AWAVA Secretariat, Author at AWAVA

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence: Day 3

“The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by:

– raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
– strengthening local work around violence against women
– establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
– providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
– demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
– creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women”

For more information, visit: http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/about/campaign-profile

NGO Workshop and Training Session on Australia’s Universal Periodic Review – Canberra

“Date: Thu, 27/11/2014 – 12:30
Location: YWCA of Canberra, Level 5, 161 London Circuit, Canberra, ACT

A workshop to share information and insights on the UPR process, discuss key human rights issues and develop collective strategies ahead of Australia’s upcoming UPR …

Australia’s upcoming review by the UN Human Rights Council provides an important opportunity for Australian NGOs to encourage and influence the Australian Government to improve the protection and promotion of human rights and fulfil its international obligations.

Workshop participants will share insights and learnings from Australia’s first UPR, discuss progress on the implementation of recommendations from the previous review and discuss key issues, opportunities and strategies for the upcoming UPR in 2015.

…and a training session on using international human rights in Australian advocacy

Prior to the workshop the Equality Rights Alliance will provide an introduction to the international human rights framework (with an emphasis on the rights of women) and identify methods of using international rights in a domestic setting.

Date: Thursday 27 November 2014

Time: 12:30 – 1pm – Lunch

1 – 2pm – Using International Human Rights in Australian Advocacy

2:15 – 5pm – General NGO UPR Workshop”

For more information, visit: http://www.equalityrightsalliance.org.au/event/ngo-workshop-and-training-session-australias-universal-periodic-review-canberra

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: Day 2

“The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by:

– raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
– strengthening local work around violence against women
– establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
– providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
– demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
– creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women”

For more information, visit: http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/about/campaign-profile

Media Release: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance is reflecting on Australia’s achievements and ongoing challenges in preventing male violence against women.

AWAVA stands in solidarity with those whose lives have been impacted by violence, with survivors who fight for justice and an end to violence, and with the individuals and organisations committed to preventing male violence against women and achieving gender equality.

We are heartened that there is finally a national dialogue on the issue of male violence against women and that this dialogue has placed gendered violence firmly on the political agenda. Further, we are encouraged by the improvements we have seen in the media’s response to this violence, by women’s use of social media to progress gender equality, and by the thousands of Australia women, and men, who work tirelessly to support survivors of violence, to challenge gender inequality, and to effect social change.

Yet, the impact of gender-based violence for Australian women, their families and their communities remains overwhelming. Across the country one in three women experience physical violence and one in five experience sexual violence since the age of 15. Almost one woman is killed by a partner or ex-partner each week. Women from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities and women with disabilities experience particularly high rates of violence.

It is obvious that, in spite of our collective efforts, not enough is being done to prevent male violence against women. Further, it is clear that the responsibility to address this violence falls on all of us.

If we are to genuinely address male violence against women we must come together as a community to demand action, we must challenge attitudes and institutions that normalise and justify violence and we must work together to build a society that has a zero tolerance to gender-based violence and inequality.

For comment:
Julie Oberin, Chair (email, 0419 539 346)
Sophie Hardefeldt, Program Manager (email, 0428 541 396)

For a PDF copy of this media release, click here

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence: Day 1

“The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by:

– raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
– strengthening local work around violence against women
– establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
– providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
– demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
– creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women”

For more information, visit: http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/about/campaign-profile

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

“The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden.”

For more information, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_for_the_Elimination_of_Violence_against_Women or http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/

Weekly Round-Up * 24 November

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, in the lead up to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women as well as the 16 Days of Activism on Gender-Based Violence, people around the country, including Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women Michaelia Cash and former AFL player Luke Ablett, have been speaking out about the need to change our behaviours and attitudes if we want to prevent and eliminate men’s violence against women. The links below highlight concrete strategies and initiatives being put in place by activists and organisations across the world to prevent gender-based violence and to promote gender equality.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and twitter feed for more information, stats, and resources every day during the 16 Days of Activism!

