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The Mantrums

Fight Against Femicide

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.

The Mantrums

2026 Femicide Tracker

2026 Femicide Tracker

Updated 01 October 2026

54

Women killed by violence in Australia in 2026

They are not numbers. They were women who loved and were loved. Women with hopes, plans and dreams. They should still be here.

Why we count
Sources include Australian Femicide Watch, Counting Dead Women Australia and verified reporting. Figures may differ between sources because methodologies and reporting timeframes vary.

Need support now?

  • Immediate danger: 000
  • 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
  • Lifeline: 13 11 14
  • 13YARN: 13 92 76
We count them because they count

Every woman counted is someone who mattered.

She had hopes.
She had big dreams.
She made plans for her future.
She was loved. She gave her love openly.
 
People knew her laughter, understood her fears, and imagined the future with her.
 
She should still be here to tell her story.
 
The Mantrums keeps track of how many women are lost to violence in Australia because these deaths need to be seen, recognised, and faced. We will not let women become just numbers on a screen.

The number matters because every woman counted is someone who mattered.

We count them because they count

These Women Are Not Numbers

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 also erase the richness of lives.
 
Behind every increase in this count is a woman whose life can’t 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 are larger than the tragedy that took them.

The number matters because every woman counted was someone who mattered.

Why we track femicide

These deaths are not isolated events.

Too often, violence against women is reported as an isolated tragedy: a terrible event, a stunned community, a familiar photograph. Then silence.
 
Recording these tragedies together reveals broader patterns of gendered violence in Australia.
 
It forces us to ask hard questions:

01

What warnings were missed?

02

Which systems failed?

03

What could have stopped this?

04

Why are women still dying?

We track these deaths because silence shields broken systems, not women.

We track them because public attention can’t 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.

Transparent reporting

Where Our Figures Come From

Source

Australian Femicide Watch

Journalist and femicide researcher Sherele Moody, founder of Australian Femicide Watch and the RED HEART Movement.

Source

Counting Dead Women Australia

The long-running project operated by feminist advocacy group Destroy the Joint.

Source

Official information

Police statements, court reporting and coronial information.

Source

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.

Lives beyond headlines

More Than Their Final Headline

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 to shock. We will not romanticise perpetrators.  We’ll never search for excuses. We’ll never imply a woman’s choices caused the violence against her.

Responsibility belongs with the person who chose violence.

Awareness must become action

Counting Is Not Enough

A national count records failure. That doesn’t mean we accept it as inevitable.
 
Awareness alone doesn’t save women. Nor will political condolences, fleeting outrage, or promises made only when a 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. We need 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.
 

We count them because they count. We remember them because they lived. We fight because women deserve better.

Support is available

If you are in immediate danger call OOO

1800RESPECT

National domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support.

1800 737 732

Lifeline

24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

13 11 14

13YARN

Culturally safe crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

13 92 76

Calls to support services may appear in your phone history. If you are concerned someone is monitoring your device, use a safer device where possible.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.