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#ThankYouRosieBatty! Weekly Round-Up 12 Jan 2016

Welcome to this week’s round up of news about preventing and responding to violence against women. This week, women’s services and activists will be acknowledging Australian of the Year Rosie Batty’s passionate and tireless advocacy. Join us in thanking Rosie Batty for starting a national conversation on violence against women. Post a tweet with the hashtag #ThankYouRosieBatty!

Around the country

AWAVA’s lead agency, WESNET, has said that services are stretched as reports of domestic violence have increased across the country, with Chair Julie Oberin warning that women should seek help from a specialised family violence service before they indicate their intention to leave the family home.
In Queensland, the domestic violence hotline, DV connect, has experienced an unprecedented rise in the number of women calling their service, taking over 2000 calls in the four days following New Year’s Day.
Also in Queensland, the trial period for specialised domestic violence courts has been extended to mid-2017.
In the ACT, abusive ex-partners have been using federal laws to continue to harass and intimidate domestic violence victims when arranging child custody.
In Western Australia, a lawyer and a law student have launched Australia’s first means-tested domestic violence legal practice.
In Victoria, new research has shown that women are now more confident that reaching out for help would be beneficial.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has warned that current laws do not offer women adequate protection against “revenge porn”, or the sharing of private sexual material.
Emily Hehir has written about the role of schools in the campaign against family violence and the challenges that teachers face due to lack of support and training.

Around the world

In Pakistan, activist-lawyer, Nighat Dad, leads a campaign to address online abuse through her organisation, Digital Rights Foundation. Read more about her work here!
In South Africa, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women has found that high levels of violence continue to exist in the country despite a range of progressive laws and policies.

Get Involved!

AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
For Purpose Australia is running a three day professional development workshop for people working in the not-for-profit sector. The workshop will be held in Canberra from 17-19 February, with the option of enrolling in individual seminars on each of the days.
The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

Correction: In our last Round-Up, we mistakenly referred to the Australian Women’s Health Network as the “National Women’s Health Network”. Apologies to our valued member organisation, AWHN.

Weekly Round-up* 5 January 2016

Welcome to the new year! We have lots of exciting plans for 2016, including hosting an international conference with Our Watch (details below). We look forward to working with all of you in continuing our advocacy towards a future in which all women and children can live free from violence. Our main areas of focus this year are:

Improving access to justice for women facing violence
Supporting the implementation of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, and
Promoting the role of specialist women’s services in preventing and responding to violence.

Thank you all for your support. Follow us on Facebook for more on our plans for 2016.

Around the Country

The National Women’s Health Network is at risk of closing down after the organisation’s funding application from the Department of Health and Ageing was unsuccessful. NWHN is a valued and active member of AWAVA.
Catharine Lumby has written about the importance of being an ethical bystander and the action that witnesses to violence can take.
The ABC has honoured the women who were killed by their partners or ex partners this year through a webpage featuring stories of the women’s lives, as shared by their families.
In the ACT, reports of domestic violence to ACT Policing dipped in the last financial year. However, as Sergeant Dave Williams from the Family Violence Coordination Unit has said, the figures are still too high, with an average of 12 incidents per day.
In NSW, Federal MP Justine Elliot is urging the NSW government to reopen the Tweed Valley Women’s Service after the organisation’s lead agency, On Track Community Programs, cut its funding.

Around the World

In Egypt, NGOs have launched a campaign introduce sex education in schools, with the aim of reducing sexual and other violence against women.
In China, the country’s first anti-domestic violence law was recently passed. While the introduction of the law has been welcomed by many, some activists have criticised it for its omission of sexual violence and failure to cover same-sex couples.
In Illinois, USA, a new bill and funding agreement will provide women fleeing domestic violence situations with financial assistance.
In Poland, campaigners are gathering to protest the ultra-conservative government’s new law to curtail the independence of the independent constitutional tribunal. The move will make it easier for the government to introduce extreme changes, expected to include a total ban on abortion.

Get involved!

AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

Weekly Round-Up* 28 December 2015

Welcome to our latest weekly Round-Up. We wish all of you a happy festive season and new year! We sincerely thank you for your support this year. In 2015, violence against women has attracted much-needed attention in the media. For this, we congratulate women’s organisations around the country, including our Advisory Group, for their tireless efforts. There is still much to be done to ensure that all women and children are safe from violence; however, the dedication of women around the country has shown that it is possible to start a national conversation about gender based violence, and make our concerns a national priority. We look forward to working with all of you in the new year!

