Australia: Disproportionate Violence against Indigenous Women
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 2:50 PM

Jody Gore, a Miriwoong woman of Northern Australia, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after murdering her partner. Author of the article, Hannah McGlade, found that Jody had been a victim of domestic violence and abuse by her partner for two decades. McGlade also discovered that during Gore’s trial there were no witnesses called and the jury made a quick decision to charge her as guilty rather than look into her claim of self-defense. McGlade worked to find evidence of Jody’s abuse from a psychologist and women’s refuge. With some legal assistance her research resulted in “mercy laws” being applied to the case, and ultimately in Jody’s release from prison. This is one of many cases in Australia involving Indigenous women suffering domestic abuse, confirmed by the statistic that Aboriginal mothers in Western Australia are “17.5 times more likely to be killed than non-Aboriginal mothers.” While many reports have strongly recommended that Australia create an action plan to combat this “genocide of Indigenous women,” so far nothing has been done.
 
Compiled from: McGlade, Hannah, Australia is turning a blind eye to violence against Indigenous women, but we will not stay silent- our lives matter, ABC News (October 5, 2019).