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

This week the Women’s Electoral Lobby celebrates its 40th anniversary – find 15 minutes in your day to watch this YouTube clip and remember some of the great achievements of this group of women.

Around the Nation

• Graeme Innes, National Disability Discrimination Commissioner has called for the criminalisation of forced sterilisation
• In Victoria, new Family Violence Prevention grants have been announced
• Senator Bill Heffernan speaks out against Female Genital Mutiliation
• Western Australia’s Sex Offender Register went live and public this week
• Watch this YouTube clip Talk About It – a National Women’s Safety Survey by students, for students and encourage participation
• AWAVA’s joint media release with ERA and eS4W Motion Passed Calling for Employer Recognition of Domestic Violence is an important step forward to challenging the view that domestic violence is a private issue, it’s a workplace issue, a community issue and a societal issue

Internationally

• Many of you will have heard about the young woman, Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan for speaking out about her right to an education and trying to go to school – Australian singer/song-writer David Franj has dedicated this song to Malala and to raise awareness of the treatment of women and girls in Pakistan
• Islamabad – a new documentary focuses on survivors of forced marriage
• New Zealand has just hosted the 2012 World Safety Conference on community and family violence
• Watch this report on forced sterilisation of HIV-positive women in Kenya
• In Fiji, youth groups have highlighted domestic and sexual violence as a key concern in their submission to the Constitution Commission
• The United Nations has said Pervasive, Continued Violence Against Women is an appalling Human Rights Violation

Resources and Reports

New!

• From New Zealand: Preventing sexual revictimisation report and Voice of Experience a guide to involve family violence service users in organisations
• The ACT has released its Family Violence Intervention Program review

Get Involved!

• The Draft 5th Report by Australia on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment has been published on the Attorney General’s Department website  for public comment. The Department will be accepting comments and submissions at [email protected] and by post until 11 November 2012
• A Reminder that the Not Yours To Promise survey closes 26 October  – 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
• Kate Ravenscroft, a Friend & Supporter of AWAVA, is looking for support to assist with the costs of publication of We Will Not Go Quietly: A Zine for Survivors of Sexual Assault.  The zine is written by survivors of sexual assault, for survivors of sexual assault and provides the community with a resource for understanding what it means to survive sexual assault.You can provide a financial contribution via: POZIBLE or through PayPal (Just click on the DONATE link)

CSW57

Results of the online discussions held during July and August can be accessed here

Upcoming Events

NEW!!

• The ACT will launch its Summer of Respect campaign with Reclaim the Night Friday 26 October 
• Perth, Western Australia will hold a Reclaim the Night event also on 26 October 
• Still in Western Australia, the Women’s Council will be holding training Lessons from Pippi Longstocking – How Children and Young People Resist Violence and Oppression –16 November

October

• WESNET’s Safety Net Technology Safety Training is coming to Canberra 31 October and 1 November – click here for more information and to register

November

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference will be held 20-21 November
• 23 November 2012:  Not1More/White Ribbon Day – White Ribbon Day activities in Melbourne include awareness-raising, White Ribbon Lunch, Walk Against Family Violence at 2pm, Not1more will be remembering victims of family violence and offering the opportunity for people to take the White Ribbon Oath in Federation Square, Melbourne
• 26-28 November 2012:  Pathways to Change Conference for practitioners and policy developers to explore practice responses to children and young people displaying Problem Sexualised Behaviour and Sexually Abusive Behaviour.  The conference is being held in Hobart, Tasmania, register now.
• The Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March will be held Friday 23 November, Perth

Later

• Early Bird registrations are now open 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

Yesterday, October 11, was the first International Day of the Girl Child – and Australia played an important role with Prime Minister Gillard launching the day. To read the UN report click here.   A key theme was early and child marriages – see what Nepal is doing to tackle this issue, how the UNFPA will direct funds to programs to end child marriage; you can also access facts and figures on child marriage here.

And if you’re wondering why an International Day of the Girl Child is warranted – read this article in The Age for some insight.