Around the Country

In NSW, a recent study has dispelled the misconception that police receive several red flags before a domestic violence murder. The study conducted by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that victims are still reluctant to notify authorities and seek help.
In Tamworth, NSW, local sports clubs are signing up to a program to address and raise awareness about violence against women.
In South Australia, changes to tenancy laws have recently been introduced to provide more options to victims escaping domestic violence.
A report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found that children who grow up in violent households can suffer lifelong mental and physical health problems but often fail to receive adequate support.
Women’s services in Australia are expecting an influx of reports over the next couple of weeks, as domestic and sexual violence has shown to increase over the holiday period. If you, or anyone you know, has experienced violence, please contact 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) for 24/7 counselling and support.
Lisa Annese has written about the role of employers in supporting victims of domestic violence.
Women’s Agenda have written about the ten most important things we have learned from women in 2015 to wrap up the year.

Around the World

Rashida Manjoo, former UN special rapporteur on the causes and consequences of violence against women, has called for a binding international treaty addressing gender based violence.
In Algeria, the parliament has passed a law criminalising all forms of abuse, including verbal and psychological abuse, against women.
In New Delhi, a number of changes have been made to better respond to violence against women.CNN reporter, Sumnima Udas, joins a patrol with India’s highest ranking female police officer in this video to document these changes.

Get Involved!

AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
Women’s Legal Services Australia invites female victims/ survivors of sexual assault and domestic/ family violence who have been involved in family law court proceedings about children’s matters and would like to share about their experiences to please answer the short survey (open until 31 December).
The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

AWAVA Round-Up* 22 December 2015

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has released the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions (NOSPI), which was developed by Commonwealth, state and territory governments. The Standards are: 1. Women and their children’s safety is the core priority of all perpetrator interventions; 2. Perpetrators get the right interventions at the right time; 3. Perpetrators face justice and legal consequences when they commit violence; 4. Perpetrators participate in programmes and services that change their violent behaviours and attitudes; 5. Perpetrator interventions are driven by credible evidence to continuously improve; 6. People working in perpetrator intervention systems are skilled in responding to the dynamics and impacts of domestic, family and sexual violence.

Around the Country

The Townsville Women’s Centre has welcomed plans for new legislation allowing domestic violence victims access to compensation.
Karen Willis of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia has spoken about the annual increase in calls for help with sexual assault and domestic violence during the holiday season.
In NSW, a domestic violence complainant has been charged with contempt after refusing to answer questions in court. Helen Campbell of Women’s Legal Services NSW said, “The judicial system unfortunately does not always understand the nature of domestic violence and the sort of pressure women are under when they go to court.”
Kara Eva Schlegl writes about an incident of domestic violence sending shockwaves through Sydney’s comedy scene, arguing that guilt may lie not just with the perpetrator but also with the men who protected him.

Around the World

In New Mexico (USA), state auditors have identified 5,406 evidence kits from rapes and sexual assaults that never were tested for DNA, some of which date back to the 1980s. A 2003 law in New Mexico puts the statute of limitations on hold for sexual assaults in cases when a kit has not been tested, so some of the kits may still be used.
In Nepal, the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) community has urged lawmakers to make sure that their rights are ensured through the Gender Equality Bill and other to-be-formulated laws. Manisha Dhakal, Executive Director of Blue Diamond Society, which works for the LGBTI community in Nepal said, “There is a tendency to assume that gender-based violence happens only to women, and most of the programmes on GBV are women-centric and we are always left out.”
In The Philippines, a lawmaker is urging hospitals to establish a place in their facilities where victims of sexual assault can go for treatment and submit forensic evidence.
In Dubai, almost 5,000 people have visited an orange container set up by the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children to raise awareness about violence against women and encourage victims to speak up. The program invited visitors to a dark, cold room to listen to a five-minute soundtrack of a woman who is abused by her husband.
In Malawi, the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare has organised a national day of prayers to end abuse of women and children, in conjunction with Malawi Interfaith Aids Association, UNICEF, and the UK Department for International Development.
The New York Times covers a controversial program in Norway that aims to prevent sexual and other violence by educating migrants in European sexual norms and social codes.
In Mongolia, new legislation before parliament would establish a team of female specialists to provide counselling to victims of domestic violence and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies. The International Development Law Organization is holding consultations to support coordinated responses.
In Alberta in Canada, a new law will enable victims of domestic violence to break their leases early and forbids landlords from penalising them.

Research, Resources and Reports

Emma Katz has written about the ways in which mothers and their children can be promoters of each other’s recoveries from domestic violence, in her report Strengthening mother-child relationships as part of domestic violence recovery.
Lindsay Clowes reflects on teaching masculinities in a South African classroom, showing how teaching gender through a focus on men and masculinities offers insights into resistance to gender equity as well as possibilities for challenging such resistance.
In an Australian first, ANROWS has released a state of knowledge paper mapping the pathways and interventions for perpetrators of domestic and family violence and sexual assault through civil and criminal legal systems, and examining the responses and service systems currently available in each jurisdiction.

