The She Matters Mural was erected on International Women’s Day of 2025. On the day it was installed, it featured the faces and names of 116 women killed since January 1, 2024 to March 8, 2025.
It is an evolving project – when another woman is killed, she is added to the mural.
The mural now commemorates 136 women killed since January 1 of 2024. You can read all of their stories on the Memorial to Women and Children Lost to Violence (see the Memorial here).
The women who feature on the mural were killed as a result of murder, manslaughter, neglect or other unlawful act. About 60% were allegedly killed by partners or relatives, 30% were killed by people they knew but who were not related to them and 10% were killed by strangers. At least 96% of the women were lost to male violence and 90% of the women knew their killers.
The She Matters Mural is based on Australian Femicide Watch Founder Sherele Moody’s She Matters social media posts, which commemorate Australian women lost to violence. The images are the social media cards from these posts.
When another woman is killed, Sherele returns to the mural to add her She Matters card. Sometimes, this can be two or three times a week.
The mural is under constant attack from vandals. Many of the cards have been replaced over and over. About two months after it was installed, a man spray-painted across all of the cards except the top row and put the words, War on Men.
The act of vandalism was devastating but hundreds of Melbourne residents turned out on a Saturday to help re-hang the mural.
The mural is a focal-point for vigils to commemorate women lost to violence.
It also draws stirring conversations out of people who visit Hosier Lane – an iconic street art venue opposite Melbourne’s Federation Square precinct.
Sherele hopes to roll out one She Matters Mural in each state and territory across Australia. NSW will soon be home to the second She Matters Mural when it is installed in Orange.
The mural project – like everything Australian Femicide Watch and The RED HEART Campaign does is funded by Sherele and through crowd-funding and the sales of RED HEART Tees.