This week, violence against women has dominated many news headlines, with stories of people coming together to mourn the death of Jillian Meagher. Here are a few of the articles that crossed our virtual desks:

Around the Nation

  • Victorian police are trying new ways of investigating and understanding sexual assaults
  • A new study highlights the number of women trafficked for sex work in Melbourne and Sydney
  • This article reinforces the need to stop the forced sterilisation of women and girls with disability
  • On 26 September, the State Opposition in Western Australia (WA) tabled legislation to double the maximum penalty for domestic assaults resulting in death, to a 20-year sentence.  For more information see AWAVA member website: Women’s Council For Domestic and Family Violence Services (WA)

Internationally

Get Involved

  • The Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria is urging individuals to sign their online petition against funding cuts to their Sisters Day Out program in this year™s May budget
  • Deakin University’s School of Psychology is inviting migrant women to participate in an anonymous online survey about their experience with domestic violence
  • Friend & Supporter Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria is seeking input through an online survey from workers supporting women who have experienced domestic violence and/or stalking as part of a study into the use of mobile technologies and devices in the context of family violence

Resources

New Resources

  • ASCA™s Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Complex Trauma and Trauma Informed Care and Service Delivery have now been released and are available for download here
  • Women™s Legal Services NSW launched a new secure web site Ask LOIS providing a free legal online information service for community workers in New South Wales who are rural and regionally based and are responding to women with legal needs

Upcoming Events

New!!

October

  • 7 October: 2-5pm, Melbourne, Women’s International Solidarity Australia are screening Dreams of Dutiful Daughters about Burmese women™s lives, showing the vulnerability of women in poverty crossing the border to Thailand and their to exposure to exploitation and violence including sex trafficking.  Cost $15-$25.  Bookings are essential RSVP.
  • Registration open until 15 October: Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.
  • WESNET’s Safety Net Technology Safety Training is coming to Canberra 31 October and 1 November – click here for more information and to register

November

  • The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
  • Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
  • The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference will be held 20-21 November
  • 23 November 2012:  Not1More/White Ribbon Day – White Ribbon Day activities in Melbourne include awareness-raising, White Ribbon Lunch, Walk Against Family Violence at 2pm, Not1more will be remembering victims of family violence and offering the opportunity for people to take the White Ribbon Oath in Federation Square, Melbourne
  • 26-28 November 2012:  Pathways to Change Conference for practitioners and policy developers to explore practice responses to children and young people displaying Problem Sexualised Behaviour and Sexually Abusive Behaviour.  The conference is being held in Hobart, Tasmania, register now.

Later

  • 21 March 2013: Australian Women’s Coalition is calling young women between 18 – 30 years who live, study or work in Auburn, Bankstown, Liverpool or Coffs Harbour NSW, or in Canberra, ACT to be a part of SHOUT!  A series of three free workshops will run in each location, complemented by an online network of support and skills-sharing and a local network of participants and AWC member organisations. The workshops will culminate in community events on Harmony Day next year, . Find out more here
  • Save the date: 28-30 April 2013 – The Australian Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance (AMaRWA) will be holding a 2 day national conference on the elimination of violence against culturally and linguistically diverse women, supported by AWAVA.  Put it in your diary!
  • ‘Miss Representation’ Screening Tour: Women in Film & Television (WIFT) NSW are planning a series of screenings of ‘Miss Representation’ across Australia in 2012/13. If you are interested in hosting a screening of this film in partnership with WIFT NSW please email them

Internationally:

  • 17-20 October, London, UK: 14th Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) Conference: Stop Violence Against Women – Whose voices? Whose needs? Whose decisions?
  • 7-9 November, Vancouver: 2012 National Research Day conference hosted by the FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children (School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University), in partnership with the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (EVA BC), the Canadian Observatory on the Justice System™s Response to Intimate Partner Violence, and the BC Society of Transition Houses
  • 4-15 March 2013: 57th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW57), New York, priority theme: Eliminating and prevention all forms of violence against women and girls