Get Involved!

Today (22 December) is the last day to complete the survey on the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. The survey (approx. 20 minutes) seeks the views of service providers, peak bodies and similar organisations on the effectiveness of the Second Action Plan and issues that should be addressed in the Third Action Plan. Access the online survey here!
AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
Women’s Legal Services Australia invites female victims/ survivors of sexual assault and domestic/ family violence who have been involved in family law court proceedings about children’s matters and would like to share about their experiences to please answer the short survey (open until 31 December).
The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

Ending victim-blaming, funding in the spotlight, and more * Round-Up 7 December

The Commonwealth Department of Social Security has released research commissioned to inform a national campaign to reduce violence against women and their children, identifying three key patterns we need to overcome: victim-blaming; minimising the seriousness of the violence; and the tendency to empathise with men/boys rather than women/girls (the desire to avoid blaming males). The Prime Minister, the Minister for Women and the Minister for Social Services have called this “a dangerous and engrained attitude in Australian society” and have committed $30 million to the campaign.

Around the Country

A Senate committee report on violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability was released on 25 November, recommending among other things a Royal Commission and for each State and Territory to develop Disability Justice Plans.
Moo Baulch and Jess Cadwallader have written that we need to prioritise women with disability in domestic violence discussions.
The 1800RESPECT hotline and the New South Wales Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service have reported significant increases in calls for support after the ABC Hitting Home documentary aired on 24 and 25 November, underlining the need for increased funding.
In an article in The Conversation, University of Queensland scholar Silke Meyer has pointed out thatnot all women seeking help are able to get responses as good as those shown in the Hitting Home documentary.
Fair Agenda has gathered over 37,145 signatures from people who endorse the call for all Australian governments to commit the money needed to fully fund programs which prevent domestic violence and provide protection and support for victims/survivors.
Migrant advocates are calling on the federal government not to forget family violence victims from non-English speaking communities, pointing to a major lack of trained interpreters and cases where interpreters fail to remain impartial in translating for victims, sometimes advising them to reconcile with their abusers rather than seek further support.
The family law jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Court is struggling under a growing workload, including a surge of domestic violence reporting, with delayed appointments of new judges and inadequate resources undermining court capacity.
Panellists on Q&A unanimously (re)busted the myth that one in three domestic violence victims are male, with NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Fuller pointing out that even where men do present as victims of domestic violence assaults, more than half of offenders in these cases are also male.
Michael Salter, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Western Sydney, has argued that stopping violence against women means rethinking masculinity and validating non-violence as an active accomplishment.
Annie Blatchford has proposed 10 ways to put Malcolm Turnbull’s “cultural shift” for ending violence against women into gear.

Around the World

In the USA, a number of sororities have withdrawn support for the proposed Safe Campus Act and Fair Campus Act, which would require victims/survivors of sexual assault on campus to report the assault to police before they could access help from their colleges.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has reported on Pacific Women working to end violence against women and girls in the Marshall Islands.
In Tunisia, where Meriem Ben Mohamed was charged with “indecency” after she spoke out against rape by two police officers in 2012, Amnesty International has found that survivors of sexual and gender-based violence were still being shamed and held responsible for the abuse they had suffered.
Thousands of people are supporting a Twitter campaign to name and shame men who abuse women online, using the hashtag #endviolenceagainstwomen, in support of Australian writer Clementine Ford who published some of the violent threats and abuse she has received.

Research, Resources and Reports

The Institute of Development Studies (UK) has released a policy briefing, Building Alliances to Address Sexual and Gender-based Violence, which explores the often uneasy relationship between ‘traditional’ women’s rights movements and organisations working on engaging men and boys. The authors recommend staying accountable to the goal of transformative change, moving away from the ‘men as protector’ narrative, and taking seriously the concerns of drains on resources for women’s rights.
Does viewing violent television as a child increase aggression toward women later in life? Probably, but it is a hard question to definitively answer, as explained in a recent review of the available research.
[Reposting] 1800RESPECT has launched an online toolkit for frontline workers to help them better recognise the signs of sexual assault and domestic and family violence and empower them to respond well.

Get Involved!

AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
As we prepare for the natural disaster season, 1800RESPECT urges us to consider the fact that domestic and family violence increases during and after disasters. A webinar on 16 December will explain more about this issue and how to respond. Register here!
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence continues until 10 December. This year you are urged to Orange the World to show your support!
Women’s Legal Services Australia invites female victims/ survivors of domestic/ family violence who have been involved in family law court proceedings about children’s matters and would like to share about their experiences to please answer the short survey (open until 31 December).
The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

* Due to staff leave, the Round-Up will be produced fortnightly instead of weekly from 9 November until the normal weekly pattern resumes on 21 December.

