The theme of the 2013 conference is: Making it Happen – Making it Last. It will focus on how we can make lasting changes for women in policing, emergency services and the community and will hear from practitioners, researchers, and policy makers. The conference will build on previous Australasian Women and Policing conferences and develop the body of knowledge around how policing and the emergency services are being improved for women.

Women’s organisations working with police to respond to and eliminate violence against women are particularly welcome to participate in the conference. The Council is keen to improve how policing connects with women’s organisations, especially those which provide emergency responses to women and our conferences are a valuable opportunity to do that – in a friendly feminist atmosphere.

The areas of interest for the 2013 conference include:

• Networking – best practice and good ideas
• Sustainable partnerships – working with local government, women and the community
• Peacekeeping – domestic and international
• Recruitment and retention – challenges and opportunities
• Staying healthy – supporting yourself to support your community
• Career transitions – moving up, across or out
• Policing as a profession -  the contribution of women

Police, emergency services, researchers, advocates, policy makers and practitioners from policing, emergency services, law enforcement, criminal justice and women’s services are encouraged to contribute papers. This conference is not limited to police services, everyone who has an interest in improving the emergency and policing response to women in our communities is welcome. So please feel free to circulate this invitation to your networks.

To register for the conference go to www.acwap.com.au.

There is still time for you to indicate your interest to present a paper at the conference: the call for papers closes on 25 March. So if you are interested in sharing developments, innovation, or research please send your 100 word abstracts and 100 word biography to conference@acwap.com.au by 25 March 2013. Submissions can be for papers in the concurrent sessions (20-25 minutes each), workshops/panels (90 minutes) or poster papers. The abstract submission form is available on the ACWAP website www.acwap.com.au or conference@acwap.com.au.

Nominations are also open for the 2013 Excellence in Policing Awards. As you would know, the Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of the women and men who are making a real difference to policing for women. Nomination forms and more information about the Awards are available from the ACWAP website www.acwap.com.au. A ticket for the Awards Presentation dinner on Tuesday 27 August 2013 in Adelaide is included in the conference registration – additional tickets for friends and family can also be purchased.

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Fairer rules, processes and outcomes are changing the way people experience justice.  But how well are these programs known and understood?  How can stories be shared across sectors and across disciplines and what will turn good practice into common practice?  Join the debate, exploring frontiers of justice and helping theory and practices evolve.  Hear from the Hon Mary Woolridge MP, Mr Bernie Geary AM and Lauren Abramson PhD among many others.

For further information or to register for this event, please go to website and register, early bird discount ends 31 March.

e:  events@eventism.com.au
w: www.eventism.com.au

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This training focuses on the positive and negative impacts of technology on survivors of domestic and family violence, stalking, sexual violence, dating violence and abuse.  Technology Safety Training educates service providers in the domestic and family violence sector to:

• understand HOW technologies work

• identify HOW abusers are misusing technology

• assess HOW technology use impacts women and girls experiencing violence

• discuss HOW technology can be used to help women and girls experiencing violence

• support women and girls with privacy and SAFETY PLANNING around technology and EVIDENCE COLLECTION

The training is suitable for refuges and outreach workers supporting victims and/or survivors of violence and abuse.  If you are in WA and would like to attend please click here for more info.

Places are strictly limited and filling fast so it’s best to book soon, register online at www.wesnet.org.au

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Federal Budget

The Women’s Budget Highlights 2013-14 can be accessed here - be sure to have a read through.  You can read AWAVA’s notes on the preventing violence against women budget announcements and our media release Stronger, Smarter, Fairer…?

