Hundreds of Australian men and women have gathered in cities and towns across the country to protest against the prevalent gender violence in the country.
The steep rise in the number of women killed so far this year paved the way for demonstrations in the country. The protesters demanded stricter laws to be put in place to stop the killings.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the issue was a national crisis.
In Australia, a woman has been killed on average every four days so far this year. A 35-year-old man was formally charged on Sunday with the murder of a 30-year-old woman in WA.
While speaking at a march in Canberra, Albanese said the government was required to do better.
"We need to change culture, the attitudes, the legal system and the approach by all governments...We need to make sure that this isn't up to women, it's up to men to change men's behaviour as well," he said.
Earlier in 2021, marches took place across the country over allegations of sexual misconduct within the government.
Earlier this month, a man stabbed six people to death in a Sydney shopping centre. Five of the victims were women and the police are still investigating if it's a hate crime.
According to data by the campaign group Destroy the Joint, 27 women were killed in the first 119 days of 2024.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan attended a march through Melbourne's CBD and thanked the organisers for bringing the community together for the event.
"We need to stop talking about women's safety and get on and tackle men's violence, that's the issue here," Ms Allan said.
"It's about men — for some men — their ongoing pattern of violence against women and how women deserve the right to be safe in every space."
Protests were carried out in various places including Perth, Brisbane, Bendigo and Cobram. "It is a visual representation of some of the people, women and children, that have been killed as a result of domestic and family violence," organiser Melissa Venville was quoted by ABC news.
