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In other news, The Prime Minister has urged men to speak up on domestic violence while announcing a domestic violence order scheme, making orders taken out in any state enforceable across the country. This is in addition to the recent announcement that the government will allocate $30 million to a campaign on domestic violence education and advertising around the country. We are pleased to see commitment from the government in tackling domestic violence and look forward to the implementation of these programs.

If you wish to get involved with AWAVA, consider applying for AWAVA’s Program Manager position. More information here!

Royal Commission into Family Violence

The first and second weeks of the Royal Commission into Family Violence saw the Commission hear from a range of stakeholders, offering insights into key issues in the sector. Over the past two weeks, the Commission has heard from experts in the following areas – children, financial abuse and empowerment, alcohol and drugs, experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, housing, mental health, risk management and perpetrator interventions. At the conclusion of the first week, Melissa Davey from the Guardian identified seven key lessons learned from the submissions so far. Unsurprisingly, central to her analysis is the recognition that family violence is extremely complex and multi-faceted, essentially confirming the sector’s long standing belief. Here are some of the discussions that have been taking place in relation to the Royal Commission.

• The Royal Commission has heard from stakeholders that domestic violence is a major cause of homelessness.
• Dr Angela Spinney from Swinburne University told the commission to consider the ‘safe at home’ model, where the victim remains at home and the perpetrator is removed.
• The Commission has also highlighted that family violence incidents involving alcohol and drugs are on the rise.
• Commissioner for Aboriginal Children, Andrew Jackomos, told the Commission that Aboriginal women who are victims of family violence are being kept in jail for their own safety due to the limited availability of emergency accommodation.
• The Victorian Government’s 10 year Strong Culture Strong Peoples Strong Family plan, aimed at preventing family violence, was criticised at the Royal Commission for its inadequacy in addressing violence against Aboriginal women.
• Support services have made submissions on incorporating financial abuse in responding to family violence.
• On the topic of financial abuse, the Commission has heard from community groups and survivors about the phenomenon of dowry abuse.
• The Commission has also heard about abuse of the elderly at the hand of their families and factors such as shame and embarrassment that act as barriers to reporting.

Around the Country

• The Immigration Department has introduced a new visa category, allowing trafficked people and their families to stay in Australia while they help with police investigations.
• In a recent Senate inquiry, the Partners of Veterans Association of Australia has urged for more to be done to protect spouses and children of military personnel from domestic violence.
• In Victoria, the government has announced $400 000 in funding for a new state-wide program to reduce gender inequality and disability discrimination in the workforce.
• Also in Victoria, in response to a recent inquest into the death of 4 year old, Darcey Iris Freeman,Judge Gray is investigating the applicability of mandatory reporting obligations to legal professionals, doctors and counsellors if they have any concerns about the risk of family violence.
• In the ACT, the government is trialling a new program, aimed at altering the behaviour of domestic violence offenders.
• Again in the ACT, Greens Minister, Shane Rattenbury, has proposed draft legislation creating exclusion zones outside abortion clinics in order to prevent anti-abortion protests directly outside abortion clinics.
• In NSW, Premier Mike Baird has urged the NRL to formally suspend members charged with domestic violence offences.
• In South Australia, Police Commissioner, Grant Stevens, has announced major restructuring to address domestic violence, placing the issue high on his priorities list.

Around the World

• In Canada, the Court of Appeal has rejected the argument that cultural differences can be used to justify a light sentence for domestic violence.
• In India, the Pam Rajput Committee, a government appointed panel, has advised the government to criminalise marital rape.
• In Central China, police officers are being trained in domestic violence intervention.
• In the Pacific, UN Women has launched a new toolkit, titled “How to design projects to end violence against women and girls”.

Get Involved!

• Applications for the Cultural Diversity Scholarship Program are now open! This Australian Government and Australian Institute of Company Directors funded scholarship is open to women who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or come from a culturally or linguistically diverse background, and aims to increase representation on Australian boards. Apply here!
• Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety is recruiting a Senior Diversity Data Research Officer. Applications close on 30 July. Apply here!
• YWCA Queensland is calling for applications for its inaugural Leadership Internship. Applications close on 31 July.
• YWCA Canberra is holding a film screening of East Timorese film, Beatriz’s War, on July 30. More information here!
• Homelessness Australia is hosting the national launch of Homelessness Prevention Week 2015 and ‘I stepped up to end youth homelessness forum’ on Monday, 3 August in the ACT.
• Ask LOIS (Legal Online Information Service) is a free online service, providing legal information to community workers assisting women in NSW. Find out more about upcoming webinars on various legal issues on their website.

In other news, Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV) began public hearings in Melbourneon Monday, 13 July. The Royal Commission into Family Violence, established earlier this year to investigate practical solutions to respond to violence against women, is the first such body to be set up in Australia. Over the next couple of weeks, the commission will hear from a range of stakeholders, including victims, family violence experts as well as the police. If, like us, you wish to follow the developments closely, visit the RCFV website for a copy of all the submissions and live streaming of the hearings. We are looking forward to the wealth of knowledge and perspectives that the various submissions will bring to the sector!

