\'She was living a dream\': Aiia Maasarwe sister condemns male violence

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'She was living a dream': Aiia Maasarwe sister condemns male violence

The sister of slain international student Aiia Maasarwe has condemned male violence against women, paying tribute to a "little girl with BIG dreams" in two emotional Instagram posts overnight.

Noor Maasarwe posted an image of a 2014 artwork by her sister, featuring a starlit sky and the words "Dare to dream".

"She was living a dream in Melbourne, a dream that ended up being worst [sic] than a nightmare," she wrote.

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It was just after midnight when Ms Maasarwe was attacked while walking home from a tram stop in Bundoora last Wednesday.

Noor Maasarwe said the 21-year-old was on the telephone to her other sister, Ruba, when she was killed.

"Violence against women is not a women issue, it is a men issue," she wrote overnight.

"We tell women if they feel unsafe to make a call so that they can feel safe ... BUT What do we tell men to do? Do we tell [them] how to behave?

"We tell them nothing! That's what we tell them.  BUT [we] NEED to tell them something from now on!"

A second series of images show a pair of shoes identical to the ones Ms Maasarwe was wearing when she was killed, next to signs saying "Everyone has the right to get home safely" and demanding the return of her body.

The sisters had identical shoes, purchased on a shopping trip together.

Ms Maasarwe's father, Saeed, will make the sad journey home with his daughter's body on Tuesday after a prayer ritual at the Albanian Islamic centre in Dandenong on Monday night.

Another vigil will be held from 6.30pm on Tuesday evening outside the Polaris shopping centre, where Ms Maasarwe's body was found.

The man accused of her rape and murder, Codey Herrmann, 20, has been remanded in custody to face court again in June.

The city of Darebin has announced plans to plant a memorial tree at the site. The family will choose words to be inscribed on a plaque.

In her overnight Instagram post, Ms Maasarwe thanked people for their support, "reminding us that there are still good people in the world".

"Let's make the world a better place for us to survive in and for the next generation," she wrote.

"I pray and hope that this won't happen again. No one deserve to be treated like that.  No matter where they come from, where they are, what they believe in.

"We are all humans at the end at that's what [matters]."

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