From left to right: Jonty Bush – Member for Cooper, Queensland Labor Party, Mark Ryan MP – Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Danny Green – Founder, Stop the Coward Punch, Jennifer Schumann, Head of the Drug Intelligence Unit, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Katarina Carroll APM – Queensland Police Commissioner, Craig Lovett – Board Member, Stop the Coward Punch.
Unmasking the Tragedy of Coward Punch Assaults: A Journey Towards Prevention
In Australia, the prevalence of coward punch assaults, commonly known as ‘one punch’ assaults or ‘King Hits,’ has significantly impacted our communities. Associate Professor Jennifer Schumann, Head of the Drug Intelligence Unit at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), has been at the forefront of ground-breaking research to understand, prevent, and mitigate the devastating effects of these assaults.
Characterised by a single severe punch to the head, Assoc. Prof. Schumann states that coward punch assaults “leave the victim incapacitated and collapsing, with the secondary head impact typically causing the catastrophic injury”. Survivors often face permanent physical and mental disabilities, with “seven in ten victims suffering lifetime quality of life losses”, she writes. The ripple effect on the victims, families and the community are profound.
Assoc. Prof. Schumann explains that “following on from our world-first 2014 study on coward punch fatalities, VIFM partnered up with Danny Green’s Stop the Coward Punch campaign in 2019 to conduct research into this specific form of social violence, with studies focusing on both the perpetrators and victims”. Her research revealed that since 2000, “over 170 Australians have lost their lives to a coward punch assault”, with more than double that number surviving since 1990. The overwhelmingly young male demographic of both perpetrators and victims, coupled with alcohol’s frequent involvement, underscores the urgency of addressing this issue.
Assoc. Prof. Schumann played a pivotal role in the introduction of specific one-punch legislation along the east coast of Australia in 2014, which mandated sentencing for perpetrators. Emphasising the significance of this contribution, she highlights that the research also “spurred the development of education and awareness resources, reaching over 100,000 secondary school students across Australia” and various sports clubs nationwide. Despite the challenging statistics, “we have seen a downward trend in the number of deaths since 2014” she explains, along with a reduction in fatal assaults involving alcohol at licensed venues.
The momentum of this crucial work led to Assoc. Prof. Schumann’s appointment to the STCP Board in November 2023. Joining esteemed board members, including Queensland MP Jonty Bush, former Victorian Police Commissioner Christine Nixon APM, and founder/former Australian boxer Danny Green, Assoc. Prof. Schumann aims to “shape the strategic direction of the organisation, generate awareness, and help promote harm prevention education for coward punches”.
As we move forward, Assoc. Prof. Schumann is “very much looking forward to continuing to raise awareness about this preventable form of violence so that we can further reduce the devastating impacts on our community caused by the coward punch.” Through research, legislation, and education, Assoc. Prof. Schumann and her colleagues strive towards a future where such tragic events become a thing of the past.