Around the Country

• In Queensland, nearly half of all homicides have been linked to domestic violence.
• Also in Queensland, Quentin Bryce has expressed her support for the Queensland government’s financial commitment to addressing domestic violence in the state budget. More information on the budget can be found here.
• In South Australia, the number of restraining orders issued has increased by 60% in the 2014/15 financial year.
• In NSW, domestic violence victims in Goulburn no longer have access to specific domestic violence refuges ever since the seven bed women’s refuge closed last year after it failed to secure funding.
• In the ACT, sexual assault and domestic violence victims will be given the option of confronting their attackers as part of the expansion of ACT’s restorative justice program.
• In Victoria, CEO of VicHealth, Jerrill Richter has suggested that adopting a public health approach to domestic violence is central to addressing the problem.
• Also in Victoria, chiefs of the Magistrate’s Court and Children’s Court have called for funding increases and changes to the current court system in a joint submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence.
• Rosie Batty has asked for compulsory domestic violence prevention lessons to be delivered to all school students.
• Our Watch and Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety have commissioned a joint study into media reporting on domestic violence.
• Cathy Humphreys and Krisitin Diemer from University of Melbourne write about terrorism and domestic violence.

Around the World

• In Turkey, victims of domestic violence are using a new mobile phone app called ‘Easy Rescue’ to get in contact with emergency services, such as police, ambulance and government hotlines.
• In Cambodia, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has launched the ‘Good Men’ campaign to promote gender equality and stop violence against women.
• In Qatar, the United Nations Population Fund and the Doha International Family Institute have signed aMemorandum of Understanding to address issues such as Gender-Based Violence and child marriage.
• In Sierra Leone, the government recently ratified the Maputo Protocol, which addresses issues such as female genital mutilation and violence against women.

Get Involved!

• The Northern Integrated Family Violence Services are holding a Family Violence Group Work Forum on 20 July in Bundoora, Victoria. Register here!
• YWCA Canberra is holding a film screening of East Timorese film, Beatriz’s War, on 30 July. More information here!
• Applications are open for the ‘Family Violence Has No Boundaries: Cultural Diversity and Prevention’ conference to be held in Melbourne on 24 and 25 September. Submit abstracts by emailing[email protected] by 27 July. More information can be found here.
• YWCA Queensland is calling for applications for its inaugural Leadership Internship. Applications close on 31 July.
• The Telematics Trust is now accepting applications for its open grant rounds. Applications close on 24 August. More information can be found here.

Around the Country

• In Victoria, the government has allocated $4 million to frontline response services.
• Also in Victoria, the government will fund a new pet care program to ensure that pets are looked after when their owners are escaping family violence.
• In NSW, a recent news report has highlighted the difficulties faced by NSW refuges in catering to increasing demand for their services due to limited funding and capacity. In response to this, the government has said that it is open to increasing services.
• In Tasmania, a vigil was organised by support groups to honour the lives of women killed as a result of domestic violence.
• A new poll shows that three quarters of Australians perceive domestic violence to be a greater threat than terrorism.
• CEO of Royal Women’s Hospital, Dr Sue Matthews, has discussed the need to train health professionals to assess and respond to domestic violence. Dr Matthews also endorses Labor MP, Sharon Knight’s proposal to recruit hairdressers and bartenders in efforts to prevent family violence, backed up by research showing that women are more likely to confide in someone they trust outside their circle of family and friends.
• Research carried out by the Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre has shown that more investment is needed in men’s behaviour programs to prevent violence against women.
• Latest Crime Statistics Agency figures show that family violence order breaches have increased three fold in five years.
• The ABC has released a new addition to its series explaining how the front lines of responding to domestic violence operate. This particular section covers women’s refuges.
• SBS Living Black Radio has started a radio series to encourage dialogue about violence against Aboriginal women.
• Five women share their experiences of domestic violence in this Guardian Australia special.
  [Trigger Warning: descriptions of domestic violence]

Around the World

• In the Central African Republic, the International Organisation for Migration has received CAD 1.024 million from the Canadian Government to support efforts in reducing sexual and gender based violence.
• In France, the government is introducing a number of measures to address sexual harassment on public transport.
• In Ireland, Emma Murphy, a victim of domestic violence, uploaded a video about domestic violencewhich has gone viral on the internet and has attracted much needed attention to the issue. [Trigger Warning: descriptions of domestic violence]
• Photographer, Ann-Christine Woehrl’s recent work, In/Visible, documents the struggles and hopes of acid and fire attack victims from six countries. [Trigger Warning: Violence against women, acid and fire attacks]

Research, Resources and Reports

• Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) has recently released two knowledge papers. The Papers titled ‘What does it take? Developing informed and effective tertiary responses to violence and abuse of women and girls with disabilities in Australia’ and ‘Seeking help for domestic violence: Exploring rural women’s coping experiences’ can be found here, along with other research papers produced by the organisation.

Get Involved!

• The Women’s Legal Service Victoria is holding an interactive workshop on July 14 to improve workers’ knowledge of the Victims of Crime Assistance Act (VOCAT). Register here by July 7!
• The Northern Integrated Family Violence Services are holding a Family Violence Group Work Forum on July 20 in Bundoora, Victoria. Register here!
• Applications are open for the ‘Family Violence Has No Boundaries: Cultural Diversity and Prevention’ conference to be held in Melbourne on 24 and 25 September. Submit abstracts by emailing[email protected] by July 27. More information can be found here.
• YWCA Queensland is calling for applications for its inaugural Leadership Internship. Applications close on 31 July 2015.
• The Telematics Trust is now accepting applications for its open grant rounds. Applications close on 24 August. More information can be found here.
• Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) is currently recruiting a Research Manager. Applications close on July 16. More information on the positions can be foundhere!