Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, many of the articles we’ve selected focus on the aftermath of gender-based violence. Violence has complicated and long-lasting effects for female survivors as well as for the broader community. To truly acknowledge the structural impacts and causes of violence against women, we must value and consider the perspectives of people from all sectors of our communities.
Around the Country
- MPs Tim Watts, Andrew Broad and Ken Wyatt have launched a new group, Parliamentarians Against Family Violence, to help members of parliament learn more about the issue [TRIGGER WARNING: Description of violence, death]
- Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has been named Australia’s most influential woman
- Evidence has been presented by a number of organisations about the unique challenges faced by women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who experience domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, violence against children]
- The inquest into the murder of Luke Batty has received extensive media coverage [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, threats]
- New comprehensive research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the divergent approaches from the AFL and the NRL to preventing violence against women
- The dispersed, international nature of the ‘gamergate’ movement has caused difficulties for Australian women in the video game community seeking assistance after receiving threats
Around the World
- Misogynistic ‘Men’s Rights’ group A Voice for Men has launched a deceptive website claiming to represent the White Ribbon campaign as collect donations while providing dangerous and sexist misinformation about gender-based violence
- In Nigeria, dozens more young women have been kidnapped by Boko Haram despite reports that a cease-fire deal had been made
- Wazhma Frogh, founder of the Research Institute for Women Peace and Security in Afghanistan, has written about the growing freedom and engagement of Afghan women
- In Tunisia, substantive equality and safety for women are slow in following what are considered advanced legal protections for women’s rights
- In South Africa, Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment and will be eligible to apply for house arrest after 10 months
- In Hawaii, hundreds of men have joined in the 20th anniversary Men’s March Against Domestic Violence
- YouTuber Laci Green has spoken about her involvement in calling out fellow YouTuber Sam Pepper for indecently assaulting women in his videos
- There has been a large amount of online backlash about the possible use of sexual assault as a plot device on the television series Reign
- In Iceland, participants at the conference ‘Zero Tolerance: Seminar on Actions to Prevent Gender-based Violence’ have discussed strategies to address structural causes of gender-based violence across the Nordic region
Research, Resources and Reports
- Psychologist Nina Burrowes has created a video with advice for people whose friends or family have disclosed their experience of sexual abuse
Get Involved!
- Reclaim the Night marches are taking place around the country at the end of this month, including in Sydney and Canberra
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the view of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only.