This week’s edition of the Weekly Round-Up highlights the often challenging nature of working to prevent and eliminate violence against women. These instances are reminders that violence against women is deeply ingrained in our society and institutions, and it will take leadership, commitment and sustained effort from everyone in our communities to eliminate it.
Around the Country
- More than 280 arrests have been made in Alice Springs in the past 6 months as part of an initiative hoping to tackle high rates of domestic violence in the area
- Police are calling for possible witnesses to the sexual assault of a teenager in Goulburn NSW on Wednesday January 15th to please come forward
- Universities in Canberra have resisted providing information about the number of sexual assault and harassment reports on their campuses
- In Cessnock NSW, while rates of violence outside the home have decreased over the last 12 months, the number of domestic violence incidents has increased substantially
- A well-known criminal lawyer is facing domestic violence charges in Tasmania
- Bianca Hall asks readers to remember that “While street violence rates are falling, domestic violence rates are holding firm“
Around the World
- Harry Belafonte has called for men to “take the lead” on eliminating violence against women in a speech to the African-American fraternity Phi Beta Sigma
- In the US, research has found that rates of domestic violence and ‘murder-suicides’ are significantly higher in police families
- In Pakistan, talks have been held in relation to a proposed bill on domestic violence. Pakistan is the only country in south Asia which does not have a bill specifically for domestic violence
- The US Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments about the breadth of a law banning people convicted of domestic violence offences from possessing firearms
- A new advertisement created by Women’s Aid in the UK is receiving significant attention ahead of their campaign to eliminate domestic violence in the football community
- In India, a growing number of organisations are targeting men’s attitudes in order to prevent violence against women
- Also in India, Activist and writer Kalpana Sharma writes about ‘Nirbheek’ a handgun designed for women, Sharma asks : “If women’s safety is all about owning a handgun, what about the rapist who lurks at home?”
- “The parliament of Morocco has unanimously amended an article of the penal code that allowed rapists of underage girls to avoid prosecution by marrying their victims”
Get Involved
- The deadline for submitting to the National Review on discrimination related to pregnancy and return to work after parental leave on January 31 is fast approaching. You can follow this link to share your thoughts, stories and experiences
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only