<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>340464</docID> <postdate>2025-03-16 06:59:47</postdate> <headline>National emergency urged for deadly attacks on women</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-340465" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250315114816807672-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>Stop Killing Women rallies have been held across Australia calling to end to violence against women. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Aaron Bunch</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Violence against women should be treated as a national emergency, says a senator in the wake of determined protest action across the country.</strong></p> <p>Hundreds of people braved heatwave conditions in many of the cities and towns where protests were held on Saturday as they voiced a simple yet powerful message: stop killing women.</p> <p>Speaking to a large crowd in Perth, Greens senator Dorinda Cox demanded more action to keep women safe.</p> <p>"What's more important than 14 women just this year dying? What's more important than 114 women dying in a 14-month period last year... nothing," she told reporters.</p> <p>"Women continue to have their voices silenced in this country and that's got to stop. We need our political leaders to listen to women.</p> <p>"They are 50 per cent of this population and the government needs to recognise that."</p> <p>Protests were held in capital cities and regional centres, organised and funded by Australian Femicide Watch and the Red Heart Campaign.</p> <p>Sherele Moody of Femicide Watch said she was disappointed many invited politicians had failed to attend the rallies.</p> <p>"Leaders were invited, especially (Prime Minister Anthony) Albanese ... There's been no presence from him," she said.</p> <p>"There's no one turning up for the rallies in WA, no one bothering to turn up the huge rally in Alice Springs, Brisbane, Canberra, they're just, it's like they don't care."</p> <p>Ms Moody said tens of thousands of women experienced abuse in Australia every day and the nation needed to "wake up".</p> <p>"Heading into the national election... people need to vote for the parties that give a s*** about women," she said.</p> <p>Violence has resulted in the deaths of 117 women since January 2024, including 14 killed since the start of 2025.</p> <p>Advocates also want a national register to track the number of female deaths to violence.</p> </body>