On 16 January 2019, Aya Maasarwe (alt: Aiia Maasarwe, Arabic: آية مصاروة Hebrew: איה מסארוה, [aˈja masaʁˈve]), a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship who was studying at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia as an exchange student, was killed as she returned home from an evening at a comedy club in North Melbourne.

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The violent, random nature of the killing sparked renewed community concern about the safety of women, especially after dark in Melbourne.

[12] Victoria Police believe Maasarwe was attacked sometime after midnight on 16 January, around 50 m (160 ft) from a tram stop on the corner of Plenty Road and Main Drive in the suburb of Bundoora.

[15] In the suburb of Dandenong at the Albanian Mosque, family along with supporters gathered for the Janazah (Islamic funeral rites) and prayer service for Maasarwe.

[18] Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, in a statement condemning the killing, said that "sexist attitudes in our society" needed to change to end the problem of violence against women in Australia.