Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, many of the stories we highlight deal with increases in violence against women during and after natural disasters. This is a clear example of the need to look at events in our society through a gender lens. In 2012, our sister alliances, economic Security4Women and the National Rural Women’s Coalition created a package of resources and training materials to that addressed the disproportionate economic impact of natural disasters on women. These materials are available for download online.
This week has also been the final week of the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59). The event has been a fantastic opportunity to meet with our colleagues from NGOs around the world and to influence the direction the world’s Governments take to address the needs and rights of women and girls. However, we are concerned about the way that Civil Society Organisations have been excluded from both the negotiation of the political declaration and the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) Methods of Work resolution and emphasise the vital nature of civil society participation in the CSW process.

AWAVA representatives discussing the role of men’s behaviour programs in assessing violence against women
Around the Country
- In Queensland, a spike in domestic violence incidents has been reported following Cyclone Marcia
- Minister for Social Services Scott Morrison has announced a two-year extension to homelessness services’ funding, giving the groups certainty to continue their work
- Police comments suggesting women should not use public parks alone after the murder of a teenage girl in Melbourne have prompted huge outcry from around Australia about the misunderstanding of men’s violence against women
- The Moss Review into sexual assault in immigration detention facilities on Nauru has found conclusive evidence that women and children experience sexual abuse while in detention [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual violence, violence against children]
- In the wake of new research, calls are increasing for attention and action on the problem of street harassment [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of street harassment]
- The Australian Senate Finance Committee has released a report calling on the Government to commit to adequately funding community legal services
- In New South Wales, both major parties have made commitments to address domestic violence in the lead up to the state election. The Liberal government’s planned domestic violence register has drawn criticism from domestic violence service workers. This register is also incorporated in Labor’s domestic violence package
- In Victoria, the leader of the country’s first specialised Family Violence Command has been appointed by Victoria Police
- In the ACT and Victoria, large increases in domestic violence reporting have been recorded
- Conversations have been sparked on Twitter about the issues of homelessness and inappropriate housing for older women
- The Guardian has begun maintaining a list of women killed in Australia this year where police have laid charges against their partner or ex-partner
- In the ACT, Victims of Crime Commissioner John Hinchey has said more urgent action needs to be taken to address family and domestic violence
- In Victoria, a bill is before the senate to enable judges to give clearer directions to juries in sexual assault cases and prohibit instructions which state that sexual assault complainants are unreliable in general
Around the World
- In Africa, countries hit by the Ebola epidemic are recording increases in violence against women
- The United Nations Population Fund have dedicated $35 million to support sexual and reproductive health needs in Vanuatu during Cyclone Pam recovery efforts
- The United Nations has highlighted women’s participation in sport as key to increasing gender equality around the world
- In Ghana, Police have asked journalists to report cases of sexual violence in an appropriate way in order to avoid causing further harm to victims
- In India, Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar has been named UN Women’s first male ambassador
- In the United States, families are being urged to use reporting on athletes committing violence against women to discuss the issue and teach children about respectful relationships
- In the UK, legal experts have spoken out about unrealistic restrictions on domestic violence victims’access to legal aid
- In the United States, the Government has announced additional funding to address the backlog of hundreds of thousands of ‘rape kits’ that remain untested around the country
- In the United States, Actress Ashley Judd has written about sexually violent tweets at her and her perspectives as a survivor of child sexual abuse [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual violence, violence against a child, sexual harassment, threats]
Research, Resources and Reports
- A recording of Dr Marilyn Waring’s 2015 Pamela Denoon Lecture ‘The Dark Side of Women’s Caring Roles’ is now available to listen to online
Get Involved!
- The full program is now available for the Supporting Children & Young People that have Experienced Domestic & Family Violence Conference being held in Alfred Cove WA on 25-26 March
- Become an AWAVA Volunteer Intern! We’re looking for 2 Canberra-based interns – a Policy Intern and a Research Intern – to work 1 day per week and get some behind-the-scenes experience at a small NGO in the preventing violence against women sector. Applications close 31 March
**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the view of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only.