Weekly Round Up* 16 June 2016

Around the Country

• The Women’s Services Network (WESNET) together with other homelessness and affordable housing organisations has launched a petition, calling on Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten to invest in affordable housing to support women and children to be safe from domestic and family violence.Sign the petition here!
• The Australian Labor Party has announced that, if elected, it will allocate $88 million over two years to provide long-term and short-term accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence.
• The Greens have released their policy on domestic violence,  including increased funding for specialist domestic violence services and safety in family law.
• The Greens and the ALP have also endorsed the Australian Women’s Health Network’s Women’s Health Charter, which aims to improve women’s health through a whole-of-government approach.
• Sexual assault on Australian university campuses acutely affects international students, while language and cultural barriers often operate as barriers to seeking support.
• The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has released a study showing that imprisonment does not necessarily prevent perpetrators from re-offending.
• In NSW, the state budget will include a $300 million package to prevent and respond to domestic violence, and will introduce measures such as GPS tracking for high-risk offenders.
• In Queensland, the government has allocated $198.2 million in the state budget to prevent and respond to domestic violence, and has also committed to providing funding for specialist domestic violence courts. However, the government has not announced when the courts will open and where they will be located.
• In the ACT, men at risk of perpetrating violence will be able to attend behavioural change programs under a new ACT Government Program.

Around the World

• In the US, the judge who gave a lenient sentence to a Brock Turner, a Stanford student accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, has been removed from a similar case due to prosecutors’ concerns about his ability to fairly participate in the proceeding. The case has raised much needed awareness about sexual assault and has resulted in a campaign to recall the judge.You can read the powerful victim statement released by the woman who was sexually assaulted here.
  [These links contain descriptions of sexual assault that may be distressing. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.]
• Also in the US, the National Network to End Domestic Violence has been working with Facebook to create guidelines and resources to ensure the safety of survivors of abuse, online harassment and stalking on social media.
• Christine Chinkin, Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Foundation at the London School of Economics and Political Science, has condemned the UK Government for not ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in an article written for the Conversation.

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.
• 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.
• 1800RESPECT 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 One Woman Project is hosting ‘Brisbane’s Finest Feminists’, a conference bringing together feminists from Brisbane, Australia and beyond. The conference will be held on 30 July. More information here!
• Nominations are open for the Women’s Legal Services NSW Bright Spark Award 2016. Nominate an inspiring woman who you believe deserves recognition for outstanding community service and advocacy. Learn more about the award and nomination procedure here. Submit your nominations by Friday, 22 July.
• The 2016 Victims and Justice National Conference will be held on 8 and 9 August 2016 in Melbourne.More information here.
• Tickets are on sale for the Fearless Comedy Gala – Comedians Against Family Violence. Some of Australia’s top comedians will unite in Canberra on 18 August to make a stand against family violence in our community. All proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT. More info available here.
• The National Multicultural Women’s Conference will be held on 3 and 4 November 2016 in Parkroyal Parramatta, Sydney. Find out more here.