In other news around the country:

• This week  saw more commentary on the rape and murder of Jill Meagher in Melbourne – but with the media looking at the bigger picture of gender-based violence against women, with a call to not forget the other women who have been victims/survivors of violence.  See this article from the Conversation, or the New Matilda article
• The Herald Sun reports that the justice system is failing women as perpetrators ignore and defy intervention orders
• The ABC reports huge rises in women seeking assistance from community legal centres
• The Victoria Government published its Action Plan to Address Violence against Women and Children and was reported in The Age, read the Victoria Government media release .  To read responses from the sector to the Action Plan, see AWAVA’s page on state/territory Action Plans in support of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against women and their Children
• Women with Disabilities Victoria welcomed the announcement of a funding boost to better train and support people working with women with disabilities, under the Victoria Action Plan,  particularly focussing on the complex nature of violence against women with disabilities
• The Governor General, at the launch of UN Women’s Spring Campaign, called on Australians  not to be bystanders to violence against women
• Heard of Gaslighting? Learn about it and the devastating effects it can have on women by reading this DVRCV article
• From the Minister Julie Collin’s office, this media release announces legislation that will secure Commonwealth funding contributions for the pay equity case

Internationally

• The Huffington Post reports on the Healthy Masculinity Action Project, which looks at redefining gender roles to end violence against women
• A recent UN visit to Mali highlighted disturbing reports of Human Rights abuses against women and children
• The Washington Post reports on new research that says there is evidence that the most common perpetrators of sexual violence during war are husbands, partners and family members

Resources

NEW!!

What is effective primary prevention in sexual assault?  Translating evidence into action

THE NCYLC CHILD FORCED MARRIAGE PROJECT

The National Children’s and Youth Law Centre (NCYLC) is a Community Legal Centre dedicated to addressing human rights issues for children and young people through legal change. The Centre is undertaking Australia’s first national research into child forced marriage entitled ˜Not Yours to Promise™. The aim of the project is to create a set of best practice guidelines to assist organisations in responding to child victims of forced marriage.

The Centre is consulting with community service providers and other relevant organisations about how they currently respond to incidents of child forced marriage. It will then evaluate the current responses in line with child care and protection frameworks, write a report on its findings, and create best practice guidelines to assist with responses to child victims. The Centre will also develop a range of educational resources .

The ˜Not Yours to Promise™ Survey

The Centre is surveying caseworkers and practitioners from community service providers and other relevant organisations about their experiences with children in, or at risk of forced marriage, and their views on best practice responses to child victims. The survey is a key way for the Centre to gather the experiences and views of those who have had direct experience with responding to victims who are under 18 years of age.

How you can help

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 the Centre™s survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/notyourstopromise

CSW57

Are you preparing for the Commission on the Status of Women meeting (CSW 57) from 4-15 March, 2013? 

Information related to the three opportunities for NGOs to make their voices heard during CSW 57 is now available. These are:

• Written Statements
• Oral Statements
• Interactive Panels

See: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/NGO.html

Begin preparing now to make the first deadline of 15 November 2012. 

Upcoming Events

Updated

• Early Bird registrations are now open for the National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC)’s inaugural Conference being held 18- 20  February 2013 in Canberra

October

• Registration open until 15 October: Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.
• WESNET’s Safety Net Technology Safety Training is coming to Canberra 31 October and 1 November – click here for more information and to register

November

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference will be held 20-21 November
• 23 November 2012:  Not1More/White Ribbon Day – White Ribbon Day activities in Melbourne include awareness-raising, White Ribbon Lunch, Walk Against Family Violence at 2pm, Not1more will be remembering victims of family violence and offering the opportunity for people to take the White Ribbon Oath in Federation Square, Melbourne
• 26-28 November 2012:  Pathways to Change Conference for practitioners and policy developers to explore practice responses to children and young people displaying Problem Sexualised Behaviour and Sexually Abusive Behaviour.  The conference is being held in Hobart, Tasmania, register now.
• The Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March will be held Friday 23 November, Perth

Later

• 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:

• 17-20 October, London, UK: 14th Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) Conference: Stop Violence Against Women – Whose voices? Whose needs? Whose decisions?
• 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

Domestic and family violence were a key new’s focus last week with major announcements in Victoria (see below for a round-up!) and the 7th National Homelessness Conference highlighting the impact domestic and family violence can have on women and their children.  Bob McColl, ABS Statistician,  pointed out at the conference that domestic violence is still the number one driver of homelessness in Australia and AWAVA’s Chair, Julie Oberin, emphasised the need to link gender inequality to violence against women.

