This week, the National Women’s Alliances launched womenvote.org.au, an online platform where women can access information on how to cast an effective, informed and independent vote. As we head to the polls on 2 July, we want to ensure that women’s voices are being heard, and that our issues are taken seriously.
If you have not enrolled yet, make sure to do so by next Monday by following this link. Did you know that you can apply to be a silent elector if you are worried about your safety? Being a silent elector will ensure that you are enrolled to vote but your address will not appear on the publicly available electoral roll. You can find out more about voting when you need to stay safe here.
Visit www.womenvote.org.au. Women! Use your vote.
Around the country
- The Turnbull government has announced that $30 million of the $100 million over three years promised in the recent budget for domestic and family violence will go to frontline legal services.
- Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has announced that the Labor Party will provide $65 million over 6 years to 1800 RESPECT, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and Our Watch if the Labor Party wins this election.
- A recent study has found that almost a third of young women don’t feel safe in public spaces at night.
- Women’s Legal Services Australia and Rosie Batty have launched Safety First in Family Law, a campaign to put pressure on leaders of all major political parties to take real action on addressing the failings of the family law system in the lead up to the election. Support the campaign by signing the petition or writing to the leaders of the major parties here
- Last week, Four Corners recounted the brutal murder of Lynette Daley, highlighting the failure of our justice system to address violence against Aboriginal women. Read a response from Antoinette Braybrook, convenor of the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum here. [This article contains content that some viewers may find distressing]
- Cosima Marriner has written about students’ experiences of sexual assault and harassment in Australian university residential colleges.
- Julie McKay has written about the role that protecting pets could play in supporting women who are experiencing family and domestic violence.
- Read this article on why all parties should make gender issues a priority this election.
Around the world
- CARE Australia is running “I See You”, a campaign to show women who have experienced violence that the world sees their suffering. You can support the campaign by signing the pledge here.
- Women around the world have been using the twitter hashtag #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou to raise awareness and share their stories of emotional abuse.
- In New Zealand, statistics revealed as part of a new campaign have highlighted the alarming rates of family and domestic violence in the country.
- In Indonesia, the government will issue a regulation to deter people from committing sex crimes. While the regulation is not the same as legislation, the government believes it will serve as a new legal basis to prevent sexual violence. However, a number of rights groups have expressed concerns about the design of the legislation, and the punishments it stipulates for offenders.
- In Nigeria, the police force has created gender units across the country to address sexual and gender-based violence.
Get Involved!
- Registrations are open for Prevalent & Preventable, the AWAVA/Our Watch international conference on violence against women (19 to 22 September 2016)! Find out more about the four conference streams and our fantastic keynote speakers Ms Marai Larasi and Prof Rashida Manjoo, and sign on for email updates at our website.
- Interested in finding out more about the 60th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women which took place in March this year? Register to attend the National Women’s Alliances CSW60 International Engagement Webinar on 25 May from 1:00 – 2:30 pm AEST. RSVP to[email protected] or find more information here! In preparation for the forum, read AWAVA’s report on CSW60 here and watch our CSW60 report back video here.
- The Commonwealth Department of Social Services is currently conducting consultations to inform the Third Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. To seek an invitation to one of the consultation roundtables, or to provide written input, you can email[email protected].
- The University of Melbourne has created a website called “Not The Only One” where women can anonymously read and share stories about experiencing family and domestic violence.
- A group of young women from the electorate of Braddon in Tasmania are holding a 24 Hour Colourathon on 20 May to raise money for women’s shelters in their local area.
- The Child Aware Approaches Conference will be held on 23 and 24 May 2016 in Brisbane. Find our more here.
- 1800 Respect is holding a webinar on trauma informed understanding and responses to children affected by family violence. The webinar will be held on 23 June at 1pm AEDT. Register here!
- The 2016 Global Indigenous Women’s Conference will be held from September 12-14 2016 in Adelaide. Register here.
- The National Multicultural Women’s Conference will be held on 3 and 4 November 2016 in PARKROYAL Parramatta, Sydney. Find out more here.
- Master of Psychology student at Bond University, Sharelle Kostogolou, is seeking responses to a survey on the unauthorised sharing of intimate images (or ‘revenge porn’). If you wish to participate in the survey, please follow this link.