The AWAVA crew were busy, busy, busy this week with final preparations for CSW57! AWAVA are very pleased to be sending a delegation of 7 women, with expertise across the preventing violence against women sector, joining hundreds of women globally, to negotiate outcomes for eliminating and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls. AWAVA are sponsoring 4 parallel events with international partners from the Power of Peaks and Alliances and Thinking Big: A Convention for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to Australian-focussed events Using the Strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities to End Violence Against Women and Stopping Violence Before It Happens: Primary Prevention Tools.
Keep an eye out on the website on on Twitter for updates and report-backs from the delegation – but to get things started, click here for the latest UN media release
Around Australia
- The Sydney Morning Herald reports on new findings on the factors that increase the risk of violence
- There are calls in Victoria to re-instate funding for the Systemic Review of Family Violence Deaths which had its funding cut in 2010
- In South Australia, the AHRC has told a Senate Inquiry that forced sterilisation is a form of violence against women and girls
- The Herald Sun announces changes that will mean police can now issue on the spot ADVOs in NSW
- From the Attorney General’s office this media release – New laws tackle forced married, people trafficking and other exploitation. Read Nine News’ take on the story here
- The Federal Government announces the appointment of a National Children’s Commissioner
- Telstra announces free silent phone numbers for victims/survivors of domestic and family violence
- Australia Post joins with UN Women to raise funds for International Women’s Day
- A new theatre production will help raise community awareness of violence against women
Internationally
- In South Africa, amid ‘media frenzy’ over Oscar Pistorius, this article looks how “”Life as normal”” involves daily violence against women
- In Egypt, rape and sexual assault in Cairo’s Tahrir Square are becoming increasingly more common and organised
- Read and view this compelling story as a journalist captures domestic violence on camera (note: the photos at the beginning of the story are compelling, moving and at some stages quite graphic. To view them, use the scroll arrow on the right)
Get Involved!!
International Women’s Day
Call to Action! How you can make a difference without even leaving your seat!
This International Women™s Day, AWAVA wants to raise the profile of violence against women, and make it a topic of discussion in households around Australia and the world. We all know that the brighter we can shine a spotlight on this epidemic that affects 1 in 3 women around the world, the more action our communities and governments will take to end it, and make a real difference in the lives of women who are victims and survivors of gender-based violence.
It is AWAVA™s aim to raise awareness and get the conversation started by reaching out to the millions in the twitter-sphere and other social media spaces, and letting people know that violence against women must stop. On 8 March, International Women™s Day, we will be doing all we can to make ending violence against women (#endvaw) a ˜trending topic™ “ which means that millions of people are accessing the information and conversations on this issue – and this is where we need your help.
How you can help:
Already got a twitter account? Great!
- Make sure you are following AWAVA_Women and re-tweet re-tweet re-tweet all of our messages on that day
- Follow any other organisations/individuals who you notice are also tweeting with the hash tag #endvaw and retweet all of the tweets that are supportive of the message to end violence against women
- Send this email to your friends, family, colleagues, networks, parliamentarians, neighbours, anyone you can think of that can help share this important message
- Tweet tweet tweet all day long with your thoughts on why ending violence against women is important and what can be done “ make sure to include #endvaw every time you tweet! That is the only way someone looking for your message can find it
No twitter account? No worries!
- Go to www.twitter.com and set one up in a few easy steps. You don™t have to use your real name, or enter your real location.
- Take some time to ˜follow™ as many individuals and organisations supportive of the #endvaw message as you can “ many of these will in return follow you, so they will see all your posts to #endvaw
- Make sure you are following AWAVA_Women and retweet retweet retweet all of our messages on that day
- Follow any other organisations/individuals who you notice are also tweeting with the hash tag #endvaw and re-tweet all of the tweets that are supportive of the message to end violence against women
- Send this email to your friends, family, colleagues, networks, parliamentarians, neighbours, anyone you can think of that can help share this important message
- Tweet tweet tweet all day long with your thoughts on why ending Violence Against Women is important and what can be done “ make sure to include #endvaw every time you tweet! That is the only way someone looking for your message can find it
AWAVA will provide some example tweets leading up to the day, and some fast-fact sheets, and of course will be tweeting all day long with plenty of information you can re-tweet and share.
Set your reminders for 8 March and let™s get the conversation started!
Upcoming events
March
- Register for AMaRWA’s Stand Up! Eliminating All Forms of Violence Against CALD Women national conference on 28-30 April, early bird registration closes on 8 March: http://www.amarwaconference.org
- 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
- 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: Child Aware Approaches Conference, Melbourne
- 16 April:Due to overwhelming demand WIRE in Victoria present another session of Understanding Financial Abuse in the context of Family Violence
May
- 13-15 May The White Ribbon International Conference, Sydney
Later
- 25-28 August 8th Australasian Council of Women and Policing conference will be held in Adelaide. Call for papers has been extended until 25 March
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
*Articles published are not necessarily representative of the views and opinions of AWAVA, and are published as general information only