Latest news with #AustralianFemicideWatch
Sky News AU
29-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Cairns mother, Krystel Paul, had 'packed her bags' to leave before being shot to death by husband in tragic murder-suicide
Cairns mother, Krystel Paul, who was shot dead by her husband in a murder-suicide on Tuesday, had 'packed her bags' and was moments away from fleeing before she was killed. Krystel, 41, was shot to death by her husband, James Paul, on Tuesday night, before he turned the gun on himself. The horrifying deaths made headlines earlier this week when it was revealed the couple's 10-year-old daughter was instructed by her dad to run from the home and call her grandmother to say her mother had died. The little girl fled the home to her neighbour's house moments before gunshots rang out. The neighbours dialled Triple-0 and police arrived at the Mount Sheridan home to find the couple's bodies in the bathroom and main room of the house. Award-winning journalist and prominent advocate against violence toward women and children, Sherele Moody, received a message from a friend of Krystel, who revealed the beloved mother had packed her and her daughters' belongings into the boot of the car and was just moments away from fleeing when she was violently killed. Ms Moody, founder of the Australian Femicide Watch - which tracks every known case of Australian women and children killed due to murder, manslaughter, or neglect - pointed to the tragic new details as a stark reminder of why women in domestic violence situations so often struggle to report abuse or leave. 'Krystel Paul had packed her bags, put them in the boot of her car and was walking out the door,' she posted on X. 'He shot her to death. 'This is why women don't report. This is why women don't leave. 'Most women don't leave because they know he'll try to kill them'. Ms Moody's foundation lists Krystel as the 31st Australian woman killed this year and the 134th lost to violence since January 1, 2024. The mother owned a bridal boutique in the Cairns CBD and has been remembered as a quiet and gentle person who will be deeply missed. On Wednesday afternoon, Cairns Police Detective Acting Inspector Alina Bell confirmed her 10-year-old daughter left her family's home just moments before her parents died. She also revealed the young girl had been 'alerted to the incident occurring' before she reached out for help from a neighbour. Mount Sheridan resident Danna Lancini told the Courier Mail: 'I had to comfort her last night because she told me that her mum was dead". '(The girl) said 'my dad sent me here because she's dead'," Ms Lancini said. '(My husband) heard the two, 'bang, bang', and then the daughter was on our front door. 'The two shots must have been when she was running.' Police have asked anyone with information or relevant footage in the area to come forward as investigations remain ongoing. You can support Ms Moody's foundation for women and children lost to violence at:
The Advertiser
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Rallies call to stop gendered violence before it starts
Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in rallies across Australia calling for an end to gendered and sexual violence, urging preventative action instead of just reaction. It follows a federal election campaign when advocates say the issue was not given enough attention. The No More: National Rally Against Violence has been organised by What Were You Wearing, a survivor support organisation. Its founder, Sarah Williams, told AAP gendered and sexual violence needed to be treated proactively. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she said. "The rally isn't just for the women that are being murdered, it's the sexual violence survivors as well." Rallies are planned on Saturday in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Organisers urged men to attend to say "no more" to violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Ms Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education needed expansion to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations. Ms Williams said her experience coaching boys soccer demonstrated the opportunities available. Twenty-four women and seven children have died from violence in 2025, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. There is no government-run national domestic violence register, which advocates say is needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies will also call for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. Ms Williams famously accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of lying at a Canberra rally in April 2024 when he claimed to have been denied a chance to speak. She said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. "And actually listen to the services and do what they're asking, not just come up with your own solutions," Ms Williams said. Affirmative consent laws introduced in some states should also be rolled out nationwide, she added. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in rallies across Australia calling for an end to gendered and sexual violence, urging preventative action instead of just reaction. It follows a federal election campaign when advocates say the issue was not given enough attention. The No More: National Rally Against Violence has been organised by What Were You Wearing, a survivor support organisation. Its founder, Sarah Williams, told AAP gendered and sexual violence needed to be treated proactively. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she said. "The rally isn't just for the women that are being murdered, it's the sexual violence survivors as well." Rallies are planned on Saturday in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Organisers urged men to attend to say "no more" to violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Ms Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education needed expansion to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations. Ms Williams said her experience coaching boys soccer demonstrated the opportunities available. Twenty-four women and seven children have died from violence in 2025, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. There is no government-run national domestic violence register, which advocates say is needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies will also call for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. Ms Williams famously accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of lying at a Canberra rally in April 2024 when he claimed to have been denied a chance to speak. She said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. "And actually listen to the services and do what they're asking, not just come up with your own solutions," Ms Williams said. Affirmative consent laws introduced in some states should also be rolled out nationwide, she added. