suewittsLamp

❤️SHE MATTERS: SAMANTHA MURPHY!❤️ For the past few weeks, I’ve been holding my breath. Hopeful Ballarat local Samantha Murphy would be found alive and safe. Sadly and maddeningly, this was not to be. A man has today been charged with her murder. It’s believed Samantha did not know her alleged killer. Samantha is the 15th Australian woman killed this year. Samantha – a 51-year-old mum to three children – set out for a run on February 4 from her home in Ballarat East. She was a seasoned athlete who knew the area well. She never made it home. For the past month and three days, police have been trying to locate her. Today they arrested and charged a young man over her death. Her body remains missing. It’s almost always the way when women disappear in Australia that their missing is deliberate. Samantha’s story has been across the media for many weeks – a stark contrast, dare I say, to the Indigenous women who are disappeared but whom we rarely hear a word about. No one begrudges Samantha that spotlight but I hope for the day when other missing and killed women capture our collective attention. At some point we need to talk about the ongoing epidemic of gendered violence against women. ‘Gendered violence’ is a term which does not sit well for so many people in Australia. Just look at the comments on my She Matters posts for evidence of this discomfort. But we do need to talk about it. We do need to talk about the 15 women killed, allegedly by males in the past nine or so week's. It’s a lot of women’s lives erased in such a short time. How is this not a national conversation? Like everyone of the 14 women before her, Samantha’s erasure is a national shame and yet so many Australians are incapable of taking part in the conversations, struggles, movements and decisions needed to change the story. I hope the murder of Samantha is enough to drive the change we need. But I know deep down this will not be so. RIP SAMANTHA MURPHY! ❤️ ❤️Australian Femicide Watch: TheREDHEARTCampaign.org ❤️The Memorial to Women and Children Lost to Violence: TheREDHEARTCampaign.org ❤️The Australian Femicide & Child Death Map: bit.ly/red-hearts I document ALL unlawful deaths of women and children, regardless of perpetrator gender or relationship between the person killed and the accused. This means not every death is due to domestic and family violence. Australians are also killed by strangers, friends, colleagues, neighbours and other people known to them. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEEDS HELP PLEASE CALL: ❤️1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732 ❤️Women's Crisis Line: 1800 811 811 ❤️Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491 ❤️Mensline: 1300 789 978 ❤️Lifeline (24 hours): 131 114