There are plenty of good articles this week in the round-up to keep you reading for a while, but, before you start, make sure you watch this insightful YouTube clip featuring speaker Leslie Morgan Steiner, a domestic violence survivor sharing her own experience, and answering Why domestic violence victims don’t leave.
Last week on 23 January, Safe at Home Safe at Work, the National Alliance of Working Women™s Centres and AWAVA made a comprehensive verbal submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Senate Committee on the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012 calling for ‘the status of victim/survivor of domestic violence’ to be included as a protected attribute so that victims/survivors of domestic violence can be protected against discrimination, including both employment and housing discrimination.
This week we submitted AWAVA’s Federal Pre-Budget Submission_2013-14 calling for increased investment and focus on primary prevention and continued focus on the implementation of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.
Around the nation
- Julia Baird in The Age says the ‘tables have turned on ‘Slut Shamers’
- Social Justice Commissioner says that cooperation is needed to end sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities
- This infographic from Homelessness Australia shows that the main reason for homelessness in this country, 25%, is domestic and family violence
Around the world
- Indian activists say that words are not enough, and action is needed to end violence against women
- Read this excellent article A Rape a Minute, a Thousand Corpses a Year from US writer Rebecca Solnit
- This article looks at the US culture of masculinity and violence against women
One Billion Rising
- Find out what is happening in Melbourne and how you can be involved
- If you’re in Sydney here is how you can join in
- And check out what is happening in Adelaide
- Read more about the movement in this article, One Billion Rising: ‘It’s like a feminist tsunami‘
Research and Resources
New Resource – VAWnet, the national online resource centre on violence against women (USA) have released this report How effective are campus-based gender violence prevention programs? which many of you may find useful in your work, particularly with students and young people
Get Involved!
- Have your say on the world you want to live in, by completing this United Nations Global Survey
Upcoming Events
New!!
- For those of you based in Canberra, if you haven’t already make sure you take the opportunity to see The Women Who Made Canberra – an exhibition celebrating women in Canberra’s history, closing 17 March
February
- Calls for papers close 5 February – 13-15 May The White Ribbon International Conference, Sydney
- 18- 20 February: The National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC)’s inaugural Conference, Canberra
- 20 February: Launch of We Will Not Go Quietly – zine by and for sexual assault survivors, 6.30pm-8.00pm, Melbourne, RSVP by 11 February 2013
- 27 Febuary: Getting Safe Against the Odds – Family violence and women with a disability – Training for workers who are currently working in the family violence sector to gain a better understanding of the context and experiences of women with disabilities who experience violence
March
- Read more about UN Women’s International Women’s Day Events and get involved
- 7 March WIRE in Victoria present Understanding Financial Abuse in the context of Family Violence
- 21 March: 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
April
- Stand-Up! Eliminating All Forms of Violence Against CALD Women national conference, 28-30 April, Canberra
- 11-12 April: Registration is now open for the Child Aware Approaches Conference, Melbourne
Later
- ‘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
- 25-28 August 8th Australasian Council of Women and Policing conference will be held in Adelaide . Calls for papers is currently open
Internationally:
- 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