ANROWS releases landmark report on filicide
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ANROWS, in partnership with the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Network (the Network), has published a groundbreaking national report on filicide — the act of a parent killing their child.

The report examined 113 cases of filicide from 2010 to 2018, finding that 76% of filicides in Australia occur within the context of domestic and family violence, involving a history of child abuse, intimate partner violence or both.

Key findings

• In 9 in 10 (88%) cases we found a history of intimate partner violence.
• In 8 in 10 (78%) cases we found there was child abuse. This included physical, sexual or emotional violence perpetrated by a parent towards children, which includes the filicide victims and their siblings.
• When fathers killed their children, it often followed a history of perpetrating intimate partner violence.
• When mothers killed their children, it often followed a history of experiencing intimate partner violence.

Further findings can be explored via the report and fact sheet.

Who is going to be that voice?” What we know about parents killing their children in the context of domestic and family violence #

This fact sheet features key findings and infographics from a landmark report by ANROWS and the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Network on filicides that have occurred in Australia in the context of domestic and family violence (DFV).

You’ll find information on:

• what we know about these cases
• the ways in which child abuse and intimate partner violence featured in families’ lives
• the various services involved with families prior to a child being killed
• key actions we all can take.

The fact sheet will be useful for anyone working with children and families where there may be intimate partner violence or child abuse. It can also support anyone advising or advocating on policy reforms to discuss the gendered dynamics of filicide offending following a history of DFV.

Find the full report on our Knowledge Hub or Download below