The recent killings at Bondi Junction have shocked and shaken communities, both in Australian and internationally.
It is an unspeakable act of violence and we offer our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this shocking tragedy, and those recovering in hospital.
Five of the six people who died were women. These were women who were enjoying their Saturday out shopping or catching up with friends.
While this case is complex and the investigation is in its infancy, Police have said women may have been deliberately targeted.
There is further complexity around reports of unmanaged severe mental illness in this incident.
While we cannot speak directly about the causes or motives for this specific incident, we know that more broadly, evidence does not point to mental illness being a driver of violence against women.
The evidence consistently shows that the underlying causes of violence directed toward women are rigid gender stereotypes, sexism and disrespect.
The sad reality is that when men hold unequal and sexist views about women, women are not safe.
Evidence shows that mental illness can be a reinforcing factor for violence against women. This means it can exacerbate a person’s risk to use violence if they already hold problematic attitudes, but mental illness itself does not drive violence against women.
Over the coming days and weeks, more details will emerge.
We must make sure that as a community we hold space for one another to grieve and process, while also looking at how we can create a safer future for women.
