The louder we get, the worse it becomes.

Every December we sit down to write this story.

Every December we sift through the names of dozens upon dozens of women, young and old.

Every December we calculate the number of children who will be opening presents on Christmas morning without their mothers.

Every December we scream and shout and point out the injustice and national shame that is the number of women murdered in this country.

Except this year, that number is higher than we ever imagined.

With close to two weeks left of 2024 we've already lost 98 Australian women, according to journalist Sherele Moody's RED HEARTS Campaign, which dedicates itself to counting dead women.

Watch: Sherele talks about Australia's latest victim. Post continues below.

Last year there were 74 names on that list.

That's despite marching, protesting, advocating. That's despite law changes and media exposés on shoddy police work and processes. That's despite charities and organisations like RizeUp Australia who dedicate their causes to helping women escape.

But are the right people listening?

The fact that it's one lone journalist who conducts the most up-to-date catalogue of women and children who've died in violent incidents — not a government agency or body — says it all, really.

Without people like Sherele and the women behind the 'Destroy The Joint' tally on Facebook — would we even know how many women we were losing to this silent epidemic?

If we stomp our feet loud enough, we spark government round-tables and discussions like the one held in May this year, but the 'solutions' are always watered down. They barely touch the sides of a problem that has been killing one woman a week, every year, for years.

The Prime Minister announced $925 million over the next five years to go towards providing women with financial assistance to flee violent relationships after those crisis talks — which sounds great. But when you actually speak to the advocates, survivors and experts on the ground, it's simply a band-aid.

In comparison, we're spending $50 billion on defence, and this DV funding doesn't solve things like the struggling front-line services who will be receiving everyone who might be accessing the leaving violence payments. The holes it leaves unplugged are gaping.

It's easy to see name after name on a list and forget the details. How horrendous they are.

Like the fact that on December 12, Khouloud Hawatt was allegedly stabbed to death in her Sydney home by her husband, who is accused of making a home-made spear to kill her with. The crime scene was described as "very violent" with the 31-year-old leaving behind five young children.

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Or the fact that 46-year-old Natalie Galcsik was allegedly murdered by her husband at their property in the NSW Hunter Valley in September after experiencing what her son Alex describes as "years of emotional domestic abuse." He must now step in to raise his four young siblings while they grieve their mum and watch their dad face court.

Molly Ticehurst was allegedly killed in Forbes by her ex-partner in April, just 15 days after he was granted bail in April. A hardened detective described her death as "brutal" and "terribly violent," with court documents revealing she'd been subjected to a three-month reign of domestic terror prior to her death, which included allegations of rape and physical damage to her property. Molly's young son is now without his mother.

51-year-old mum-of-three Samantha Murphy was killed in February while going out for a morning run in Ballarat. A 23-year-old man has been charged with her murder. Her body is yet to be found.

Samantha Murphy was murdered in February 2024. Image: Facebook.

Also in February and also in Victoria, 42-year-old mum-of-five Rebecca Young was stabbed to death, allegedly by her partner Ian Butler who then ended his own life. Two of their children were home at the time, and Butler was known to police.

Every week we write about the shocking death of an Australian woman, more often than not, at the hands of a man.

But it's become so expected, it's not shocking anymore.

The louder we get, the worse it becomes. The more women die, the less people seem to care, because there are simply too many horrific stories to comprehend.

The facts are, women are more likely to experience partner violence than men. They're also more likely to be afraid of, hospitalised by, or killed by an intimate partner. But by tackling men's violence, we save the lives of all genders.

You'll notice it's mainly women screaming about this issue — something many have finally called out in 2024.

100,000 people marched for change over a weekend in March in the 'No More: National Rally Against Violence'. Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas.

Not all men perpetrate violence against women but all men can — and should — be part of the solution. So where is their anger? Their horror? Their outrage? At the very least, there's been a bit of an awakening amongst men in the media in 2024, that they're not doing enough.

The solution to this problem is complex. It starts in the way we socialise our children, which will take generations to properly unpick. That's the grim reality.

But surely we can't keep seeing these tallies year on year, and not inject more urgency into this problem?

98 women dead — and that's not even mentioning the 16 children allegedly murdered this year. In all but one of those cases, the alleged killer is male.

We dread the stories we'll have to write in 2025. We have no doubt they'll be just as horrible as 2024 and 2023 and 2022.

We dread another 'Groundhog Day' year of women being murdered — cases involving years of domestic violence abuse and system failures, and women trying and failing to get help.

Why is it that the louder and longer we advocate about this issue, the worse it seems to get?

That can't be how this story continues to be written.

Feature image: Getty/Mamamia.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a national organisation that helps women, children and families move on after the devastation of domestic and family violence. Their mission is to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most. If you would like to support their mission you can donate here.