The names of 43 women and children killed in violent attacks echoed through Wollongong's CBD this week as community leaders demanded urgent action on Australia's gender violence crisis.
Emotional Vigil Highlights Growing Death Toll
Michelle Glasgow's voice trembled with emotion as she stood in MacCabe Park during Tuesday's rose vigil, reading aloud the names of each victim. The general manager of Women Illawarra clutched a white paper listing the ever-growing death toll that has shocked communities across Australia.
"We see the impacts of this violence in our community on a day-to-day basis, but when you put a name and a face and an age, and humanise the victims of these homicides in Australia, which are not going down, it's heartbreaking. You never get used to it," Ms Glasgow said.
The fourth annual rose vigil marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and launched the United Nations' 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. For each name read, a single rose was laid on the grass, creating a powerful visual representation of the lives lost.
Alarming Statistics Reveal Worsening Crisis
The vigil came as new data revealed the shocking scale of violence against women in Australia. According to researchers from Counting Dead Women Australia and Destroy The Joint, 80 women were killed violently in Australia last year, with 43 deaths recorded so far in 2025.
In the Illawarra region specifically, domestic violence assaults have spiked dramatically over the past two years. Reported domestic violence cases increased by 12.4 percent, rising from 1003 annually to 1127. Sexual assault cases jumped even more sharply, with a 17.2 percent increase from 443 to 519 reported incidents.
Jess Davidson, general manager of Illawarra Women's Health Centre, emphasised that these numbers only reflect cases reported to police, with experts acknowledging that gender-based violence has long been underreported.
Community Urged to Take Action
Ms Glasgow stressed that violence against women and girls affects all segments of society. "It affects women from all socioeconomic and backgrounds, it knows no boundaries unfortunately," she told the gathered crowd.
She urged community members to educate themselves about gender-based violence, learn about local support resources, and speak up when they witness concerning behaviour. "You can call it out in a very gentle way, but most women experiencing violence, particularly at the hands of somebody that says that they love them, are very isolated," she explained.
During the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, Ms Glasgow encouraged people to share educational posts from Women Illawarra online to spread awareness across the community.
The list of women killed in gender-based violence this year includes victims from diverse backgrounds and locations across Australia:
- Marcia Chalmers, 86, Glebe, NSW
- Rhukaya Lake, 39, Kearsley, NSW
- Lisa Ward, 55, Ulmarra, NSW
- Unidentified woman, 58, Broome, WA
- Jordana Johnson, 36, Toolooa, Qld
- Unnamed woman, Epping, Vic
- Irene Selmes, 84, Melbona, NSW
- Unnamed woman, 52, Casuarina, NT
- Unnamed woman, 23, Mullumbimby, NSW
- Unnamed woman, 31, Palmerston, NT
- Carra Luke, 48, Taigum, Qld
- Unnamed woman, 30, Bassendean, WA
- Anu Kumar, 32, Cobram, Vic
- Summer Fleming, 20, Rutherford, NSW
- Athena Georgopoulos, 39, Mount Waverley, Vic
- Zoe Walker, 38, Upper Ferntree Gully, Vic
- Shafeeqa Husseini, 41, Bordertown SA
- Amanda Ramen, 62, Mount Pritchard, NSW
- Unnamed woman, 81, Coleraine, Vic
- Leanne Akrap, 47, Werrington, NSW
- Unnamed woman, 22, Palmerston, NT
- Krystel Paul, 41, Cairns, Qld
- Norma Dutton, 85, Brooloo, Qld
- Lauren Hopkins, 47, Redfern, NSW
- Muzhda Habibi, 23, Springfield Lakes, Qld
- Unidentified woman, 48, North Hamilton, Vic
- Pheobe Bishop, 17, Gin Gin, Qld
- Unidentified woman, 28, Elizabeth East, SA
- Unnamed woman, 39, Mowanjum Community, WA
- Thi Kim Tran, 45, Bankstown, NSW
- Louise Hung, Geham, Qld
- Czarina Tumaliuan, 42, Werribewe, Vic
- Cecilia Webb, 79, The Gap, Qld
- Audrey Grifin, 19, Erina, NSW
- Irene Herzel, 78, Blackburn South, NSW
- Kara Weribone, 27, North Toowoomba, Qld
- Crystal Beale, 49, Brisbane, Qld
- Unnamed woman, 41, Braitling, NT
- Rachel Moresi, 55, Mount Gambier, SA
- Rachel McKenna, 35, Ascot Vale, Vic
- Lilian Donnelly, 88, Port Kennedy, WA
- Merril Kelly, Quambatook, Vic
- Unnamed woman, 51, Todd River, NT
The event organisers noted that some victims remain unnamed as their cases are still under investigation, occurred in remote areas, or were Indigenous victims where cultural protocols must be respected.