Around the Country

The collective leadership of Australia and New Zealand’s Police Commissioners held a breakfast at Parliament house on 24 November on the theme, ‘Standing together to tackle violence against women and children’
The Commonwealth Government has committed $1 million over three years to be used by the sporting community to reduce violence against women and children
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has spoken to male business leaders who support gender equality to take substantive action to address rates of violence against women
In Melbourne, calls to the Family Violence Response Centre from people experiencing family violence have risen by 86% over the past 2 years
[TRIGGER WARNING: Extremely graphic recording of violence, violence against children]
The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) have launched ‘Sexual Violence Research (SVR) asthe new name under which they will conduct and communicate research related to sexual violence – replacing the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA)
In Victoria, increasing numbers of women and young children find themselves living in dangerous and unsuitable rooming houses after fleeing domestic violence
In Perth, over 500 people have marched to protest domestic violence against women
In the ACT, police have been criticised for their slow response to an allegation of assault on a Canberra woman [TRIGGER WARNING: Description of violence]
In Victoria, the Hume council has created a sign spelling out ‘Violence against women – Hume says no’ large enough to be seen by passengers on planes flying in to the Melbourne airport
In Queensland, the Caboolture Region Domestic Violence Service is working on an early intervention program for children in primary schools to address high rates of domestic violence in the region
No conviction has been recorded in the sentencing of former AFL player Stephen Milne after he plead guilty to indecently assaulting a woman in 2004
In Victoria, domestic violence services have expressed dissatisfaction with the commitments made so far by both the Coalition and Labor parties in the lead up to the state election
South Sydney Rabbitohs have stood down new player Cody Walker for domestic violence offenses

Around the World

In India, the deaths of 13 women after being operated on at a ‘sterilisation camp’ has prompteddiscussion about empowerment and access to contraceptives for the country’s women. [TRIGGERWARNING: Descriptions of forced medical procedures, death] Chief Justice HL Dattu has spoken about the need for a holistic, systemic change in order to address violence against women
The United States has recently been reviewed on its efforts to “prevent and punish violence and abuse of women” by the United Nations Committee Against Torture [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of gun violence, police violence]
In Afghanistan, feminist MP Shukria Barakzai has survived an assassination attempt that has killed three bystanders and wounded 22 [TRIGGER WARNING: Description of violence, suicide-attack, death]
In Israel, the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel has reported that only 15% of sexual assault cases in the country were reported to police in 2013
In Canada, a study has found that two thirds of women who have experienced sexual violence do not have faith in the country’s criminal justice system
In Afghanistan, a treatment protocol for all healthcare providers has been launched to provide guidance on how to care for survivors of gender-based violence
In Kenya, hundreds of people have marched in protest after a woman was attacked on the street for wearing a miniskirt
Women Scream International Poetry Festival 2015 has announced its first list of participating countriesset to join the festival in March next year

Research, Resources and Reports

Medical Journal The Lancet has published a series focussed on evaluating the extent of violence against women and the effectiveness of differing programs around the globe
An article from R.M. Field and A. Lynch entitled ‘Hearing parties’ voices in Coordinated Family Dispute Resolution (CFDR): An Australian pilot of a family mediation model designed for matters involving a history of domestic violence’ has been published by the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
The journal, Australian Family Physician, has published a paper entitled ‘Family violence across the life cycle’ which aims to address clinical questions that general practitioners (GPs) may have in identifying and responding to patients experiencing family violence
The full statement from the Asia Pacific Beijing+20 Civil Society Forum held in Bangkok on 14-16 November 2014 is now available online
Samantha Jeffries and Christine EW Bond have published an article in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology entitled ‘Taking the problem seriously? Sentencing Indigenous and non-Indigenous domestic violence offenders’
YWCA Australia have released the results of their She Speaks Survey, which collects responses from over 1,600 women aged 15-30 around Australia on topics including discrimination, sexism, violence and leadership

Get Involved!

The call for papers for the 5^th ACFID University Network Conference, Evidence and practice in an age of inequality, is now open and closes on 26 January 2014
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign starts tomorrow! Check out this calendar of events from around the globe to see how you can get involved

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

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