'Today I am speaking in front of thousands of people to say: No more.'

Content warning: This story discusses domestic violence.

It's been three months since Australia last gathered together to march against gendered violence. To march against women being murdered and controlled and hurt and humiliated — most often by men they know and love. But almost always by men.

April's rally, organised by Indigenous-led advocacy organisation, What Where You Wearing (WWYW), was attended by 100,000 people nationwide, sparking a national cabinet meeting and the government's acknowledgment that we are experiencing a national emergency.

But despite our collective noise — when it comes to the men who have the power to generate change, our demands — our pleas, are falling on deaf ears.

Watch: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continues to talk as WWYW founder, Sarah Williams, becomes emotionally distressed. Article continues below.

Since that rally, just three months ago, a further 21 women have been murdered as a result of male violence. Many of those by a current or former intimate partner. 

Then there were the children. Two-year-old Rowan was allegedly murdered by his father during an unsupervised visit — a final and permanent punishment to Rowan's mother, Dr Sophie Roome.

Three more children were killed when another man allegedly set the family home on fire and actively prevented emergency services from rescuing them, as they screamed for their life, trapped within the blaze. Their mother survived, but is sentenced to a life without her children.

In the 2023/24 budget, the government pledged to extend its existing "leaving violence program" and invested money into combatting online misogyny and AI pornography. 

While any and all initiatives are welcome, the announcement was further proof that the government is not really listening. Not to those with lived experience who know what they're facing, who know what they need.

But the government does know how to listen. It all depends on who is doing the talking.

Following the stabbing of a Sydney bishop this year, state governments urgently reviewed Australia's approach to knife regulation, with the NSW government implementing changes to penalties, including the doubling of potential jail time and significant fine increases.

And let's not forget the swift action taken following the tragic deaths of Thomas Kelly, David Cassai, and Daniel Christie, killed, among others, by what we now know of as coward punches.

Their heart-broken parents' incredible activism resulted in both legal and cultural change. Perpetrators were no longer kings, but cowards. And those convicted of one-punch murders risked significantly higher penalties than ever before. 

And yet, women keep being murdered. On average, one woman loses her life to male violence every two-to-four days.

They are killed in their homes and in their cars. They are killed seeking shelter. They are killed in front of their children, when they are young, and when they are old. They're burnt, they're stabbed, they're shot, they're strangled.

They are killed, even when they've done what they've been told do to. Even when they turn to those who are supposed to protect them.

This national emergency is getting worse, not better.

And these murders are just the horrific tip of the iceberg. Thousands more women live in daily fear, their lives controlled — physically, emotionally, financially. 

We tell them to leave, but when they do, who is there to protect them?

They follow the rules; they turn to police, to a justice system that all too often blames them for their own abuse.

They seek shelter, but there is simply not enough funding for the frontline services to support the many women who need it.

They request AVOs or DVOs, but many women are denied them, often having faced their perpetrators in court, suffering the additional humiliation and trauma of publicly sanctioned systems abuse. 

Many women are misidentified as perpetrators by a system that doesn't understand the signs of abuse or trauma. Or doesn't want to. 

Those who do have AVOs or DVOs know their protection is limited. That the legal system considers non-violent breaches to be "minor" or "low level" and in many cases, there are no consequences. 

But these breaches send a clear message to victims — you can't stop me. 

We tell women to leave, but when they do, who is there to protect them?

What's happening to the women in our country is terrifying. But we must not become complacent. We must not give up. 

Today, we are demanding increased funding to frontline support services, so that women are empowered to leave abusive situations, and remain safe when doing so.

We also demand police be properly trained to recognise abusive behaviour and the broad spectrum of victim-responses, to prevent victim-blaming and perpetrator misidentification.

We must continue to make noise, until somebody listens. 

Until men stop killing women.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) — the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a Queensland-based organisation that helps women and families move on after the devastation of domestic violence. If you would like to support their mission to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most, you can donate here.

Feature Image: Supplied.