10,000 Australians held a vigil for a young woman killed while walking home, and it's bringing attention to a much bigger issue

Organizers of the Melbourne vigil said the purpose of the event was to show support for Dixon's family, and also reclaim a public space that had been deemed unsafe.

Attendees held a 20 minute silence to remember women who have lost their lives to violence.

Across the country, hundreds came together at vigils.

At a vigil in Sydney, attendees read aloud the names of 30 women killed in Australia in the past year, with 30 seconds of silence for each of them. Similar vigils were held in dozens of major cities across the country.  

In 2015, more than 1,600 US women were murdered by men in 2015.

In the capital of Canberra, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten stood with candles at a vigil at Parliament House.

"My own boys played soccer on the very oval where some of these scenes have taken place," Shorten said. "This vigil to me is a commitment to every other Australian woman, that you ought to be safe, and nothing less than that is acceptable."

Earlier in the day Turnbull said, "This is a heartbreaking tragedy but what we must do as we grieve is ensure that we change the hearts of men to respect women."

"Women must be safe everywhere,’’ Turnbull said.

"On the street, walking through a park, in their homes, at work. We need to ensure that we have a culture of respect of women."

"We're all feeling collective grieving," Catherine Holder, 27, of Melbourne told Business Insider.

Holder studied with Dixon at Deakin University, and remembers her as "funny, friendly, and kind." 

She says what happened to Dixon brings attention to women's issues around the world. 

"It's not just an Australian thing. Australia is pretty safe," she said. "Women all around the world understand what it's like to walk around by yourself and never truly feel safe."

Australia was listed as the world’s safest country for women earlier this year, yet a recent study showed that only 50 percent of women feel safe walking home alone at night compared to 80 percent of men.

"I'm so tired of walking with my keys between my fingers when I'm just trying to get home safe," Karen Eriksen, 22, of Melbourne said.

"Eurydice was the same age as me. I walk through this park all the time at night. There's no reason why this had to happen to her, but there are reasons why it did happen to her."

Eriksen said in order to prevent these incidents from continuing, men and women need to work together to create an environment of respect. 

"Women need to feel safe everywhere. And men need to help women feel safer."

"Violence against women is a systematic issue that needs to addressed," said Glen Prins, 31, of New Zealand told Business Insider.

Thousands of men, women and children silently reflected at the makeshift memorial for Dixon.

"This isn't just a women's issues, it's an everyone's issue," Prins said.

"As a gay man, I understand what it's like to be part of a marginalized group and feel unsafe. I also walk through life knowing that I am privileged as a man who doesn't have the same concerns as women walking home alone. It feels exhausting."

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also spoke out last week on where responsibility for these attacks lie.

"Our message to Victorian women is this: Stay home. Or don't. Go out with friends at night. Or don't," Andrews posted on his Facebook.

"Go about your day exactly as you intend, on your terms, because women don't need to change their behaviour. Men do."