Beyond the count: the killing of Indigenous women as a security crisis

One positive development is the recently published mid-term review on Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (Opens in new window) (2022–32), which includes a focus on meaningful First Nations engagement with WPS recommendations. This recognition is a necessary step towards ensuring that Indigenous women’s experiences of insecurity and violence are no longer treated as peripheral to peace and security discussions. However, much more needs to be done in Australia and internationally for greater collaboration, investment, and Indigenous-led action to prevent Indigenous femicide across Asia and the Pacific region and beyond.

Indigenous femicide is too often rendered invisible through misclassification, erasure in biased or incomplete data systems, or neglect by authorities – or made hyper-visible in ways that stigmatise Indigenous communities. The lack of disaggregated data, combined with limited recognition of the roles of racism, colonialism and gender inequality, continues to hinder effective prevention and response efforts.

Addressing these gaps requires stronger evidence, but evidence must be understood broadly.Statistics can help governments, policymakers and communities identify patterns and trends in violence. Yet numbers must be accompanied by legitimate forms of evidence in stories, oral histories, testimonies and community narratives, offering critical insights into the causes and consequences of violence and the pathways towards healing and prevention.

Existing data systems continue to reflect colonial structures that determine what is counted, whose experiences are prioritised, and how violence is interpreted. Strengthening evidence on Indigenous femicide must therefore be accompanied by respect for and meaningful partnership with Indigenous peoples.

This requires ongoing collaboration and collective thinking, not only about improving data, but also who owns it, who interprets it, and who benefits from it – particularly as digital technologies and artificial intelligence expand rapidly.

Whether working with numbers or narratives, policy or protocols, the goal must be to support Indigenous communities and advance the solutions that Indigenous women themselves identify as necessary for their safety, security and wellbeing.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda provides a framework for advancing this work. Without greater action, Indigenous women and girls will continue to bear a disproportionate burden of violence. Addressing Indigenous femicide is not only a matter of justice and equality, but a necessary step towards achieving peace, security and self-determination for Indigenous peoples worldwide.