AWAVA Secretariat, Author at AWAVA

Weekly Round-Up * 13 October

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. In this issue we have a bumper crop of interesting and in-depth articles and links after our few weeks of hiatus, not to mention some fantastic resources and reports.

In the last two weeks, AWAVA have been very busy. We attended both the Violence Prevention – It’s Everybody’s Business conference held in Bendigo last week, as well as participating in an extremely valuable training workshop run by Advocacy for Inclusion in Canberra on the violence experienced by women with disabilities. We always welcome the chance to share and learn from our colleagues, and we hope that you find some of the many resources linked to below as useful as we have.

Around the Country

In Queensland, Dame Quentin Bryce, head of the recently formed Domestic Violence Taskforce, has stated her concerns that incidents of violence are becoming more common and more severe
In Victoria, the motorsport community are working to raise awareness of violence against women and children
Muslim women have become the target of growing levels of islamophobic violence following increasing public rhetoric about terrorism in Australia
[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
In Blacktown, NSW, police attribute a rise in reports of sexual and indecent assault to more women being comfortable reporting domestic violence
In Queensland, a coronial inquest into the murder of Noelene Beutel by her partner is expected to hand down its findings this month [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
After the gruesome murder of Mayang Prasetyo by her partner Marcus Volke, who then took his own life, a number of media outlets have used salacious language and slurs to describe her [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, slurs, suicide]
In Victoria, a group of women have raised over $1000 to support their friend who had been placed into an induced coma following a violent attack by her partner last month [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
Amy Stockwell has written for Mamamia on the process of applying for intervention orders, domestic violence orders, and apprehended violence orders as they are variously known around Australia
The Bankstown Sports Club has become one of the latest workplaces to offer paid leave and support to staff experiencing domestic violence
In Brisbane, a group of filmmakers have created The #YesAllWomen Project to look at gender equality, misogyny, harassment, assault, safety, and women’s right to speak freely in the context of social media [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
In New South Wales, a system of cooperation between police and domestic violence services being trialled in Waverley and Orange may reduce fears felt by Aboriginal women in approaching police for assistance if they are experiencing domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
In the ACT, reductions in funding have contributed to a large number of women having to be turned away from refuges after fleeing family violence

Around the World

In Myanmar, activists are calling for law reform on violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, victim-blaming]
In Iraq, concern is increasing about violence against women being perpetrated by ISIS forces, however little attention is being paid to the high prevalence of gender-based violence already presentin the region
In Poland, Catholic leaders are arguing that the country should not ratify the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence
A heavily criticised ‘men only’ conference being held in Iceland on the topic of violence against women has announced that they will be including women as participants, but the conference will remain focussed on men and boys
The World Bank has presented further research that violence is a contributing factor to women’s poverty in South Asia
Queen Latifah has spoken about the importance of discussing domestic violence in all areas of the community
Estimates suggest that violence against women and children in domestic settings around the worldgreatly outstrips the magnitude of violence and killing in civil wars
In Rwanda, mishandling of evidence is a key reason that many sexual assault prosecutions are dropped
At a recent conference in Dhaka, Parliamentarians from 12 different Asia Pacific countries have been told to play the role of watchdog in preventing violence against women
In Winnipeg, Canada, two different women have been killed by their partners in the week following the annual Take Back The Night march
In South Africa, it has been estimated that violence against women costs the country between $2 and $4 billion dollars every year
On the island of St. Lucia, doctors and nurses are being trained in how to deal with victims of sexual assault at the urging of the local police force
At the United Nations General Assembly, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has used general terms to highlight the issue of sexual violence against women during wartime
Lena Dunham has written about college sexual assault and her own experience of sexual violence in her new book
Actress Jennifer Lawrence has spoken out about the theft and sharing of nude images of her

Research, Resources and Reports

The 2014 Progress Report on the Australian National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security 2012-2018 is now available online
A review of programs throughout the world that aim to prevent sexual violence has found only 2 have rigorous evidence to support their effectiveness, and ‘one-off’ interventions can be shown to be ineffective
Presentations from the 8th National Homelessness Conference have now become available online for download
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare has published a review entitled ‘Safe at home’ programs in the context of the Victorian Integrated family Violence Service System Reform by Karen Crinall, Jenny Hurley and Lucy Healey

Get Involved!

