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This is 48-year-old Lordy Ramadan. Lordy's body was found by police on Friday when they went to her home in Labrador, Queensland, to conduct a welfare check.
This is 48-year-old Lordy Ramadan. Lordy's body was found by police on Friday when they went to her home in Labrador, Queensland, to conduct a welfare check.
Lordy was killed some days earlier by her partner who then deprived her of any remaining dignity by stuffing her into a furniture chest. He killed himself around a week later.
Lordy is the 15th Australian woman killed this year. A total of 12 children and 42 men have also been lost to murder, manslaughter or other unlawful acts since January 1, 2021 (*I encourage you to please read the end note about these deaths).
Lordy had a neurological disorder, for which she needed extra care and support. That care was supposed to be provided by her partner. And as always, there are many people claiming her killer's actions were the result of 'mercy'.
This sadly is often the case when someone kills a person with an chronic illness or disability. This belief in mercy killings is just a red herring, taking the focus away from the issue so few Australians want to know - or even care - about.
Reputable data sources tell us that women with disabilities suffer significantly higher levels of abuse than those of us who do not have disabilities.
Women like Lordy are easy prey - often totally reliant on carers who use their positions of power to inflict violence, emotional, sexual and financial abuse.
These thugs know that the women they harm are almost always unable to access support or justice.
These thugs know that the women they harm are almost always unable to access support or justice.
And in the rare cases where they are able to seek help, our violence, housing, legal,, refuge and other support systems are often not equipped to provide the victims with the specialised care they need.
Let me make this extremely clear. There was no mercy behind the murder of Lordy. She was killed by a violent man who chose to end her life, most likely after many years of subjecting her to abuse - domestic violence killings never happen in a vacuum.
Murder is not mercy. It's cruel, calculated, terrifying and traumatic - Lordy did not slip peacefully into the night. Her killer took her life, brutally and horrifically. And not one of us must ever lose sight of that.
RIP LORDY RAMADAN
RIP LORDY RAMADAN
The Memorial to Women and Children Lost to Violence: http://www.TheREDHEARTCampaign.org
The Australian Femicide & Child Death Map: http://bit.ly/red-hearts
The Australian Femicide & Child Death Map: http://bit.ly/red-hearts
*Please note, I document ALL unlawful deaths in Australia, regardless of victim or perpetrator gender or relationship between the person killed and the accused.
This means not every death is due to domestic and family violence. Australians are also killed by strangers, friends, colleagues, neighbours and other people known to them.
