March held in domestic violence cause

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District officers have attended 44,000 violence-related incidents in the home this year, with 80 per cent in the Midland area.

"We must treat victims with the empathy and the respect we would give our own family," he said.

He praised district officers for doubling their efforts to follow up assaults by men on women in the past three months.

Women's Legal Services Australia national policy co-ordinator Heidi Guldbaek said men murdered 78 women in Australia this year.

One in three women worldwide has experienced sexual or physical violence.

Ms Guldbaek said the Aboriginal woman, known for cultural reasons as Miss Dhu, died in custody after becoming ill following an attack by her partner.

She urged society to challenge gender stereotypes, to speak against sexist behaviour and be "the agents of social change".

"We are all part of the problem; we can all be part of the solution," she said.

Moorditj Yarning manager Roy Tester said Aboriginal women were more likely to be hospitalised following an assault.

He said there was no need for further public inquiries and urged the Government to increase support service funding.

"We don't need more research, we need resources," he said.

�In 34 years of working in the area of women and child abuse, rarely do the perpetrators acknowledge it.

"These men are more scared of losing their partner than going to jail; prison is no deterrent," he said.

He called on society to understand "the dynamics of a relationship gone wrong" and provide greater support.