103 Australians have lost their lives to violence in 2018. All of us have a role to play in lowering this sad toll, writes journalist SHERELE MOODY.　

HASSAN Jeng and Roy Murray lived at opposite ends of Australia, there was a 19-year difference in their ages, one of them was a convicted drug dealer and the other resided in one of Australia's remotest communities.

These men seem different in almost every way, yet they have one terrifying thing in common - they were both stabbed to death on the first day of 2018.

Hassan was a 23-year-old maximum security inmate at Port Phillip Prison and Roy was a 52-year-old resident of Palm Island.

Since these men were killed six months ago, Australia has lost a further 101 people to violence.

That's about four killings a week.

Fellow journalist Katherine Benson and I record violent deaths as they happen.

It is no surprise that our research shows men figure highly as both victims and perpetrators.

Aussie families are mourning the killings of 61 men in the past 26 weeks.

Women are the second most at-risk group, with 33 adult females now dead as a result of someone else's brutality.

And the most heart-breaking statistic of all - nine Aussie kids have lost their lives to violence this year.

Men are suspected in 84 violent deaths and women are suspected in 14.

A number of people were allegedly killed by both genders and police are yet to determine who killed about nine Australians.

Domestic violence is alleged to have played a part in 38 deaths.

Of the 61 male victims, 48 were allegedly killed by other blokes while women stand accused in 10 of these deaths

About 10 of the male killings were attributed to DV - with five male and five female family members charged.

Twenty-nine of the 33 women killed this year allegedly died at the hands of men. Three women are believed to have been killed by other women.

About 21 of the femicides are attributed to domestic or family violence.

One man was responsible for almost half the child killings in Australia in the past six months.

As well as murdering his four grandchildren, Peter Miles shot his daughter Katrina and his wife Cynda at Margaret River in May before ending his own life.

Two men are suspected in the deaths of two other children and one woman has been charged over the death of another child.

We do not know who killed Canberra siblings Ezvin, 8, and five-year-old Furaha Muhoro - they died in a suspicious house fire in Canberra on February 19.

Their mother Anne Wachera was also killed.

NSW had the most killings, with 30 deaths recorded in that state.

Victoria had the second highest number with 27 killings and there were 20 in Queensland.

Stabbing was the primary act of violence with shootings and bashings also figuring highly.

As we move into the second half of 2018, it is important for all Australians to acknowledge the impact of violence on our communities.

For each person lost to violence, there are countless loved ones having to come to terms with these preventable tragedies.

The impact of violence does not end when a person dies. It taints every aspect of the lives of those left behind for many years.

In the saddest of cases, parents lose a child or kids are left parentless with one killed and the other jailed.

Often violence deprives elderly or disabled people of their primary carers.

While we all recognise the trauma violence has on surviving family members, it is also vital to realise that the loved ones of perpetrators will go through their own guilt-ridden emotional hell.

The mental healing cannot begin until after justice is served, and in a lot of cases this process can be glacial.

At the end of the day, all Australians are responsible for lowering the toll of violence.

This is not to say that we are all violent or that we should all take the blame for the intolerable acts of a few bad apples.

The fix is never going to be easy, but it does start with good people challenging the norms that give others a green light to act physically on their rage.

Unless we all stand up to end violence, the need for counting dead Australians will continue. - NewsRegional

News Corp journalist Sherele Moody is the recipient of 2017 Clarion and Walkley Our Watch journalism excellence awards for her coverage of domestic violence issues. Sherele is also the founder of The RED HEART Campaign.

*For 24-hour domestic violence support call the national hotline 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

BY THE NUMBERS

2018 toll of violence in Australia

TOTAL AUSTRALIANS KILLED - 103

TOTAL MEN KILLED - 61

TOTAL WOMEN KILLED - 33

TOTAL CHILDREN KILLED - 9

Number of people allegedly killed by men - 84*

Number of people allegedly killed by women - 14*

Number of murders where killer gender is unknown - 8

Alleged domestic or family violence - 38

*Some deaths attributed to male and female perpetrators

Source: The RED HEART Campaign　
 

AUSTRALIANS LOST TO VIOLENCE IN 2018

Aaron Marks　　　　　 13 May

Adrian Tret　　　　　　　　 5 May

Alfredo Pengue 9 Feb

Alistair William Wilson　　 25 May

Amelia Blake　　　　　 13 Jan

Antonia Tatchell　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 11 Jan

Ayre Cockman　　 11 May

Barry Moffat　　　　　 30 May

Boy (unnamed) 8 Jun

Brett Nicholls　　　　 3 May

Brodie Moran　　　 8 Mar

Caroline Anne Willis 　　　　　　 25 May

Cecelia Haddad 29 Apr

Ezvin Muhoro 　　 20 Feb

Furaha　 Muhoro 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 20 Feb

Christipher "Milo" Holder　　　　　　　　　　　　 30 Mar

Cynda Miles　　　　　　　 11 May

David Graves　　　　 31 Jan

Debbie Combarngo　　　　　　　　 6 May

Deon Hewitt　　　　　　 28 May

Edward James Lockyer　　 29 Jan

Erol Tokcan 　　　　　　　 9 Mar

Eurydice Dixon　 13 Jun

Gail Winner　　　　　　　 1 Jun

Garry James Welsh　　　　　　　　　 23 Feb

Gilbert Caetano 20 May

Graeme Thomson　　　　　　　　　　　 17 Apr

Hassan Jeng　　　　　　 1 Jan

Haydn Butcher　 2 Jan

Ho Ledinh　　　　　　　　　　　 23 Jan

Ingrid Driver Enalanga　　　 Apr 29

Jacob Bell　　　　　　　　　　　 20 Apr

James Switez-Glowacz　　 8 Feb

Jason Fry　　　　　　　　　　　　　 15 Apr

John Windle　　　　　　 23 Apr

Karen Ashcroft　 14 May

Katie Haley　　　　　　　　 9 Mar

Katrina Miles　　　　　 11 May

Kay Shirley Dix　　 27 Mar

Kayden Cockman　　　　　　　　　　　　 11 May

Keith Chaytor　　　　 17 Apr

Klaus Petr　　　　　　　　　　　 13 Jan

Le Ngoc Le　　　　　　　　　 5/6 Feb

Mahmoud Hawi 15 Feb

Male　　　　　 10 Mar

Margaret Indich 4 Jan

Marija Karovska 25 Feb

Mark Miller　　　　　　　　 25 May

Mark Russell　　　　　 25 Feb

Mary Freeman　 26 Jan

Michael Horne　 1 Jun

Mohammed Salihy　　　　　　　　　 19 Jan

Nancy Barclay　　　 24 Jan

Nicola Manyok-Thiak　　　　 14 Mar

Noura Khatib　　　　　 25 Jan

Phillip Chamberlain　　　　　　　　 22 Mar

Qi Yu　　　　 8 June

Radmila Stevanovic　　　　　　　　 2 Feb

Rodney Ballis　　　　　 16 Feb

Rory "Meggs" Elliott　　　　　　　 22 Feb

Ros Thomson　　　　 17 Apr

Roy Murray　　　　　　　 1 Jan

Roystn Batten 1 Apr

Rylan Cockman 11 May

Sally Rothe　　　　　　　　 4 Feb

Sam Leschke　　　　　 17 Mar

Scott James Morrison 3 Jan

Simone Fraser　　 13 Mar

Taye Cockman　　 11 May

Teah Rose Luckwell　　　　　　　　 28 Mar

Wachira 'Mario' Phetmang　　　　　　　　　 Unknown date

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