Filicide, where a parent or guardian kills a child, is a heinous crime. Thea Brown, Danielle Tyson and Paula Fernandez Arias from the Monash Deakin Filicide Research Hub have been studying filicide for years, to uncover common factors for future prevention initiatives. Read More
Most previous filicide research aimed to uncover the so-called ‘motives’ of offending parents. While this search for a motive remains a recurring theme in many studies, results have been contradictory, suggesting that it is not particularly helpful in preventing filicide.
Rather than focusing on motives, Brown, Tyson and Fernandez Arias examine risk factors and circumstances commonly linked with filicide cases. Their studies identified common social, familial, and personal circumstances that characterised many cases of filicide in Australia over the past decades.
One of their initiatives was the Monash Filicide Research Project, which closely examined filicide cases recorded in the Australian state of Victoria between 2000 and 2009. The Monash Filicide Research project explored 41 filicide cases, including witness statements, police records, court transcripts, and the criminal records of offenders.
The research team found that approximately 1 in 10 homicide victims in Australia are children or teenagers under 18 years of age. Most of these children were killed by a parent or guardian, often before the age of 5. Victims of filicide were predominantly young children, while approximately 1 in 5 was over 18 years old.
Out of the 41 victims studied by the Monash Filicide Research Project, 16 were killed by their mother, 15 by their father, 9 by a stepfather and 1 by both parents. This means that almost two-thirds of perpetrators were male parental figures.
Overall, the results of the Monash Project suggests that filicide often occurs following the interaction of various risk factors, such as mental illness, domestic violence, child abuse, and parental separation. These risk factors are particularly common in the absence of psychological and social interventions designed to support affected families.
The researchers found that over half of the perpetrators had been in contact with community services before committing filicide, suggesting that they were trying to get help. These services included mental health services, GPs, child protection, criminal justice services, and addiction support groups.
The recent studies carried out by Brown and her colleagues offer valuable insights into common factors associated with filicide in Australia. Filicide incidents have remained steady in recent years, highlighting the need to introduce more effective programs to support struggling families and prevent these crimes.
The researchers hope that their efforts will inform new interventions, contributing to the reduction of filicide and the safeguarding of children.
