‘Just Say Goodbye’ (January 2013 online edition)

‘Just Say Goodbye’children are at a greater risk for fatal abuse, while older children are more at riskof intentional or purposeful filicide (Hatters Friedman et al. 2005).Both men and women perpetrate fatal abuse filicides, but research shows thatmost fatal abuse filicides are perpetrated by men (Fujiwara et al. 2009, Liem &Koenraadt 2008).Alder and Polk (2001) undertook a comprehensive study of child homicidesin Victoria from 1985 to 1995. They found that approximately 75 per cent offatal abuse filicides were perpetrated by men (Alder and Polk 2001:123). Theyalso found that a larger proportion of the overall filicides by fathers are fatalassaults (58 per cent) than they are for mothers (23 per cent). 33Stepfathers are more likely than biological fathers to kill in the context offatal abuse (Cavanagh 2007). Alder and Polk found that over half the men whoperpetrated fatal abuse filicides were stepfathers of the child (2001). A NSWstudy found that 67 per cent of the perpetrators of fatal abuse filicides weremale and 33 per cent were female (Nielssen et al. 2009). In some fatal abusefilicides, mothers are co-accused with the father or stepfather (Nielssen et al.2009). In some instances mothers may be implicated for failing to protect thechild from their partner’s violence (Oberman and Meyer 2008).Fujiwara et al. note that the ‘preponderance of men’ in the fatal abuse categoryis ‘striking, given the far greater time that women typically spend caring forinfants (2009:214). Wilczynski found that men are more likely than women tokill when disciplining the child, out of jealousy or because they felt rejected bythe child (1995b).Links with intimate partner violenceA common feature of fatal abuse filicides by fathers is that the mother of thechild is also a victim of the violence (Alder and Polk 2001). A UK study of fatalabuse filicides by fathers found that violence against the mother was occurringin 71 per cent of the cases (Cavanagh et al. 2007). This is consistent withresearch on child abuse generally, which shows that where there is abuse ofchildren, it is very likely that there will also be violence against the mother(Grealy et al. 2008). It has also been found that when mothers perpetrate fatalabuse they are also often victims of their partner’s violence (Oberman & Meyer2008).Many fatal abuse cases involve a history of abusive behaviour towards thechild and have therefore come to the attention of the child protection systembefore the death. In Victoria, the Victorian Child Death Review Committee(VCDRC) investigates and reports on deaths were the child has been involved33 See Table A5 in Appendix. The table also shows that filicides by mothers were most commonly neonaticides(27 per cent) and filicide-suicides (27 per cent).23