Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has announced its Advisory Panel on Domestic and Family Violence. AWAVA’s is pleased to announce that our Chair, Julie Oberin, has been appointed the Panel. We are encouraged by COAG’s leadership in tackling domestic violence and look forward to strong outcomes for women and children escaping violence over the coming year.
Around the Country
- In the lead up to the release of the 2015-16 Federal Budget The Project highlighted the need for increased funding for services supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence. After the release of the Budget Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty and key women’s organisations have questioned the lack of funding for primary prevention and specialist women’s services within the 2015-16 Federal Budget. The Project also followed up their pre-budget segment, confronting Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull about the lack of funding for domestic and family violence initiatives. [TRIGGER WARNING: Graphics depicting violence against women]
- The Federal Government has announced an extra $4m will be delivered to domestic and sexual violence hotline 1800RESPECT. Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has also announced that GPS tracking will be considered for high-risk domestic violence perpetrators.
- In South Australia, there are now triple the number of men listed on the Domestic Violence Gateway Service that tracks perpetrators of domestic and family violence. [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence against women]
- In the Australian Capital Territory, the government has announced that it will strengthen interim domestic violence orders by enabling women to extend interim protection orders without facing their violent partners in court.
- In Victoria, Melbourne’s Indian community has called for an end to domestic violence.
- In Tasmania, women’s rights activists have called on the Government to do more to respond to domestic violence.
- In Victoria, the Victorian Women’s Legal Service is using skype to connect with women in rural areas who are experiencing domestic violence.
- In New South Wales, Labor spokesperson for the prevention of domestic violence, Jodie Harrison, has criticised the New South Wales Government for failing to commit to the implementation of recommendations made by the NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team. [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of murder, violence against women, death threats]
- In Victoria, the State Government will develop the world’s first Family Violence Index, which will help direct policy and funding to adequately address family violence.
- Journalist Clementine Ford, has written about the disturbing backlash on speaking out about violence against women. [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence against women, rape and death threats, explicit language]
- Reformed perpetrator of domestic violence, Jerry Retford, has called on abusers to take responsibility for their actions.
Around the World
- In Indonesia, the military has been criticised for carrying out virginity tests on new female recruits. [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual assault]
- In Brazil, tough laws on violence against women are being stymied by social norms.
- In Canada, UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people has criticised the Government for failing to protect Aboriginal women from violence.
- In Egypt, police adopt a new strategy for tackling domestic violence.
- In Russia, new shelters for domestic violence victims are enabling more women and children to escape domestic violence.
Get Involved!
- Registrations remain 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 (WILPF).
- The Equality Rights Alliance is launching its new Survey on sex education at the Canberra Museum and Gallery on 28 May.
- Registrations are open for the International Feminist Journal of Politics Conference 18-19th June, which will take place at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
- Anti-Poverty Week will take place from 11-17 October 2015. For more information on how to get involved visit http://www.antipovertyweek.org.au/.
- The YWCA Adelaide have launched their Rise above the Pack campaign, which aims to change the conversation around violence against women so that perpetrators rather than victims are held responsible for this violence.