Last week, publicly taking a stand against violence against women was the order of the day with Reclaim the Night Marches taking place across Australia. Women and men turned up in support of public spaces being safe for everyone and to raise awareness of sexual violence and assault.
The impact of violence against women in the region was also a focus with a televised discussion on violence against women on 24 October, (Praxis Discussion Series 2012) connecting with Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. Merilyn Tahi raised that women in Vanuatu experience high levels of emotional abuse in their homes by their husbands and that no culture or religion should endorse violence against women. The discussion highlighted the need for targeted, sustained approaches to ending violence against women.
Around the Nation
- Reclaim the Night in Melbourne attracted thousands of marchers
- March to break the silence of violence in Canberra
- A Wagga domestic violence worker says it is important crimes against women are proactively campaigned against
- The violent death of a Sargun Ragi in Melbourne last month has prompted a rethink of the use of restraining orders
- Read this opinion piece by Katie O’Byrne on the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children
Internationally
- In Papua New Guinea, authorities have called on the Duchess of Cornwall to help highlight the issue of domestic violence
- Shahira Amin takes a look at the escalating violence against women in post-revolution Egypt. Read more on this from columnist Paul Sheehan here
- This report takes a look at Domestic and Family Violence in Nigeria
- Approaches to addressing abuse within families in Malaysia are discussed in this article
- This article in the UK Telegraph points out Society still struggles to act on violence against women
- The rhetoric of rape is the focus of: What’s in a name? The rhetoric of rape
- In the UK, breaking the code of silence around sexual assault is raised in this opinion piece following the Jimmy Savile sexual assault allegations
- The Galway Advertiser reports on the Galway Rape Crisis Centre findings that 80% of sexual violence survivors knew their attackers
Get Involved!
- The Not Yours To Promise survey closing date has been extended until 16 November – If you have had any experience with children in, or at risk of, a forced marriage, while the children were under 18, please contribute to the project by filling out this survey
Upcoming Events
Get in quickly! Save $100 with an early bird registrations for the National Rural Women’s Coalition inaugural conference in February 2013, Canberra closes 11 November, register now!
November
- 11-14 November: Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
- 14-16 November: The No To Violence conference, Melbourne
- 16 November: Women’s Council WA will be holding training Lessons from Pippi Longstocking – How Children and Young People Resist Violence and Oppression
- 20-21 November: The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference
- 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
- 23 November: Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March, Perth
- 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, Hobart. Register by 1 November for the early bird discount. Click here for Conference programs details
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Events
- 27 November: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide film screening, panel discussion and launch of Jacqui True’s book, The Political Economy of Violence against Women. at UNSW, 6-8pm, to register: http://ahrcentrehalfthesky.eventbrite.com.au. The film screening is hosted by the Australian Human Rights Centre and the film addresses the linked problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality.
- 6 December: The Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse are hosting a symposium to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 days of activism against gender violence; Damned Lies and Statistics: Understanding Gender and Violence Symposium with Dr Michael Flood and Dr Jane Wangmann will be held in Sydney
Later
- Early Bird registration is open until 11 November for the National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC)’s inaugural Conference being held 18- 20 February 2013 in Canberra
- 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:
- 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