At the recent Council of Australian Governments meeting (COAG), Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull responded to a campaign by more than 200 organisations (including AWAVA) by committing another year of federal funding to the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH). The $117 million funding extension is expected to help around 85,000 people who are homeless or are facing homelessness in Australia. Many domestic and family violence services and sexual assault services depend on NPAH funding, and the extension will allow these organisations to continue their work. The Council to Homeless Persons together with homelessness organisations and their peak bodies requested a 5 year extension to secure jobs and ensure the continued provision of services to those in need.
Nationally, the number of women and children accessing homelessness services due to domestic violence is increasing, bringing into question the repercussions of short-term funding. It is hoped that a review of policy and funding will enable organisations, advocates and service providers to plan for and look beyond single year timeframes.
- In national politics, the Federal Opposition has expressed disappointment over Finance Minister Mathias Cormann’s statement that mandated domestic violence leave would be “another cost on the nation’s economy”. Last week the Prime Minister said that domestic violence leave would be reconsidered after the Fair Work Commission’s ruling, which is expected next year.
- Columnist Andrew P Street has also expressed frustration over some politicians’ indifference to issues of violence against women. Read his commentary here.
- Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced a proposed new federal offence making it a crime to breach personal protection injunctions issued by federal family courts.
- In Brisbane, Micah Projects’ Brisbane Domestic Violence Service has organised the “Resound Voices of Experience”, a group of survivors who share their stories to inform and influence the public and lawmakers about domestic violence.
- In Tasmania, 12 year old Kobe Bennette has received the Tasmanian Human Rights Youth Award for standing up for his rights and the rights of children through the production of an audio book, a collection of personal narratives about his experiences of violence at the hands of his father.
- The ANROWS ASPIRE Project has launched a report on promoting community-led responses to violence against immigrant and refugee women in metropolitan and regional Australia. It has found that social isolation, threats of deportation, and language barriers are key issues facing migrant women in Tasmania.
- In the Northern territory, ABC sports commentator and anti-violence campaigner Charlie King and former North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency lawyer Jared Sharp have won the NT Human Right Awards and the Individual Youth Award King was recognised for his No More campaign and Sharp for his expose of the abuse of minors in the Don Dale youth detention centre.
- In New Zealand, the Ministry of Social Development has rejected the introduction of a clause in employees’ contracts granting 10 days leave to staff affected by domestic violence.
- In Scotland, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to work on the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention which will provide survivors of domestic violence the right to access specialist services.
- In Kenya, violence against women persists due to several factors including deep–seated cultural practices, the stigma associated with it and the lack of media infrastructure.
- In Nepal, 271 cases of violence against women have been recorded during the 16 day of activism against gendered violence, including the murder of women who were accused of witchcraft, polygamy and trafficking.
- The United States Navy has invested $150,000 in a 6 month pilot project to test the effectiveness of LiveSafe, an phone app aimed at curbing sexual assault against service-women and -men.
- Also in the United States, Erin Chloe has written about the widespread use of rape in film-making, both as fictional events and at times as real life sexual assaults against women. (This article contains information that readers might find distressing. For help and support please call 1800RESPECT.)
- Support, Help and Empowerment Inc (SHE), with funding from Partners in Recovery Tasmania has recently published “Supporting Individuals Experiencing Family Violence: A guide for Mental Health Professionals”, a resource designed to guide mental health professionals in responding to the needs of clients who have been subjected to family violence.
- 1800RESPECT has developed a digital Escape Bag Checklist and Technology and Safety videos. An online tool designed to help women flea an unsafe home environment. Download the1800RESPECT Frontline Workers Toolkit Please visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for more information.
- The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has opened a new online Graduate Certificate program in Domestic Violence which is designed for frontline workers, policy developers and professionals that will provide them with specialised skills and knowledge on how to better respond to cases of domestic violence.
- The International Organization for Migration, United Nations Information Centre Canberra and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees cordially invite you to celebrate International Migrants Day with a free screening of the new Australian documentary Constance on the Edgeon Thursday, 15 December 2016. Click here to register.
- The UN Women National Committee Australia invites everyone to the celebration of the 2017 International Women’s Day events in March happening simultaneously in 6 major cities around the country. For more information click here.
- The University of Melbourne has created a website called ‘NotTheOnlyOne’where women can anonymously read and share stories about experiencing family and domestic violence.