Last week AWAVA amplified the concerns of its member organisations and joined Community Legal Centres and other community sector organisations to write to NSW Minister Pru Goward about potential issues with child protection changes in the State. Read the open letter to the Minister here, the letter signed by various community groups argues that the proposed reforms could disproportionately affect vulnerable and disadvantaged people. AWAVA also joined its Sister National Women’s Alliance, Equality Rights Alliance (ERA), for the ERA workshop and strategy session on housing and gendered well-being
(Equality Rights Alliance- Housing Policy Working Group)
Around the Country
- “Australia shares the worldwide disgrace of horrific violence against women at the hands of men, according to the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce”.
- The Coalition Government has released the terms of reference for its long-promised review of child care and early childhood learning
- Women with disability who live in institutions are often victims of violence and sexual abuse. Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes says we must work hard to stop the violence against all women
- Community health, legal and women’s centres fear plans to make adoption easier in NSW will raise the risk of creating a new generation of children who are ”stolen” from their parents
- A newly released Verizon Foundation and More magazine survey finds that Domestic Abuse has long term health impacts
- “Pink taxis driven by women and available only to female passengers could be on Melbourne’s streets soon”.
- In the case of Adriana Donato, the Supreme Court heard that the murder was planned for weeks by her ex-boyfriend using Google searches
- Six soldiers have been booted for their part in the so-called ‘Jedi Council’, an informal ring that shared offensive material including vision of secretly filmed sex acts
- This report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies finds that the “rates of women in prison with sexual victimisation histories far exceed those of women in the general community“
- In NSW, A Sydney man who murdered his wife’s lover in a so-called honour killing has lost an appeal against his conviction
- Conducted by the Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS), ” a startling snapshot of Victorian young people struggling with drug and alcohol problems has shown girls are suffering much higher rates of abuse, neglect, violence and self-harm than boys“
Around the World
- Plan International raises concerns for women and adolescent girls in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan
- A project in the USA looks to protect women from violence, by ensuring the well-being of their pets
- In this article, the author argues that the problem with anti-rape underwear is that this “modern-day chastity belt is yet another product of a society that blames victims rather than rapists“
- Laura Bates, Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, argues that “Death and rape threats against women continue to proliferate on some of the world’s most popular social-media sites. The perpetrators must not be allowed to think they have the right to continue”
- In response to four cinemas in Sweden pledging to rate films based on whether they pass what is known as the “Bechdel test,” a means of evaluating gender bias in film , this article argues that “the major issue with the Bechdel test is that it only demands small modifications to the narrative events in the movies we watch, and doesn’t ask for any deep, structural changes“
- Actor Jennifer Lawrence has spoken out against the “disgusting” culture of viewing young women as sex objects
- The Editorial Board of the Feminists@Law Journal have released a response to the LSE Event “Is Rape Different?”
Get Involved
- AWAVA member organization Domestic Violence NSW is searching for volunteers in the run up to Christmas to help assist in sorting and packing all the wonderful donations for women and children who have been affected by domestic and family violence. Email [email protected] for more details
- Natasha Stott Despoja AM, Chair of Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children and Ken Lay, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, will be speaking at the National Press Club of Australia on November 26th. More information and registration details can be found here
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only