Our Sister Alliance, the National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC), is looking for a woman to represent South Australia on their Networking the Networks Advisory Group, which administers the National Rural Women’s Network! If you are a woman who wants to ensure that rural, remote and regional women’s voices are heard, be sure to check out this fantastic opportunity
Also from our Sister Alliances, economic Security 4 Women (eS4W) & NRWC are holding a community discussion about how the economic impact on women could be accommodated in approaches to natural and environmental disaster preparation, emergency management, disaster relief, recovery and mitigation policy and financial assistance. The forum will take place on Thursday 23rd October 2014 10:00am – 1:30pm in Marburg, QLD. Register online by Friday 17 October
The Challenging Responses to Family Violence Conference will be held in Ballarat, Victoria on 12-13 November 2014. The focus of the conference is how to work with the complex effects of family violence on women, men and children, to explore ideas and approaches for preventative work, and to challenge, explore and become innovative
ANROWS is now taking Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the October 2014 Grants Round as part of ANROWS’s Research Program 2014-2016. Researchers from academic and research institutions, non-government organisations (NGOs) and community organisations are invited to apply

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

FILM SCREENING: I Am A Girl

“Global Women’s Project & One Girl present

‘I Am A Girl’

The Global Women’s Project (GWP) and One Girl are excited to celebrate International Day of the Girl 2014 by screening the critically acclaimed documentary ‘I Am A Girl’. We’d love you to join us!

*************************

Cinema Nova
380 Lygon Street
Carlton, Vic

Friday 10th October : 6:30pm

Tickets: $25/$20 Concession”

For more information, visit: http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=104566#249a

Conference: Is Prison Obsolete?

“8th, 9th & 10th October 2014

Royal on the Park
Cnr Alice & Albert Street
Brisbane QLD 4000 Australia

Forget reform. It is time to talk about abolishing prisons in society. So what’s the alternative? This puzzling question often interrupts further discussion of the prospects for abolition. Why is it so difficult to imagine alternatives to the current system of imprisonment? What about building the kind of society that doesn’t need prisons with the redistribution of power and income, and a decent sense of community that can support every member. This conference will explore and encourage discussion about abolition and alternatives to prison over three days. We look forward to your participation.

Sisters Inside’s 7th International Conference on the criminalisation of women and imprisonment will be held at Royal on the Park, Brisbane on the 8th, 9th & 10th October 2014. The conference focuses on :

Service Provision
Advocacy
Alternatives to Prisons

The ‘Is Prison Obsolete” Conference will initiate and support the development of innovative and creative responses to issues affecting women in prison throughout the world. It will provide an opportunity for individuals, organisations and governments from across the globe to come together and share information. The conference will focus on professional development opportunities for stakeholders in this specific marginalised sector.”

For more information, visit: http://www.sistersinside.com.au/conference2014.htm

Weekly Round-Up * 22 September

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week many of the links we share address misconceptions and myths relating to violence against women. The release of the findings from VicHealth’s National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey have highlighted, once again, that an alarming number of Australian’s accept and excuse violence against women. Further, many still apportion blame to the victims of this violence. In order to prevent gender-based violence it is vital that these attitudes are addressed and that we build a no-tolerance approach to violence against women across the country.

Around the Country

In South Australia, a new crisis accommodation complex has officially been opened for women and children escaping domestic violence
In the Northern Territory, the State Government has partnered with Our WATCh to facilitate programs to address violence against women with a focus on prevention, early intervention, victim protection, and accountability and positive change for perpetrators
Indigenous health and domestic violence agencies fear they may fold following changes in the Federal budget
Journalist Diane Armstrong writes about the experience of giving evidence in a criminal trial
[TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual violence against children]
In Warrnambool, the Take A Stand program has been launched in workplaces to provide training to staff on how to help co-workers who become victims of domestic violence
Rodney Vlais, Acting CEO of No To Violence & Men’s Referral Service, has written about the choices men make to use violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Victim blaming language, violence language]