News from  around Australia

• Prof Donna Chung says that less than half of all incidents of male violence against women ever gets reported to the Police
• Regularly featured writer, Clementine Ford, writes this piece on what Cleveland tells us about the cycle of abuse
• Forced and Coerced Marriage is now a criminal offence, but understanding the nuances and the secrecy of marriage in many cultures is a hurdle yet to be overcome
• In Victoria, a specialist police unit on the Mornington Peninsula is working to break the cycle of domestic and family violence
• Still in Victoria, and Supreme Court judge Betty King laments the lack of success in ending violence against Aboriginal women
• A new report from the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council highlights the incredibly high incidence of sexual assault of women while they are in psychiatric care.  You can sign this petition in support of action
• Sad news of the passing of Sandra Egger, a champion for law reform, particularly for women, and domestic and sexual violence in NSW
• This op-ed from The Conversation says that Australia has the opportunity to do more to end VAW in regions of conflict
• And from the Minister’s Office, this media release announces funding for a new body to boost efforts to prevent violence against women

Around The World

• In PNG a national day of mourning (haus krai) has been held over violence against women. See how Australia will be working with PNG in this media release from the PM’s office
• An official in Hong Kong receives criticism from women’s groups, after advising young women to drink less in order to avoid being raped
• In Saudi Arabia, a new campaign to end domestic violence has been initiated. This article says that women should “ask for real changes in the law itself”
• This New Statesman article states: “This is not the persecution of old men.  This is the prosecution of rapists”
• This article from the USA states that forced marriage is a form of slavery
• Read this interesting article on underage marriage in the Netherlands. Police in Amsterdam were “under fire for allegedly helping two young underage Muslims to marry in the Netherlands – so the bride could avoid being sent back to her family’s native Pakistan for a traditional arranged marriage to her cousin”
• Activist Mallika Dutt says that the push for LGBT rights and acceptance can help stop violence against women
• In Turkey, one group is doing all it can to raise awareness of, and to end violence against women
• This report from the UN highlights the ongoing inequalities for women in Iraq
• A new study finds that there has been a shift globally in attitudes to violence against women
• In New Zealand 24/7 monitoring via GPS is being considered for domestic violence offenders
• Representatives from 14 East Asian countries met in Beijing this week to discuss ending violence against women
• And finally, the UN reviews efforts into ending human trafficking

Get Involved!

Take action to protect the right to compensation for victims of crime in NSW

Training Highlight

WESNET and the Women’s Council WA are bringing Safety Net training to Perth.  This training on 10-11 June is ideal for those working with women experiencing violence and who need to understand how technology can be misused to perpetrate violence, book soon to avoid disappointment

**Articles published here do not necessarily reflect the views of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only

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Julie Oberin, Chair of AWAVA, comments

“An ongoing budgetary commitment, clearly linked to the National Plan implementation, across the entire plan and its lifetime, is fundamental each year.  This needs to be commensurate with the scale of the issue.  The announcements in the 2013-14 budget for the Royal Commission reflect this and give a much-needed focus on child sexual assault, for which the Government should be congratulated, it needs to be acknowledged that similar funding levels are needed across all forms of violence against women and their children.”

“AWAVA are keen to work with, and to participate in the development of the Foundation [to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children] so that it can draw upon and build on the existing primary prevention and early intervention knowledge base and work undertaken by the preventing violence against women’s sector. The National Plan requires continued, coordinated, partnerships and it is key that the new foundation develops on work already being progressed within the sector.”

Read AWAVA’s full media release here: AWAVA 2013-14 Budget Media Release

The post Media Release: Stronger, Smarter, Fairer…? Review of 2013-14 Federal Budget appeared first on AWAVA.

• $5.2 million over 5 years for the establishment and operation of the Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children
• $7.6 million over 3 years to continue and extend DV-Alert training program
• $28.5 million to June 2017 to continue and expand 1800RESPECT, enabling an increase in the number of counsellors for the service, translation of online materials and online community for workers to access specialist professional support
• $3 million over 3 years to dedicated research stream on perpetrator interventions through the National Centre of Excellence to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children

Other funding announcements that relate or could potential have an impact on preventing violence against women and their children include:

