Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, many of the links we share highlight the work being done by activists and organisations to change insidious violence-supporting attitudes in our communities and to prevent men’s violence against women. It is inspiring to see the myriad ways in which women’s rights activists and organisations continue to instigate the social change that is necessary to improve the safety and security of women in our society.
Around the Country
- In Queensland, the Domestic Violence Inquiry has heard that counselling hotline DV Connect Queensland receives so many calls for assistance that some go unanswered [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, injuries]
- In New South Wales, White Ribbon Australia’s ‘Breaking the Silence’ program has been credited with an 80% reduction in violent and aggressive behaviours amongst students at one South Sydney primary school
- The naming of Rosie Batty as Victorian of the Year has encouraged more women to tell their stories of surviving domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of abuse, suicide]
- Police Commissioners from around Australia have empahsised the links between men’s ‘vulgar and violent’ attitudes towards women and the high levels of violence against women throughout the Australia
- White Ribbon Australia is considering legal action against the fraudulent ‘White Ribbon’ website launched by A Voice for Men
- In Sydney, ABC journalists have spent a night with Fairfield Police to understand the extent and impact of domestic violence within the community [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, abuse]
- University of Sydney students have held protests demanding that a robust policy structure be put in place by the university to deal with all complaints about sexual harassment, sexual assault and intimidation
- Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia have launched the Full Stop Foundation to implement evidence based primary prevention programs to change the violent attitudes and behaviours that lead to sexual assault and domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Survivor’s reflections, gun violence]
- South Australia’s Victims of Crime Commissioner has called on courts to do more to address domestic violence given the extent of its impact across the community
Around the World
- In Harlem in the United States, events have been held to ‘shine a light’ on domestic violence in a way that is accessible to communities of colour
- “There’s a growing call for a ‘data revolution’ for the post-2015 agenda — not only that data is available, but also that it is disaggregated by sex, ethnicity, age, disability and socio-economic status, to really capture inequalities and disparities”
- In Zimbabwe, men are being trained to solve domestic disputes without resorting to violence or abuse[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
- In Palestine, as head of the Palestinian Civil Police Family Protection Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Wafa Khaled Ayyad Muammar is the highest-ranking female officer in the police
- In Gambia, the Network Against Gender-based Violence is conducting a campaign to raise awareness of gender-based violence among house helpers, domestic workers and cleaners
- Calls are being made for psychiatrists, who are often ‘first responders’ to domestic violence, to receive increased training on how to respond to this violence
- In Bangladesh, rates of violence against women spiked in the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, suicide]
- The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has issued practical guidelines on protecting the rights of women asylum-seekers and refugees
- Non-profit organisation Women, Action & the Media has partnered with Twitter to develop a new way for people to report gender-based harassment on the platform
Research, Resources and Reports
- Our sister alliance the National Rural Women’s Coalition has prepared a FREE kit called Weather the Storm which is designed to support women to prepare for disasters and emergencies
- United States advocacy group ‘Know Your IX’ has produced a guide for journalists and editors writing about gender-based violence with specific reference to college campuses
- The Policy Press has published a new book, Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls: Educational work with children and young people edited by Jane Ellis and Ravi K. Thiara
- Donna Roberts, Peter Chamberlain and Paul Delfabbro have written an article entitled, ‘Women’s Experiences of the Processes Associated with the Family Court of Australia in the Context of Domestic Violence: A Thematic Analysis’
Get Involved!
- The Women’s Electoral Lobby has organised a protest on Thursday 13 November in Sydney against the foetal personhood Bill, known as Zoe’s Law, which is set to be reintroduced to the NSW Upper House
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the view of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only.