Around the World

Aki Peritz and Tara Maller have questioned why the Islamic State’s use of rape and violence against women as a weapon of war is not being addressed with the same concern as other aspects of the conflict
In Rwanda, a National Police campaign against gender-based violence and child abuse continues its tour around the country, urging local communities to take action
In the United States, the White House has launched a new campaign against sexual assault called ‘It’s On Us’
Concern continues over the characterisation of Oscar Pistorius’s relationship with Reeva Steenkampas ‘normal’ by Judge Thokozile Masipa
In Canada, a doctor who has admitted to sexually assaulting women in his care has been permitted to continue practicing so long as he only takes on male patients [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of assault, assault by a medical professional]
In Namibia, women are gathering together to share experiences as well as to learn about their rightsin relation to gender-based violence
In the United States, a District Court Judge is being called upon to resign after being charged with domestic violence
In Peru, United Nations investigators report that rates of violence against women are not decreasingin the country and urgently need to be addressed
In China, activists are calling for a government response to a rising number of sexual assaults in primary and secondary schools across the country
In Nigeria, four women are taking the Nigerian army and a number of other government security agencies to court, claiming that violence and discrimination committed against them by these groups violated their human rights

Research, Resources and Reports

The results from the latest National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women survey were released last week. Activists have expressed dismay at the fact that the Australiancommunity as a whole continues to significantly misunderstand violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Images of violence]
The full research report from Norma’s Project into the sexual assault of older women in Australia is now available online, along with links to resources for the primary prevention of sexual assault of older women. Dr Philomena Horsley, one of the researchers who worked on the report, has provided an interview about the motivation and findings of the report [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual assault, assault by medical professionals, violence]
The joint submission to the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia from Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA); First People’s Disability Network Australia (FPDNA); People with Disability Australia (PWDA); Children with Disability Australia (CDA); and the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) is now available for download online
A new report has been released by the World Bank, entitled, ‘Violence Against Women and Girls: Lessons from South Asia’

Get Involved!

A new petition has been launched calling for a national inquiry into violence, neglect and abuse against people with disability in residential and institutional settings

A Quick Note from the AWAVA Team:

Our Weekly Round-Up wizard will be taking some much needed leave as of the start of next week, and the Weekly Round-Up will be taking a brief pause. We’ll be back with the next edition of the Round-Up on Monday, 13 October!

Weekly Round-Up * 15 September

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. In this double edition, we highlight new activist movements as well as campaigns with decades of work behind them. The goal of preventing and eliminating violence against women can only be achieved when we acknowledge and respect the diverse points of view of those who have experienced gender-based violence and who continue to work passionately against it.

This week, AWAVA was also able to attend the 8^th National Homelessness Conference on the Gold Coast. It was a tremendously productive experience, and a large emphasis was placed on the role of domestic violence as the single largest factor behind homelessness.

NNEDV [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=
From left to right: NNEDV’s Cindy Southworth, AWAVA Admin Assistant
Tara Ashford, AWAVA Program Manager Sophie Hardefeldt,
and WESNET’s Claire Petrie

Around the Country

The Our WATCh campaign has been launched to address domestic violence by using “similar approaches to campaigns that have successfully reduced tobacco use and dangerous driving”
Concern has been raised by an expert member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous People that Australia is not doing enough to address violence against Indigenous women
Reporting of the murder-suicide of a woman and her three young children by their husband and father has been heavily criticised as not reflecting the reality of the crimes the man committed
Max MacKinnon, better known as MC Eso from the Australian hip hop trio Bliss N Eso has been criticised for posting a series of inappropriate violent images to Instagram [TRIGGER WARNING: Images of simulated violence, sexual violence]. Australian rapper Chance Waters has responded to the incident by speaking out to say that violence against women is unacceptable [TRIGGER WARNING: Images of simulated violence]
600 members of the Transport Workers Union have taken the White Ribbon pledge as the first step in a campaign to involve tens of thousands of transport workers in the effort to prevent and eliminate violence against women
The Hon Tim Watts MP has written about the gendered nature of violence against women
Calls are being made for focus on the roles, both positive and negative, that technology can play in domestic violence and homelessness

