‘Just Say Goodbye’ (January 2013 online edition)

DVRCV Discussion Paper No. 8shapes public discourse on the subject and the way people understand the events(Bullock & Cubert 2002, Neale & Worrell 2010). But media depictions of childhomicide are very inconsistent and journalists are often looking for ways toexplain what has happened without success.There has been extensive activism across Australia and internationally aroundthe issue of women and children killed by men in their families. One of theearly campaigns by the Women’s Coalition Against Family Violence resultedin a book Blood on Whose Hands?, which documented the deaths of womenand children in Victoria (1994). This raised awareness about this issue with thecommunity, media, policy makers, police and the judiciary.As these deaths continue to occur, there is a need for ongoing awarenessraising and community education. Current campaigns and initiatives at thestate and federal level that seek to challenge the social attitudes that underliefamily violence are critical. It is important such campaigns challenge ideas thatare used to justify violence, including the misconceptions about family lawoutlined in Chapter 4 – in particular, the notion parents are driven to violencebecause they are not able to see their children after separation. Parents shouldbe encouraged to seek help and strive to form positive, respectful relationshipsin the best interests of their children. We also need to challenge the sense ofentitlement that some men continue to have in relation to their families, anentitlement that leads them to believe their partner has no right to leave themand no right to form a new relationship, and that punishing her is justifiedbecause of the suffering they experience.This paper shows intimate partner violence against women is a key factor inmany filicides and retaliatory filicides are also a form of violence against women.Initiatives aimed at responding to, and preventing, these forms of violence arelikely to be important for preventing future deaths of children that occur inthe context of their parents’ separation. Ongoing state and federal initiativesare critical. The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and theirChildren, developed by the National Council to Reduce Violence AgainstWomen and their Children (NCRVWC) includes important strategies such asadvancing gender equality and improving services to meet the needs of womenand their children experiencing violence (NCRVWC 2011).At the state level, the continuation of initiatives outlined in A Right to Respect:Victoria’s Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women 2010–2020 (Office of Women’sPolicy 2009) and A Right to Safety and Justice: Strategic Framework to GuideContinuing Family Violence Reform in Victoria 2010–2020 (Office of Women’sPolicy 2010) would be likely to contribute to the prevention of filicides inVictoria.90