648 arrested in operation against gender violence in Australia

A total of 648 people were arrested last week in a special police operation against sexist violence in the Australian state of New South Wales, police sources reported Tuesday.

At a press conference, Deputy Commissioner for New South Wales Mal Lanyon said the operation, called Amarokhas allowed the arrest of 164 people included in the list of the most dangerous abusers in the statethe most populous in Australia.

Lanyon explained that the objective of the operation, after months of investigation, was to arresting abusers who are dangerous to the community, since 1,153 charges have been filed against the detainees, while weapons and drugs have been seized.

Many of those arrested were repeat offenders and had warrants out for their arrest.

The deputy commissioner indicated that this type of violence is one of the most serious problems in Australia and advocated that stop being considered a “family matter” and “private”.

"It is not like this. It is a community issue and we all have to work together to stop the loss of life due to this crime,” she added.

The detainees include a 22-year-old man who assaulted and grabbed a 19-year-old girl by the neck until she was knocked unconscious, and an abuser who hid inside a secret closet to try to avoid his arrest.

Deputy Commissioner Stuart Smith indicated that violence by abusers must be dealt with the same seriousness as criminal gangs.

Smith specified that part of the abusers were on the run and it was difficult to locate them, while stressing the importance of protecting the victims.

Sexist violence is a major problem in Australia, where on average a woman is killed by her partner every 10 days and one in four has suffered violence from a partner over the age of 15, according to official data.

Last October, the Australian Parliament passed a law recognizing ten days of paid work leave for victims of sexist abuse who have to deal with matters related to your case during business hours.

The law, which will enter into force next month, will allow victims to request leave in cases such as going to an interview with the Police, a court hearing, an appointment with legal or medical advisers, or to move home, among other reasons.