Around the World

In Bangladesh, rates of violence against women continue to grow
In Afghanistan, fifteen girls have participated in a bicycle race, with over a hundred people supporting them, to raise awareness of violence against women
In Spain, a consciousness-raising event has been held to address femicide in Mexico, specifically in the city of Ciudad Juarez
In the United States, it is the 20^th anniversary of the passing of the Violence Against Women Act
The theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign has been announced: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Gender-Based Violence
Women around the world have been sharing their stories of violence and abuse on twitter under the hashtags #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, abuse, sexual abuse, gun violence]
Hillary Clinton has called for a unified response to the use of violence against women by terrorist groups
In Namibia, attention is being drawn to the fact that the Government does not have any safe houses available for victims and survivors of abuse
At Columbia University in the United States, students have held public protests to draw attention topoor responses to sexual violence by the University administration
In Slovakia, two calls for proposals are now open for programs to address violence against women in the country
As the verdict has been handed down in the trial of Oscar Pistorius, the high rates of violence against women in South Africa continue to draw attention [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual violence]

Research, Resources and Reports

A new technology safety program, Safety Net Australia, has been launched by WESNET Inc
The United States National Online Resource Centre on Violence Against Women has produced a webinar and resources on ‘Sheltering Animals and Families Together: Expanding safety and support services for survivors while helping to protect their pets’ as well as creating a resource to address thereasons why pets ‘mean so much’ for victims and survivors
The Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre (CUAC) has launched its latest report, Helping Not Hindering: Uncovering Domestic Violence & Utility Debt

Get Involved!

Our sister alliance, the National Rural Women’s Coalition, has opened applications for E-Leaders Social Media webinar program
Gender equality activist group the Sydney Feminists are holding an information evening this Thursdayfor those who may wish to volunteer with them
The Domestic Violence Prevention Council in Canberra will be hosting its 3rd Seminar focussed on raising awareness of Domestic Violence in the LGBTIQ Communities

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8th National Homelessness Conference

“SAVE THE DATE: 10 – 12 September 2014

Homelessness Australia welcomes you to the 8th National Homelessness Conference: Homelessness: Complexities & Countermeasures.

To register your interest, and to keep up to date with conference news, visit our conference website here and complete the expression of interest form.

On behalf Homelessness Australia, we look forward to seeing you on the Gold Coast in 2014.”

For more information, visit: http://www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au/index.php/events/national-homelessness-conference/8th-national-homelessness-conference

Millsom Henry-Waring Memorial Lecture: Narratives of Varied Everyday Lives: Intersectionality, difference and family lives

“Millsom Henry-Waring was a creative and dynamic black feminist academic whose work spanned a range of interests, including visibility, difference, migration, identities, intimacies and new technology. This talk aims to engage with some of these issues and to show the continuing relevance and centrality of Millsom’s concerns.

‘Narratives of Varied Everyday Lives: Intersectionality, difference and family lives’
Professor Ann Phoenix
Thomas Coram Research Unit
Institute of Education, University of London

The paper focuses particularly on how intersectional differences are lived in the intimacy of family lives and practices as well as in the wider society. The paper first considers current issues related to the theorizing of intersectionality and current issues for narrative theory and research. It will then use a variety of narrative studies to consider three matters: how children negotiate experiences of living in poverty in the context of their family and peer relationships; different ways in which families marked by migration develop and live their family practices, and how difference is a crucial, but often unacknowledged part of the academy.
—
Ann Phoenix is a Professor and former director of the Thomas Coram Research Unit, at the Institute of Education, University of London. Her research interests are in psychosocial studies, including motherhood, social identities, young people, racialisation and gender. Recent funded research project areas include: boys and masculinities, young people and consumption and adult reconceptualisations of ‘non-normative’ childhoods’, particularly of serial migration, visibly ethnically mixed households and language brokering in transnational families. She has published widely in these areas, and she is currently the Principal Investigator on an ESRC-funded National Centre for Research Methods node called NOVELLA (Narratives of Varied Everyday Lives and Linked Approaches) www.novella.ac.uk, which focuses on family narratives and parenting practices and identities.
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/study/TCRU_43.html
—
This is a free public lecture jointly hosted by the Faculty of Arts and the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. Please join us for reception drinks following the lecture.”

For more information, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/millsom-henry-waring-memorial-lecture-tickets-12573600979

Equal Pay Day

“The Equal Pay Day marks the period of extra days in the current year which women need to work to achieve the same wages that men earned during the previous financial year.

Equal Pay Day recognises how much longer women have to work to earn the same as men in one year. So, for every 12 months that men work, for example, women may have to work 15 months – and the end of that third month of the year is Equal Pay Day.

