Government
Violence against women: Australia adopts measures
In Canberra, a woman calls for “Justice for Women”. photo
© Lukas Coch/AAP/dpa
In Australia, on average, a woman is killed every four days by a man in her immediate circle. The government reacts after mass demonstrations. It’s about financial aid and deepfake pornography.
Since the beginning of the year, 27 women have been killed in Australia, almost twice as many as in the same period last year. At the weekend, tens of thousands demonstrated across the country against gender-based violence.
Albanese announced a package worth 925 million Australian dollars – more than 560 million euros – after a special meeting with the heads of government of all Australian states and territories. Through the “Leaving Violence” program, women who are victims of domestic violence will in future be able to receive around 3,000 euros in emergency aid to help them escape the relationship.
A ban on deepfake pornography should also be enshrined in law. This means that the distribution of pornographic material created with the help of artificial intelligence will be punished under criminal law, Albanese said. This is specifically about content that shows violent and misogynistic content. “Such content is extremely harmful to women and girls and there can be no tolerance for it,” Albanese tweeted. Children’s access to pornographic material should also be made more difficult.
Terrible statistics
In Australia, on average, a woman is killed every four days by her partner or another man close to her. “Men have to change their behavior. We have to change the whole culture,” Albanese said on Monday.
Just on Sunday, a 35-year-old in the state of Western Australia was officially charged with the murder of a 30-year-old woman. Previously, three women died from gender-based violence in just two months in the city of Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne. In mid-April, a 40-year-old killed six people, including five women, in a shopping center near Sydney’s world-famous Bondi Beach. His father later said his son was frustrated because he didn’t have a girlfriend.