Misogyny is terrorism: Time to name it
26 April 2024

Misogyny is terrorism: Time to name it

Sydney, and Australia, have been rocked recently with news of fatal stabbings at Westfield, Bondi Junction. The man responsible for these murderers, Joel Cauchi, a 40 year old male with diagnosed mental illness and evident misogynistic ideals.


The Bondi Junction stabbing is yet another reminder of the misogyny and threats of violence that women face in Australian society. With at least 25 women murdered in Australia this year as a result of domestic and gendered violence, femicide, and misogyny in our systems. This, in addition to countless experiences of various forms of abuse in our homes, in public spaces and in our workplaces, there is a clear epidemic of violence against women.


NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb stated that it was “obvious” that the offender Joel Cauchi targeted women and avoided men in his attack. Despite this, the universal ruling across media, police and government is that these killings are not acts of terrorism.


Rather than a public threat driven by religious, political or ideological beliefs, men’s violence against women continues to be framed as a personal crime which is committed by individual men against specific women. This distinction, however, is insufficient when gender-based ideological beliefs drive men to harm and use violence.


Side note: we see immediately, within the same timeframe, how quick (a matter of hours) the authorities were to label a teen who stabbed a bishop during a church service in Wakeley as a terrorist. Why? Because that teen was identified as being of Muslim faith and was not of Anglo- or European heritage. These double standards spotlight the issue we have of violent racism, perpetrated by the State and further reiterate our contention.


Misogyny is a violent ideology that combines a belief in male supremacy and women’s subordination with support for violence against women. When radicalised, extremist violence like the Bondi stabbing which seeks to advance a dangerous ideology fits every criteria for terrorism.


By immediately denying this event as terrorism or having any link to extremism, our patriarchal government continues to role model the denial of women’s terror from male violence, it continues to perpetuate the same violence through its denial, and it continues to reinforce a message to men that there are very minor consequences to their crimes. Simultaneously, women are left with the burden of managing their own safety, supporting each other's healing and ongoing frustrated battles to be seen, heard and protected adequately.


We are repeatedly shown that politicians and police forces simply do not consider mass murders of women as a form of terrorism. And when we don’t consider misogynistic extremism to be a dangerous ideology, its supporters are at liberty to idolise those who carry out these murders. The government and policymakers need to recognise violent misogyny as a real threat to the safety of women and take genuine action. 


This is also deeply concerning in light of Cauchi’s father telling the media that his son may have acted out of “frustration from his inability to date women”. There is much evidence of ‘misogynistic extremism’ arising on social media and radicalising men and boys in Australia. Social media platforms have become rampant with violent content produced by groups in the ‘manosphere’, such as Incels and Men’s Rights Activists, which fail to be regulated and shut down. Their discourse creates spirals of shame and self-loathing for young boys which is then transferred onto women’s lives and bodies. Already after the Sydney stabbing, men online are praising Cauchi and promising this is “just the beginning”.

 

The immediate response from the media has ignored this gendered-lens and focused on Cauchi’s mental illness. We can certainly acknowledge the complexity of mental illness and identify that Cauchi needed support, without solely blaming mental health conditions and disregarding his deep-seated anger and violence towards women. This not only acts to deny women's experiences of terror, it also acts to further stigmatise mental illness and reinforce long-held negative stereotypes about mentally unwell individuals, thus jeopardising our capacity as a society to better support them. Simply put, not all mentally unwell individuals commit major crimes. In fact, the majority of them don't. At the same time, there is evidence that the majority of men who hold onto to rigid gender ideas and misogynistic beliefs are more likely to use violence and commit crimes, including violence towards women.

 

With the rise in hate towards women, there is an urgent need for adequate policies, justice response and educational programs in schools to address gender-based violence and teach young men how to be respectful in their relationships with women and girls, and teach young women and girls how to better navigate toxic male behaviour, see the warning signs early and rise above pop-culture ideas of their own subordination to these. Educational institutions and workplaces, can both be the catalyst for cultural change, but we can't place expectations on some entities and not others.


Ultimately, to achieve higher levels of safety and social cohesion, we need governments and leaders who are ready to address the misogyny that is deeply rooted in our current systemic structures and foundations. A critical intersectional analysis of our greatest social structures, across the public sector, media, and criminal justice systems, will be paramount for creating non-violent communities and futures.


This week, our Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, among several other male leaders, stated that Australia has a ‘crisis’ of male violence. This is our invitation to all leaders and anyone who's saying that they're 'sick of all this violence' to get real and act fast if they truly want to see a change. Start by naming terrorism when you see it, regardless of the race and gender of the offender and/or his victims.


There is enough evidence of what's needed and enough expert opinions. Stop wasting time on words and inquiries - as you take your time deliberating this issue, women are being murdered.


Authors:

Hala A. and Maddy Mulligan Institute of non-violence

 

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