Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, we welcomed the opportunity to provide our advice and comment to the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia. A copy of AWAVA’s submission can be found here: http://awava.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AWAVA-Submission-to-the-Senate-Inquiry-into-Domestic-Violence-in-Australia.pdf
Many of the links we are highlighting this week represent beginnings: the building of new facilities, the commencement of pilot programs, the directions of courts and the entering into force of new laws, among many others. Much like the recommendations we provided in our submission to the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence, these endeavours will only be successful in preventing and eliminating violence against women if we continue to build on them and commit ourselves to moving forward together.
Around the Country
- In many abusive relationships, “money is used as a weapon or means of control” [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of violence, financial abuse]
- The Victorian Police Association has suggested GPS tracking be used on repeat domestic violence offenders
- In the Grampians region, work continues to address the everyday discrimination and sexism that leads to violence against women
- People continue to express extreme concern at the availability and prevalence of ‘stalker apps’
- The Women in Prisons Advocacy Network (WIPAN) has received last-minute funding to prevent their mentoring program for women leaving prison from having to close down
- A new trial program being run by Victoria Police and the Safe Futures Foundation has begun to issue ‘safety cards’, which include duress alarms, to family violence victims
- In Bendigo, construction of a new multidisciplinary centre (MDC) for victims of sexual assault and child abuse has begun
Around the World
- The Istanbul Convention on Violence Against Women has now entered into force for the first eleven signatory countries
- The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled against the Government of Guatemala, finding thatit has not done enough to address massive rates of violence against women in the country [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual abuse, torture]
- In Turkey, after Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told women not to laugh in public in order to preserve their ‘decency’, many Turkish women have begun tweeting images of themselves laughing in defiance
- In Egypt, civilian groups aimed at preventing sexual harassment in public are growing more organised
- In Taiwan, voters are being urged to pressure local governments to commit more resources to addressing violence against women
- In Kathmandu, a sit-in by women’s rights activists has entered its ninth week as the protesters demand action to eliminate gender-based violence
- “The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has urged Swaziland toenact into law, without further delay, the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence bill”
- In the United States, a rapidly increasing number of sexual assault reports in the military is being hailed as a positive sign
- In Liberia, UN Women has praised the work of the Government to begin to address high rates of violence against women and girls
- In Uganda, the amount of money allocated by the Government to address domestic violence is only a fraction of the huge cost to the economy it creates
Research, Resources and Reports
- Abstract submissions are now open for the Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN)’s inaugural Asia-Pacific conference on Gendered Violence and Violations
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the view of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only.