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So far AWAVA Program Manager has created 72 blog entries.

Ending Female Genital Cutting

T0day, 6 February, is International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and a day to celebrate the progress made to end its practice worldwide.  

In Australia

Last year Prime Minister Gillard announced a National Summit and Legal Review as part of the Federal Government’s response to addressing FGM following police in NSW charging 8 people following the mutilation of two girls in Sydney and Wollongong and a Perth couple being charged in September after taking their daughter to Bali for a traditional cutting ceremony.

All Australian states and territories have already enacted legislation making FGM a criminal offence, with penalties in some states of up to 20 years imprisonment.

Internationally

In December 2012 the United Nations General Assembly accepted its first resolution on the elimination of FGM urging member states to take the necessary measures to protect women and girls from this harmful practice.

AWAVA will be developing a position paper and will be consulting widely with experts in the health professional field and service providers that have focussed on this issue over more than a decade.  If you would like to contribute to the position paper email AWAVA’s Program Manager.

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Recruiting Policy Officer (Canberra-based)

AWAVA are currently recruiting for a Policy Officer to join the team in Canberra.  AWAVA is seeking an independent, motivated and innovative part-time policy officer to join the team in Canberra with the opportunity to deputise for the AWAVA Program Manager.  The position is 2 days a week for the current contract period (until 30 June 2013) with possible extension if the government contract is renewed. This position is also posted on SEEK .

Applications close on Monday 11 February with interviews between 13-22 February.

AWAVA Policy Officer Position_Job Advert

AWAVA Policy Officer Position_Duty Statement

 

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Increased investment + focus needed on primary prevention: AWAVA’s 2013/14 pre-Budget Submission

AWAVA’s Federal Pre-Budget Submission_2013-14 emphasizes the need for an increased investment in, and focus on, primary prevention to address violence against women, continued focus on the National Plan and four project proposals to assist with the National Plan implementation .

1: National Media Framework in Support of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children

2: No Fear – Violence Prevention Program for Primary Schools

3: Community Leaders: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women Against Violence Against Women

4: Additional crisis refuge, shelter or crisis beds with additional support workers and additional sexual assault counsellors and advocates to respond to increased demand from prevention and awareness-raising activities

Download our submission here  

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Submission to Inquiry into the Human Rights + Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012 – Exposure Draft Legislation

AWAVA continues to lobby for the inclusion of the status of being a victim/survivor of domestic or family violence as an additional protected attribute and supports an express protection for victims of domestic violence covering all areas of public life.  The consolidation of federal discrimination laws into a single act is an opportune time to include such a protected attribute. Protections are needed to assist women who have experienced/are experiencing domestic violence or sexual violence to reduce further social and financial disadvantage.

AWAVA’s submission to the inquiry was supported by three of the issues-based Commonwealth-funded National Women’s Alliances: AWAVA, Equality Rights Alliance (ERA) and economicsecurity4women (eS4W) and fully or partially endorsed by 32 members and/or Friends & Supporters of AWAVA.

Download our submission here  

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Weekly Round-up* 18 December

This is the last round-up for 2012 as it takes a short break over the Christmas and New Year period. The AWAVA team would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our subscribers for their ongoing support and feedback during the year, and wish everyone all the best for 2013!

Around the country:

And internationally:

Resources and Research

Some interesting reports, research and fact-sheets recently published are well worth a read:

Upcoming Events

January 2013

February

  • 18- 20  February: The National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC)’s inaugural Conference being held  in Canberra

March

  • 21 March: Australian Women’s Coalition is calling young women between 18 – 30 years who live, study or work in Auburn, Bankstown, Liverpool or Coffs Harbour NSW, or in Canberra, ACT to be a part of SHOUT!  A series of three free workshops will run in each location, complemented by an online network of support and skills-sharing and a local network of participants and AWC member organisations. The workshops will culminate in community events on Harmony Day next year,  Find out more here

April

  • 11-12 April: Registration is now open for the Child Aware Approaches Conference, Melbourne
  • 28-30 April: The Australian Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance (AMaRWA) will be holding a 2 day national conference: Stand Up!  Eliminating All Forms of Violence Against CALD Women, supported by AWAVA.  Put it in your diary!
  • ‘Miss Representation’ Screening Tour: Women in Film & Television (WIFT) NSW are planning a series of screenings of ‘Miss Representation’ across Australia in 2012/13. If you are interested in hosting a screening of this film in partnership with WIFT NSW please email them

Internationally:

  • 4-15 March 2013: 57th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW57), New York, priority theme: Eliminating and prevention all forms of violence against women and girls

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Weekly Round-up* 5 November

Working without fear: Results of the sexual harassment national telephone survey 2012 was launched by Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, on 30 October.  The survey  shows that sexual harassment is not only widespread in Australian workplaces, but that progress in addressing it has stalled

œSexual harassment is unlawful and has no place in Australian workplaces, Ms Broderick said. œEradicating sexual harassment from our workplaces will require leadership and a genuine commitment from everyone “ government, employers, employer associations, unions and employees.

