In Australia, the second most common type of domestic homicide is the murder of one’s own child, with 138 children killed in the eight years to 2018 including 106 in a domestic and family violence context.
They are shocking stats to consider, but ones that came into fast focus over the weekend as the details of the house fire in Lalor Park started to emerge.
Three children were killed in the fire in Western Sydney early Sunday morning, including two boys and their baby sister. They were three of the seven children who were trapped in the house, along with their mother. The family screamed as neighbours and police tried to get into the house – an effort that was hindered by the children’s own father, who is alleged to have intentionally trapped his family in the inferno.
Words like “senseless” and “horrifying” have been used in the days since, as they often are in these cases. The crimes are too difficult to comprehend. There are no words strong enough to describe the horror of this situation juxtaposed against the images of the charred remains of the house which included a large van in the driveway, typical of a large family, and a baby walker out the front. There are no words strong enough to consider what the survivors went through – including a young mother and her four surviving children, all under the age of eleven including one who told neighbours, “Dad tried to kill us”.
Just as there were no words to fathom a father killed his two-year-old during a custody visit in the Northern Rivers in May this year.
But a lack of words shouldn’t mean we stay silent on considering what could prevent these things from occurring.
Until recently, there has been very little research into the killing of children in Australia and some of the common themes amongst such cases, which present opportunities for intervention.
But that research happened to arrive in the weeks prior to the weekend’s events.
Now, if ever there was a time to discuss how to stop these murders and the lifetime of pain that follows for survivors, including siblings, it’s now.
Earlier this month, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) released details on 113 cases of filicide, which refers to a parent killing a child, noting that 138 children have been killed between 2010 and 2018, with almost a third of them babies under the age of one and 69 per cent in their first five months. The killings have mostly been at the hands of men – who accounted for 68 per cent of the murders, with the most common age bracket being between the ages of 20 and 29, at 44 per cent. 106 of the 138 children murdered (or 76 per cent) were victims of “DFV-Context filicide” which refers to cases where there was an identifiable history of domestic and family violence.
The ANROWs report, in partnership with the Australian Domestic & Family Violence Death Review Network, is the first national examination of filicide figures in the context of domestic and family violence, highlighting how intimate partner violence is a major factor in cases of a parent killing their child.
It’s telling that it’s taken this long for such a report to be funded, but its findings must not be overlooked or dismissed.
The report found that family and domestic violence is not the only factor (and we’re yet to learn if such a history was evident in relation to the Lalor Park family) but it is clearly one of the most common factors, with ANROWS noting the importance of understanding the impact of violence and resourcing effective interventions.
ANROWS found a history of intimate partner violence in 88 per cent of cases, and a history of child abuse in 78 per cent of cases. They found a common history of perpetrating intimate partner violence when fathers killed children. When mothers kill their children, ANROWs found a common history of experiencing intimate partner violence.
Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine, CEO of ANROWs, has said in response to the weekend’s events that more services need to step in when they have concerns. This includes healthcare services, education and other practitioners being equipped with the knowledge to ask questions, raise alarms, sharing advice on what to do if they have concerns about children’s safety.
Early intervention is critical. However, urgent funding is required to equip healthcare and education workers with the knowledge necessary to conduct such interventions.
ANROWs shares a number of recommendations following its report, including seeing any risk of intimate partner violence towards women as a risk of violence towards their children, addressing the role of fathers and stepfathers in children’s lives and supporting them to thrive in such roles, promoting community-wide education in acknowledging the effect s of DFV on children, identifying and address the obstacles families encounter in accessing services – ensuring, and investing in an integrated, holistic and multi-agency approach when responding to families experiencing DVF including where it occurs alongside drug and alcohol use and mental health issues.
Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, meanwhile, recently outlined a case for a federal minister for children. Ten years since her son Luke was killed by his father, Batty urged the country to “commit to listening to children’s voices” in an address to the National Press Club in April this year.
The deaths of children make headlines in stories that some will find too painful to read or want to think about. But it’s not something that can be ignored as a tragic outcome or too shocking to speak about, especially now that we have at least some data on the circumstances that can lead to such murders and recommendations on what should be done next.
Read the ANROWS report and understand the key findings. It’s our opportunity to have words that go beyond “senseless” to “never again”.
Pictured above: Flowers from a 2020 memorial for Hannah Clark and her three children, who were brutally murdered by Clark’s estranged husband.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit http://www.ntv.org.au.