AWAVA Round-Up 23 * November 2015

World-first framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and more * Round-Up 23 November

Our Watch, in partnership with Vic Health and ANROWS, have released Change the Story, a shared framework for preventing violence against women and their children. The framework, the first of its kind in the world, makes it clear that gender inequality is at the core of the problem and fundamental to its solution. A short and powerful video shows how we can choose a future where women and their children live free of violence, and you can read the full document here.

Around the Country

ABC TV will air Sarah Ferguson’s two-part documentary series Hitting Home on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 November at 8.30pm. Hitting Home asks how domestic violence begins and how it escalates from control to physical violence, exploring courts and safe rooms, domestic abuse programs in prison, forensic doctors and specialised police units in search of answers.
Aboriginal Community Police Officer Bettina Danganbarr has called for the East Arnhem community of Galiwinku community to have its own women’s shelter. Officer Danganbarr has operated her house as a makeshift women’s shelter since she moved to the remote Aboriginal community in 2008.
The WA Ombudsman has found that over 90 per cent of ‘interactions’ by WA’s child protection authority where family and domestic violence was found did not lead to further action.
In South Australia new laws allow people with abusive partners to terminate a lease without facing a financial penalty.
In Victoria, a new multi-disciplinary centre has been established to support victims of sexual assault and child abuse in Gippsland. The centre, in Morwell, brings together child protection workers, nurses, police and counsellors.
In The Conversation, Stefano Verrelli and Eileen Chu ask whether today’s standards for being a ‘real man’ are leading to violence against women.

Around the World

Australia’s human rights record has been scrutinised by more than 100 countries at the UN as part its universal periodic review, with the treatment of asylum seekers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people drawing particular concern. The sterilisation of women with disabilities was also criticised, and Women With Disabilities Australia has argued that this practice falls under the UN definition of torture.
The new Canadian government has committed to developing and implementing a national plan on violence against women. The Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses has created a Blueprint, endorsed by over 180 organisations, to guide the development of the plan, and has welcomed the government’s announcement.
Also in Canada, the government has pledged an inquiry into violence against First Nations women.
In the United States, the Public Broadcasting Service will re-air Justice for my Sister on 24 November in honour of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. Kimberley Bautista, producer and director of this award-winning 2013 documentary on femicide in Guatemala, has said that she hopes the screening will contribute to the debate on immigration by helping US audiences understand the context of violence from which Central American women are fleeing.

Research, Resources and Reports

ANROWS has released a new report, Promoting community-led responses to violence against immigrant and refugee women in metropolitan and regional Australia.
The Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria’s latest issue of Advocate is out now, with articles on the Royal Commission, family violence in an LGBTIQ context and more.
1800RESPECT has launched an online toolkit for frontline workers to help them better recognise the signs of sexual assault and domestic and family violence and empower them to respond well.
The Australian Medical Association has also released a resource for GPs on Supporting Patients Experiencing Family Violence.

Get Involved!

AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
Women’s Services Network (WESNET), AWAVA’s lead agency, is running a four day training workshop for services and agencies working with or supporting women experiencing gender based violence. The workshop will focus on strategies to address technology facilitated abuse and will run on 26, 27 November and 3, 4 December 2015. The training is funded by the ACT Government and is open to participants from the ACT. Find out more here!
Join Australian of the Year Rosie Batty in conversation with Executive Director of UN Women Australia Julie McKay on 30 November in Canberra. This event is open to the public and all ticket sales will be donated to UN Women programs in the Pacific. Register here!
25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This year you are urged to Orange the World to show your support!
Women’s Legal Services Australia invites female victims/ survivors of sexual assault and domestic/ family violence who have been involved in family law court proceedings about children’s matters and would like to share about their experiences to please answer the short survey (open until 31 December).
The Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research and ANROWS are conducting a national survey relating to the enforcement of domestic violence protections orders in Australia. Complete the survey here by 30 November 2015.
The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

* Due to staff leave, the Round-up will be produced fortnightly instead of weekly from 9 November until the normal weekly pattern resumes on 21 December.

**Articles published do not necessarily reflect the view of AWAVA and are included as items of interest only.

This site is being archived soon. Visit wesnet.org.au for more information.

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World-first framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and more * Round-Up 23 November

Around the Country

Around the World

Research, Resources and Reports

Get Involved!

Around the Country

Around the world

Research, reports, and resources

Get involved!