• $434.1 million over 4 years for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.  This includes $45 million to provide expert services to help support survivors
• $0.5 million  between 2012-13 in grants for advocacy, research, training, and service provision for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)
• $10.3 million over 4 years, for Community Legal Centres and $42 million over 2 years for Legal Assistance Services
• $21.4 million, over 4 years to the Fair Work Commission to provide a legal remedy for victims of workplace bullying
• $4.6 million over four years to establish the Andrew Fisher Applied Policy Institute for Ageing
• Funding between 2012-2013 for sexual assault counselling in remote NT areas as part of the “mobile outreach services plus”
•  Major internet service providers (ISPs) will be required to block child abuse websites on the INTERPOL ‘worst of’ child abuse list

Read more in AWAVA’s full media release on the positives and areas to strengthen or focus on for addressing all forms of violence against women and girls: AWAVA 2013-14 Budget Media Release

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AWAVA also announced our endorsement of AWHN’s 2012 Position Paper, Women and Health and Well-being, which recommends implementing and adequately funding the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children at both federal and state levels.  AWAVA will be looking for the inclusion of much-needed additional investment in the National Plan and primary prevention activities in the budget announcements tomorrow.  You can read the latest progress report on the National Plan later in the Round-up.

Around the country

• Attorneys General from Australia, England, Wales, New Zealand and Canada have met in Auckland and committed to support prosecutions of sexual violence
• Prime Minister Gillard will meet with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister where she will discuss violence against women
• 49 local government, health and community organisations in the northern region of Melbourne joined together last Monday (6 May) to commit to actions to prevent violence against women, at an event organised by Women’s Health In the North
• There are mixed views in NSW on the proposed changes to Victims of Crime Compensation see also the media release from Women’s Legal Services NSW and Community Legal Centres NSW
• Still in NSW, and the launch of a new app for women experiencing domestic and family violence has been welcomed

Around the world

• This article from the Hindustan Times says that under-reporting of rapes emboldens rapists
• From the USA, more shocking statistics on rape in the military
• Scotland Yard calls for assistance in catching and prosecuting those who carry out female genital mutiliation/cutting
• In this article, from India, the writer says that VAW isn’t a women’s issue, but is everyone’s responsibility

Get Involved!

Have Your Say

• Stop the Violence Project is looking for input from service providers, policy makers and representative organisations to improve service delivery for women and girls with disabilities, please complete the survey by 31 May
• Norma’s Project is researching into sexual assault against older women, click on the link to see how you can get involved

National Plan Update

Progress report on the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-22  

This is the first progress report in a series of progress reports to the Council of Australian Governments and the general public on efforts to reduce violence against women and their children.  It details the actions taken and progress made by Commonwealth, state and territory governments and the non-government sector during the National Plan’s first two years of implementation, from 2010 – 2012.

** Articles posted on this website do not necessarily represent the views of AWAVA, and are published for interest only

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Early bird discounts are available until 21 March 2013.

The post White Ribbon International Conference: Global to Local: Preventing Men’s Violence against Women – Research, Policy and Practice in Once Space, Sydney appeared first on AWAVA.

Comments from FaHCSIA:

“This report is the first in a series of progress reports to the Council of Australian Governments and the general public on our efforts to reduce violence against women and their children.  It details the actions taken and progress made by Commonwealth, state and territory governments and the non-government sector during the National Plan’s first two years of implementation, from 2010 – 2012. 

The report shows that, although there is more to be done, we have made a significant amount of progress in the past two years.  Your commitment to this work and your input to the development of this report are very much appreciated.

We look forward to continuing to work with you to build on these achievements”

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The 7th Australian Women’s Health Conference is relevant to: service providers, policy makers, managers, researchers, women’s health, mental health, community health, social and community services, Aboriginal controlled services, migrant and refugee services, reproductive services, legal services, universities, disability services, allied health care, public health, educators, academics, local councils, Local Health Districts, Medicare Locals, Government, non-government and private sectors, volunteers and students.

For more details please visit http://www.womenshealth2013.org.au/

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