The facts:

  • One in five (21%) people were sexually harassed in the workplace in the past five years
  • Sexual harassment affects more women than men: 25% of women and 16% of men were sexually harassed in the workplace in the past five years
  • Nearly four out of five (79%) harassers were men
  • Ninety per cent (90%) of women were harassed by a man
  • One-third (33%) of women and less than one in ten (9%) men were sexually harassed in their lifetime
  • More than half (51%) of bystanders (people who saw or became aware of sexual harassment) took action to prevent or reduce the harm of sexual harassment

Research from Monash University  has also found 57.3% of female journalists in Australia experience sexual harassment on the jobover twice the general workforce rate and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed its support of initiatives to increase awareness and reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in the workplace.  Also last week, Workplace Relations Minister, Bill Shorten commended employers that include paid domestic violence leave in their workplace agreements – Australia is setting a world standard.

 

Around the Nation

Internationally

Get Involved!

  • The Not Yours To Promise survey closing date has been extended until 16 November  – If you have had any experience with children in, or at risk of, a forced marriage, while the children were under 18, please contribute to the project by filling out this survey
  • “”Have you ever expe­ri­enced unwanted con­tact from a part­ner or ex-partner via the phone or inter­net? Have you ever felt afraid because a part­ner or ex-partner has tracked you with your phone, harassed you on Face­book, or con­stantly sent you text messages?”” Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria want to know about your experiences.  If you are a woman living in Victoria and are aged over 18, please take part in the survey, which only takes around 15 minutes: http://smartsafe.org.au/
  • Deadline for submitting written statements for CSW57 is 15 November.  You must have ECOSOC accreditations and make recommendations for more information: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/NGO.html 

Upcoming Events

Still time!  Save $100 with an early bird registrations for the  National Rural Women’s Coalition inaugural conference in February 2013, Canberra closes 11 November, register now!

November

The ACT Women’s Services Network is holding its ˜Summer of Respect™, a summer-long anti-sexual violence campaign from last week’s Reclaim the Night until International Women™s Day on 8 March 2013

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Events
  • 27 November: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide film screening, panel discussion and launch of Jacqui True’s book, The Political Economy of Violence against Women. at UNSW, 6-8pm, to register: http://ahrcentrehalfthesky.eventbrite.com.au.  The film screening is hosted by the Australian Human Rights Centre and  the film addresses the linked problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality.
  • 6 December: The Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse are hosting a  symposium to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 days of activism against gender violence; Damned Lies and Statistics: Understanding Gender and Violence Symposium with Dr Michael Flood and Dr Jane Wangmann  will be held in Sydney

 Later

  • Early Bird registration is open until 11 November for the National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC)’s inaugural Conference being held 18- 20  February 2013 in Canberra
  • 21 March 2013: Australian Women’s Coalition is calling young women between 18 – 30 years who live, study or work in Auburn, Bankstown, Liverpool or Coffs Harbour NSW, or in Canberra, ACT to be a part of SHOUT!  A series of three free workshops will run in each location, complemented by an online network of support and skills-sharing and a local network of participants and AWC member organisations. The workshops will culminate in community events on Harmony Day next year, . Find out more here
  • Save the date: 28-30 April 2013 – The Australian Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance (AMaRWA) will be holding a 2 day national conference on the elimination of violence against culturally and linguistically diverse women, supported by AWAVA.  Put it in your diary!
  • ‘Miss Representation’ Screening Tour: Women in Film & Television (WIFT) NSW are planning a series of screenings of ‘Miss Representation’ across Australia in 2012/13. If you are interested in hosting a screening of this film in partnership with WIFT NSW please email them

Internationally:

  • 7-9 November, Vancouver: 2012 National Research Day conference hosted by the FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children (School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University), in partnership with the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (EVA BC), the Canadian Observatory on the Justice System™s Response to Intimate Partner Violence, and the BC Society of Transition Houses
  • 4-15 March 2013: 57th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW57), New York, priority theme: Eliminating and prevention all forms of violence against women and girls

