We count them because they count. Every woman behind this number was a living, breathing person, not just a statistic, not a fleeting headline, and never a talking point for political moments.
2026 Femicide Tracker
Updated 16 August 2026
She carried hopes. She dreamed boldly. She mapped out plans for her future.
She was cherished. She gave love freely. There were people who knew her laughter, understood her fears, and shared in the future she pictured for herself.
She should be here, living her story.
The Mantrums tracks the number of women lost to violence in Australia because these deaths must be seen, acknowledged and faced. We refuse to let women become just a number on a screen.
The number matters because every woman counted was someone who mattered.
Numbers help us understand the scale of violence against women. They expose patterns, challenge denial, and make it harder for governments, institutions and the public to look away.
But numbers can also erase the richness of lives.
Behind every increase in this count is a woman whose life cannot be summed up by a statistic. She had relationships, daily rituals, memories, ambitions and unfinished dreams. Her death leaves grief that lingers long after the headlines fade.
We refuse to remember these women only for the violence that ended their lives. Their stories were larger than the tragedy that took them.
The number matters because every woman counted was someone who mattered.
Too often, violence against women is reported as an isolated tragedy: a terrible event, a stunned community, a familiar photograph and then silence.
Recording these tragedies together reveals broader patterns of gendered violence in Australia. It compels us to ask hard questions:
We track these deaths because silence shields broken systems, not women.
We track them because public attention cannot start and stop with the latest horrific headline.
We track them because every woman deserves to be remembered—and every woman still living deserves meaningful action to make her safer.
Australian Femicide Watch
Journalist and femicide researcher Sherele Moody, founder of Australian Femicide Watch and the RED HEART Movement.
Counting Dead Women Australia
The long-running project operated by feminist advocacy group Destroy the Joint.
Official information
Police statements, court reporting and coronial information.
Verified specialist reporting
Reputable news organisations and other credible specialist resources.
Counting Dead Women Australia has tracked women killed by violence nationally since 2012, while Sherele Moody’s work documents and commemorates women and children killed through violence.
We review available information carefully and update our count when credible new details emerge. When facts remain unconfirmed, contested or subject to legal proceedings, we will say so. This tracker is intended to inform and commemorate—not speculate, sensationalise or compromise justice.
When it is responsible and right, we will share more than a name or a number.
We want to remember who these women were before violence turned them into news: their achievements, their bonds, their passions, the people they cherished and the futures taken from them.
We will approach these stories with care for surviving families and communities. We will not publish graphic details for shock value. We will not romanticise perpetrators, search for excuses or imply a woman’s choices caused the violence against her.
Responsibility belongs with the person who chose violence.
A national count is a record of failure. It should never become something we accept as inevitable.
Awareness alone will not save women. Nor will political condolences, fleeting outrage or promises made only when another woman’s death demands attention.
Preventing femicide demands ongoing investment in specialist services, safe housing, prevention, early intervention and justice systems that understand coercive control and gendered violence. It calls for accountability from governments, institutions, media and perpetrators.
Most of all, it asks us to value women while they are living, not just grieve for them after they are gone.
1800RESPECT
National domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support.
Lifeline
24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
13YARN
Culturally safe crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
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