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in rallies across Australia calling for an end to gendered and sexual violence, urging preventative action instead of just reaction. It follows a federal election campaign when advocates say the issue was not given enough attention. The No More: National Rally Against Violence has been organised by What Were You Wearing, a survivor support organisation. Its founder, Sarah Williams, told AAP gendered and sexual violence needed to be treated proactively. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she said. "The rally isn't just for the women that are being murdered, it's the sexual violence survivors as well." Rallies are planned on Saturday in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Organisers urged men to attend to say "no more" to violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Ms Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education needed expansion to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations. Ms Williams said her experience coaching boys soccer demonstrated the opportunities available. Twenty-four women and seven children have died from violence in 2025, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. There is no government-run national domestic violence register, which advocates say is needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies will also call for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. Ms Williams famously accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of lying at a Canberra rally in April 2024 when he claimed to have been denied a chance to speak. She said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. "And actually listen to the services and do what they're asking, not just come up with your own solutions," Ms Williams said. Affirmative consent laws introduced in some states should also be rolled out nationwide, she added. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in rallies across Australia calling for an end to gendered and sexual violence, urging preventative action instead of just reaction. It follows a federal election campaign when advocates say the issue was not given enough attention. The No More: National Rally Against Violence has been organised by What Were You Wearing, a survivor support organisation. Its founder, Sarah Williams, told AAP gendered and sexual violence needed to be treated proactively. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she said. "The rally isn't just for the women that are being murdered, it's the sexual violence survivors as well." Rallies are planned on Saturday in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Organisers urged men to attend to say "no more" to violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Ms Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education needed expansion to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations. Ms Williams said her experience coaching boys soccer demonstrated the opportunities available. Twenty-four women and seven children have died from violence in 2025, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. There is no government-run national domestic violence register, which advocates say is needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies will also call for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. Ms Williams famously accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of lying at a Canberra rally in April 2024 when he claimed to have been denied a chance to speak. She said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. "And actually listen to the services and do what they're asking, not just come up with your own solutions," Ms Williams said. Affirmative consent laws introduced in some states should also be rolled out nationwide, she added. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Rallies call to stop gendered violence before it starts
Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in rallies across Australia calling for an end to gendered and sexual violence, urging preventative action instead of just reaction. It follows a federal election campaign when advocates say the issue was not given enough attention. The No More: National Rally Against Violence has been organised by What Were You Wearing, a survivor support organisation. Its founder, Sarah Williams, told AAP gendered and sexual violence needed to be treated proactively. "We need to be able to stop it before it starts," she said. "The rally isn't just for the women that are being murdered, it's the sexual violence survivors as well." Rallies are planned on Saturday in every state capital as well as several regional cities and towns. Organisers urged men to attend to say "no more" to violence against women. "Men listen to men ... we need more male role models out there," Ms Williams said. Consent and healthy relationship education needed expansion to more schools with additional funding, and community sporting clubs and major codes could also play a role in reaching different generations. Ms Williams said her experience coaching boys soccer demonstrated the opportunities available. Twenty-four women and seven children have died from violence in 2025, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. There is no government-run national domestic violence register, which advocates say is needed to track the issue. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, marked each May, is an opportunity to raise community awareness of the impacts of violence and the support available to those affected. The rallies will also call for fully funded frontline domestic violence services, expanded crisis accommodation and increased funding for primary prevention programs. Mandatory trauma-informed training for all first responders should also be rolled out, organisers said. The re-elected Labor government previously promised to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from abusing tax and superannuation systems. It has also pledged to invest more funding to stop high-risk perpetrators through electronic monitoring. Ms Williams famously accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of lying at a Canberra rally in April 2024 when he claimed to have been denied a chance to speak. She said the government should engage with a wider range of organisations and advocates in the sector. "And actually listen to the services and do what they're asking, not just come up with your own solutions," Ms Williams said. Affirmative consent laws introduced in some states should also be rolled out nationwide, she added. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
