funding to help survivors as well as a crackdown on misogynistic online content.
The measures, announced on Wednesday, came after tens of thousands of Australians rallied across the country, including in the cities of Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, demanding the government declare the issue a national emergency.
The protests were prompted by a wave of violence that campaign groups say has seen one woman killed every four days this year as a result of domestic violence.
They also followed a stabbing attack in Sydney in April, during which a knife-wielding assailant killed six people at a busy mall.
Five of his victims were women, and police said it was “obvious” that the attacker was targeting women.