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Media Release: Motion Passed Calling For Employer Recognition of Domestic Violence

On Thursday 11 October, Amanda Rishworth, Federal Member for Kingston, introduced a motion calling for employer recognition of the impact of domestic violence on women’s workforce participation and economic security.  Three of the Commonwealth-funded National Women’s Alliances: Equality Rights Alliance (ERA), Australian Women Against Violence Alliance (AWAVA), and economic Security 4 Women  eS4W) issued a joint media release  in support of the motion.  Read the joint media release here

Text from Hansard:

Domestic Violence and the Workplace

Debate resumed on the motion:

That this House:

(1) notes that two thirds of Australian women who have experienced domestic violence with their current partner are in paid employment;

(2) recognises the:

(a) significant impact that domestic violence can have on the employment of women who are subjected to it, including:

(i) lost productivity as a result of anxiety and distraction in the workplace;

(ii) absenteeism due to sustaining physical and psychological injuries;

(iii) disrupted work histories as victims often frequently change jobs;

(iv) lower personal incomes and reduced hours of work; and

(v) risks to personal safety in the workplace as well as to co-workers; and

(b) positive impact of the inclusion of domestic violence clauses in contracts of employment to ensure protections for victims, including:

(i) additional paid leave to enable employees subjected to domestic violence to, for example, attend court hearings and medical appointments without exhausting other forms of personal leave;

(ii) access to flexible working arrangements where possible; and

(iii) assurance that employee details will be treated confidentially and disclosure will not lead to discriminatory treatment;

(3) acknowledges the introduction of domestic violence clauses for public sector employees in both Queensland and NSW, and congratulates organisations in the private sector that have also moved to incorporate these clauses in contracts of employment; and

(4) urges all private companies and public sectors to include domestic violence clauses in their enterprise agreements to provide victims with important protections such as access to leave in addition to existing entitlements.

Question agreed to.

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Victoria’s Action Plan to Address Violence against Women and Children Published

The Victorian Government published  its State Action Plan: Action Plan To Address Violence against Women & Children 2012-15: Everyone has a Responsibility to Act  in support of  the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, on 9 October.

$90 million over 3 years is committed to its implementation.  Its strengths are:

  • Promotion of gender equity
  • Focus on primary prevention: inclusion in school curriculum, teacher training and responsible media reporting
  • Everyone has a responsibility: engaging communities to challenge behaviour and attitudes, including workplaces
  • Investing in service response for women experiencing violence
  • Response specifically for women with disabilities experiencing violence
The Victoria Government press release includes more information.
The sector cautions that the funding for implementing the Action Plan – both primary prevention, service response, including justice response – will be crucial, and are key to see the  plan put into action.

Read the press releases below from AWAVA Advisory Group Members and Friends & Supporters:

 

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Media Release: Next Steps for Addressing Violence Against Women – National Implementation Plan Released

Minister Collins today released the Federal Government’s National Implementation Plan for the First Action Plan 2010 – 2013 Building a Strong Foundation .  The first of four three-year implementation plans to deliver the 12-year National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. 

AWAVA’s Chair, Julie Oberin, commented: “We need strong leadership from federal, state and territory governments, close collaboration with the preventing violence against women sector and real drive behind the National Implementation Plan. We are pleased that ending violence against women is a key priority for the Government and to see the commitment given to sharing information and good practice, and working together across jurisdictions and sectors”

Access documents here:

National Implementation Plan

Minister Collins Media Release: Key step towards reducing violence against women

AWAVA Media Release – National Implementation Plan Published

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Next Steps for Addressing Violence Against Women – National Implementation Plan Released

Minister Collins announced today released the Federal Government’s National Implementation Plan for the First Action Plan 2010 – 2013 Building a Strong Foundation .  This is the first of four three-year implementation plans to deliver the 12-year National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. 

The Australian Women Against Violence Alliance welcomes the release of the first stage Implementation Plan and its strong focus on primary prevention, working to increase gender equality to prevent violence from occurring in the first place, driving attitudinal change and building a solid evidence base:.

AWAVA’s Chair, Julie Oberin, commented: “We need strong leadership from federal, state and territory governments, close collaboration with the preventing violence against women sector and real drive behind the National Implementation Plan. We are pleased that ending violence against women is a key priority for the Government and to see the commitment given to sharing information and good practice, and working together across jurisdictions and sectors”

Access documents here:

National Implementation Plan

Minister Collins Media Release: Key step towards reducing violence against women

AWAVA Media Release – National Implementation Plan Published

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