07-05-2025
- Perth Now
Victims of violence honoured in candlelight vigils
Sitting in a courtroom feeling frightened, lonely and uncertain, Farah Mak's life changed when a woman gently sat down next to her. The woman was a court support officer from Safe Steps, an organisation that provides immediate, life-saving support to Victorians experiencing family and domestic violence. "I can't remember her name or her face, but a decade on I remember how she made me feel," Ms Mak told AAP. "Facing a perpetrator in the judicial system is very difficult, but having a Safe Steps court support worker made the biggest difference and I felt like I had my mum or best friend with me through the process." On National Domestic Violence Remembrance Day, Safe Steps held its annual candlelight vigil at the Family Violence Memorial Garden in Melbourne. Vigils were held across Australia on Wednesday night to honour the lives lost to family and domestic violence. The vigils started in 2005 and are held annually. Twenty-four women and seven children have died in 2025 as a result of violence, according to the Australian Femicide Watch website. There is no government-run national domestic violence register, which advocates say is needed to track the issue. One in four Australian women has experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member, while 12 per cent of adults witnessed partner violence as children. Up to almost 40 per cent of children have experienced exposure to domestic violence before the age of 18. "Domestic and family violence is still a national crisis, affecting 21 per cent of adult Australians and leaving a devastating toll on individuals, families, and communities," Safe Steps chief executive Chelsea Tobin said. According to Safe Steps, it can take seven to 12 attempts for a victim to leave their abuser. "This highlights the urgent need to raise awareness about available support services, ensuring victim-survivors know where to turn and feel empowered to seek help when ready," Dr Tobin said. As a survivor, Ms Mak now advocates across various platforms, breaking down stigma and helping others to seek help. She wants to give other women hope when escaping domestic violence and transform their pain into healing and empowerment. "Domestic and family violence rates in Australia are only increasing and it's pretty devastating," she said. "Simple things could start to make a change like school education, empowerment programs for survivors and trauma-informed legal practices." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14
ABC News
03-05-2025
- ABC News
She Matters memorial to women who allegedly died by violence defaced in Melbourne's Hosier Lane
A mural in Melbourne's CBD honouring women who have allegedly died as a result of predominantly male violence has been defaced. The "She Matters" mural bearing the names, pictures and artistic images of more than 100 Australian women who were allegedly murdered or died due to violence has been spray-painted with the words "war on men". The memorial was erected in the street art space, Hosier Lane, on International Women's Day in 2024 and has been maintained by The Red Hearts Campaign and Australian Femicide Watch founder Sherele Moody, who said she had been making repairs and adding new photos to the mural "pretty much weekly". She said she received calls and photos of the damage on Friday, describing the vandalism as abhorrent and soul destroying. "I know most of the families who have victims on that wall and it's just heartbreaking for me to know that someone thought that these people were so insignificant that they could write that on top of it," Ms Moody said. Sherele Moody says the vandalism to the mural is soul destroying. ( Instagram: Sherele Moody ) She said the mural was regularly defaced, with individual images needing to be reprinted in the past. But Ms Moody said this act of vandalism was the worst damage since it was put up, with almost the entire mural needing to be replaced. "I don't know what was worse — I don't know if I was more devastated or more angry," she said. "The worst part was having relatives of women on there contacting me … equally as devastated that their people were erased like that. " These women have already been erased and someone's just gone down and erased them again. " A group of volunteers gathered in Hosier Lane on Saturday morning to help Ms Moody with the repairs. She said graffiti-protection paint would be used to try to stop it from being damaged in the future, and she was considering hiring a security guard to watch over the mural until the protective layer dried. A vigil for women who have died was due to be held at the She Matters mural on Mother's Day next weekend. 'That mural has sparked conversations around the world, footage of it has gone global," Ms Moody said. "I've sat down there some days and listened to the conversations from women mainly talking about their experiences of violence, talking about the red flags, talking about the things that saved them. "I've sat there and listened to men going 'wow, I had no idea this was happening. This is something I want to be a part of to fix' so it's really important.' Ms Moody pleaded for anybody who had any footage of those responsible for the damage to contact her. She said she was unsure if police could take any action because street art is allowed anywhere in Hosier Lane. 'I would really love for the Melbourne City Council to come down and look at the mural and actually recognise its importance and if they can't help me protect it there then help me move it to a wall where it can be protected.' Victoria Police said it was unaware of whether a complaint had been made. The ABC has contacted the City of Melbourne.
