Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, many of the links we have highlighted focus on the sharing of experiences. From Royal Commissions to social media, the ability of survivors to communicate their perspectives and experiences is crucial to properly understanding gender based violence. Further, listening to survivors, and working with them to take substantive action, is key to addressing and ultimately eliminating men’s violence against women.
The Weekly Round-Up will be on hiatus for the next 2 weeks. Keep an eye out for our next edition on 9 February!
Around the Country
- In Victoria, the State Government has announced the terms of reference for its Royal Commission into Family Violence
- It is now almost 30 years since the horrific assault and murder of Anita Cobby in Blacktown and the trial of her killers [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual assault, death]
- Researchers have found that unequal division of household duties is a key factor in preventing women’s economic engagement and financial independence
- A review from James Cook University has found a severe lack of substantive research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences of sexual assault and sexual assault services
- Journalist Kathleen Calderwood has profiled a men’s behaviour change program being provided in Townsville [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, abuse]
- Telstra have announced that they will be providing employees with 10 days of paid domestic violence leave
- Domestic violence service providers have emphasised the importance of taking any instance of violence or feeling unsafe in a relationship seriously enough to seek help [TRIGGER WARNNG: Description of violence]
Around the World
- In Papua New Guinea, a free counselling hotline for victims of domestic violence will be operational by the end of this year
- In the United States, a bill that would allow domestic violence perpetrators in Michigan to carry concealed firearms has been vetoed [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, violence against children]
- UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Rashida Manjoo has been denied a visa by Israelto enter Palestine and speak with women who have experienced violence
- Iceland’s UN ‘Barbershop’ Conference on violence against women was held in New York on 14-15 January
- In the United Kingdom, universities are trialling programs to train students in effective intervention if they witness sexual harassment or assault [TRIGGER WARNING: Description of violence, death]
- In the United States, the state of Maine has introduced a new risk-assessment tool to all state law enforcement agencies to help predict which offenders pose the highest risk
- In South Africa, NGOs are delivering training to fathers in taking a more equitable role in the household, in the hopes of stemming rates of violence against women
- US Associate Professor Katie Rose Guest Pryal has written a guide for academics dealing with survivors in their classes
- In Egypt, women are using social media to share stories of sexual harassment and photographs of perpetrators
Research, Resources and Reports
- The Journal of Crime and Justice has published an article entitled ‘Gendered violence and victim blame: subject perceptions of blame and the appropriateness of services for survivors of domestic sex trafficking, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence’ by Tasha A. Menakera and Cortney A. Franklina
Get Involved!
- In Adelaide, ANROWS is hosting a public lecture on Friday 13 February with Professor Liz Kelly CBE on the topic: ‘Re-visiting the continuum of sexual violence in the 21st century’
- Did you get involved with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence this year? If so, take your chance to complete a short 10 question survey by Friday, 23 January and help develop future campaign strategies based directly on lessons learned and knowledge gathered!
- Early Bird registration is now open for the Australian Peacewomen Awards and Women’s Power to Stop War Conference in Canberra on 28-29 May 2015 presented by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
- Tickets are now on sale for UN Women’s International Women’s Day Breakfast events around the country
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the view of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only.