We mark this day as a way of drawing attention to the wage gap that exists in most countries between women and men. Our aim is to work towards reducing the damaging and substantial income gap between women and men, and to do this we want to encourage and motivate BPW affiliates all over the world to establish an Equal Pay Day in their own country.

Our task is to put this issue on the public agenda by raising awareness about the issue of equal pay and making ‘wages’ a more acceptable subject of discussion. Only then will our country’s leaders be moved to initiate a policy review.

In Australia
The gender pay gap is around 17% and has been for around 20 years. Hard to believe isn’t it? But it’s real.

Every year the percentage is calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and is based on Average Weekly Earnings data. There’s no one cause of the gap, and no one solution. In fact most of the gap occurs because of unconscious bias. Employers don’t deliberately pay men and women differently – that is illegal; but they might recruit differently, create different position descriptions, have different expectations or promote differently depending on whether you are a male of female – without even realising it.”

For more information, visit: http://www.equalpayday.com.au/

After Work Event: Recognise Equal Pay Day 2014

“5pm for 5.30pm start – 7.00pm
Tuesday 2nd September 2014

The NAB Village – Open Space 700 Bourke Street, Melbourne (Docklands)http://www.nabvillage.com.au/directions

AN AFTER WORK EVENT
With light refreshments

TO REPORT BACK ON OUTCOMES OF 2013 PAY EQUITY FORUM – FOCUS ON SME SECTOR
THIS WILL INCLUDE:

1. The launch of: ‘FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKPLACES-GOOD FOR BUSINESS, GOOD FOR YOU’ A short animated video for small business

2. Introduction to ‘KNOW YOUR VALUE’ A new on line resource for women and employers.

3. Outline of WGEA small business project: “ASSISTIING SMALL BUSINESS ADDRESS WORKPLACE GENDER EQUALITY”

By date: 28th August 2013”

For more information, visit: http://www.security4women.org.au/news/events/recognise-equal-pay-day-2014

Weekly Round-Up * 1 September

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, we highlight the many responses to violence against women that come from our communities: both everyday individuals and people in positions of power. It is vital that we acknowledge the inspiring progress made by those who work tirelessly to address violence against women. However, we must also continue to expect more from those who, through inaction or participation, contribute to cycles of violence. Gender-based violence is both a consequence and a cause of gender inequality. We must address this violence, along with the other factors that prevent women and girls from participating equally in society, in order to realise women’s right to feel and be safe from all forms of abuse.

Around the Country

In NSW, the Deputy Coroner will recommend that domestic violence and abusive relationships are covered in school curricula following the investigation into the murder of Kate Malonyay
[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, abuse]
In Victoria, police have admitted to a conflict of interest in the investigation into the murder of Kelly Thompson in February this year [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, stalking]
Lessons learnt by mental health advocacy organisation, Beyond Blue, will be applied to the problem of violence against women in a new national campaign
Domestic Violence Victoria CEO, Fiona McCormack, has listed five ‘best practice’ actions that must be taken to address domestic violence in Australia
Video is now available online of a talk given by United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the ANU Gender Institute in Canberra during the lead up to the 20^th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action
Victoria Legal Aid has reversed a decision to stop funding legal assistance for family violence victims in child custody hearings

Around the World

In the United States, reactions to a nail polish that was developed to detect the presence of ‘date rape drugs’ have been mixed
In Papua New Guinea, violence against women is rampant, with many police officers implicated [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual violence, domestic abuse, police violence, images of torture]
In the United States, a court has found that domestic violence may form the basis of a claim of asylum
In the UK, a new report has revealed pervasive and unaddressed child sexual abuse in the town of Rotherham [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence against children, sexual abuse, threats] prompting Ruzwana Bashir to speak out about her own experiences
In the United States, the NFL has responded to criticisms of its handling of violence against women perpetrated by its athletes with a new discipline policy
Anita Sarkeesian, creator of Tropes vs Women in Video Games, has been forced to leave her house following specific violent threats made against her online [TRIGGER WARNING: Violence language, online abuse, threats]
In South Africa, Judge Edwin Cameron has warned that lesbians are at particular risk of anti-women violence
In the United States, the Monument Quilt, a huge red quilt covered with stories from survivors of sexual violence, is touring 12 cities across the country to raise awareness

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

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About AWAVA Secretariat

Around the Country

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Research, Resources and Reports

Get Involved!

A Quick Note from the AWAVA Team: