A young woman was sexually assaulted after getting off a tram in Melbourne's north, hours before a Palestinian student with Israeli citizenship who was raped and murdered in the same area.
Police say the 20-year-old was sexually assaulted after getting off a tram in Plenty Road, Preston on 15 January.
Police are looking for the man who assaulted a woman on the same night of the deadly attack on 21-year-old university student Aiia Maasarwe. Source: Supplied
Her unknown attacker approached her on Bell Street, after getting off the same number 45 tram on route 86, at about 10.44pm. He fled on foot after the assault.
Police have released an image of a man in his 20s who is described as thin, with an olive complexion, short black hair, about 165cm tall and wearing a black shirt and pants.
Aiia Maasarwe was killed in January while studying abroad in Melbourne. Source: Supplied
The body of Palestinian student Aiia Maasarwe, 21, was found the next morning, on 16 January, by a passerby in the neighbouring suburb Bundoora after walking home from her tram stop.
Aspiring rapper Codey Herrmann has been charged with her rape and murder.
A tribute to student Aiia Maasarwe following her death. Source: AAP
Calls for increased funding, focus on men's attitudes
Support service WISHIN has worked for 16 years in Melbourne's north, where the attacks occurred, helping women aged 18 and over experiencing violence or homelessness.
The organisation's CEO, Jade Blakkarly, said domestic violence accounts for the biggest number of cases, but harassment of women in public spaces by strangers remains an issue.
"It is incredibly concerning," she said. "I think one of the challenges of how we think about where that problem comes from is that there is still too much focus on the women and what they were doing, rather than how we change the behaviour of those men that act in this way.
"And what are the broader messages that we are giving to men and boys about women and their relationships with women and how they treat women? That work around prevention is unfortunately going to take a long time for us to start seeing results because it is about culture change."
A week before the federal election, Ms Blakkarly urged the major parties at the federal level to at least match the funding commitment of the Victorian government.
In 2017/18, the Victorian government announced a record $1.9 billion to prevent family violence. In its 2018/19 budget, an extra $42.5 million was announced.
"We welcome the support from anyone who is potentially in [federal] government. But I think the reality is that there is still so much more to do.
"It's great that they're putting it on the agenda. It's great that they're talking about women's safety, and it is great that they're taking action. But it really is the tip of the iceberg, in terms of the kind of investment we need to make."
She said funding in particular to eliminate homelessness and provide affordable, safe, secure housing to women fleeing violence is critical.
"Women are living in poverty once they leave with children from family violence, and that takes a long time to recover from."
Ms Blakkarly said multiple aspects needed to be addressed to make the longer-term cultural changes required to help stop violence against women.
"Whether it is about women in parliament or gender pay, whether we view the work done by women the same way [as men], whether we're making it possible for women to retire on the same amount of superannuation, right through to the language children hear about what women and men do in society ... It is very broad and deep challenges that we need," she said.
Additional reporting: AAP