The news…

Around the Country

• The Australian reports that, in Victoria, domestic violence accounts for 38% of assaults.   Read the Herald Sun’s Opinion Piece here as well as Premier Ted Baillieu pledging an extra $16 million for counselling and support services in Victoria (includes Vic Police statistics)
• Women’s Health Victoria says that increased reports of domestic and family violence is not all bad news – read their media release outlining greater community confidence to report to police and that police are taking matters seriously
• Read the formal Victorian Government announcement of $16million funding boost for services, including:
  • an extra $9.25 million for additional family violence counselling and case management, supporting an additional 1,200 women and children a year
  • an extra $3.75 million for sexual assault counselling, which is expected to decrease overall waiting times from an average of 6 weeks to approximately 3 weeks and allow virtually all victims of recent assaults to be seen at the time of reporting or soon afterwards; and
  • an extra $3 million for men’s behaviour changes programs to nearly double the number of places in court-directed programs, and to pilot new schemes for teenagers who are violent in their homes and offenders in prison or on community based orders
• AWAVA Advisory Group Members, DVVic, made comment in the media following the announcements- click here for ABC news interview.  Fiona McCormack, DV Vic CEO in this interview states that the $16 million is welcomed but the reality is it isn’t anywhere near enough to meet demand.  Investment is needed in preventing violence before it happens in the first place and it’s not an ‘either/or’ for investment
• Women’s Health Victoria will launched its campaign Women can be Healthy, Empowered and Equal to link in with Melbourne Spring Fashion week (3 “ 9 September 2012) which included Violence against Women as a focus
• More from Women’s Health Victoria: Take a Stand engages men at work to prevent family violence
• Take some time to read Anne Summers’s speech at the  2012 Human Rights and Social Justice Lecture to the University of Newcastle. Her speech looks at the sexism and discrimination experienced by Julia Gillard – and please take note of the warning she gives at the start of the speech!

Internationally

• Pakistan reports on the increasing instances of revenge violence, (also called “”Honour Violence””)
• Scotland has seen a rise in reports of forced marriage
• This UK article on sexual assault looks at women’s experiences of sexual assault in everyday life
• Still in the UK, this article highlights the ommission of protections for women seeking asylum in the Violence Against Women and Girls’ Strategy

Get Involved!

The House of Representatives inquiry into Slavery, Slavery-like Conditions and People Trafficking is now calling for submissions. Submissions close Friday 28 September. Click here to find out more

Upcoming Events

NEW!!

• WESNET’s Safety Net Technology Safety Training is coming to Canberra – click here for more information and to register

September

• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September
• The Southern Regional Alliance conference is now open for registrations and will be held 20-21 September
• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the YouTube clip here
• A FREE Workshop on responding to Older people at risk of family violence will be held 24 September in Victoria – click here for more details
• Women’s Legal Services NSW will hold its 30th Birthday Celebration Gala Dinner on 26 September
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September

October

• Everyone™s Business: developing workplace programs for the primary prevention of violence against women will be held 2 October, register on-line now

November

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference will be held 20-21 November

Later

• 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here

Internationally:

• 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, invites you to join the 2012 National Research Day conference,  held 7-9 November in Vancouver

Last week AWAVA was excited to attend the formal launch of the Stopping Violence Against Women Before It Starts: A Practical Toolkit for Communities by Minister Julie Collins at the Country Women™s Association of Australia National Conference, in Hobart.  The Toolkit was featured on ABC news.

 

The 15 easy-to-understand Toolkit factsheets support the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children and explains the concept of primary prevention of violence against women, setting the focus on the community as the driving force for changing societal attitudes.

 

Click to download the Toolkit from the National Rural Women’s Network or order a hard copy for $35.  Find out more information on the development of the Toolkit here.

 

Read more in Minister Collins’ media release and the Project Partners’ media release.

Around the Nation

• In NSW, after a year long inquiry, there are calls for the State Government to increase police and court powers for domestic and family violence crimes. The report highlights the need for leadership, strategies to address violence against Aboriginal women and the need for significant funds to effect real change. You can read the ABC’s report here
• Still in NSW, family members of a woman killed by her husband who claimed “”provocation”” as a defence, have appealed to a Parliamentary Inquiry to change the “”provocation defence”” law
• There are calls on the Victorian Government to make ending domestic violence a priority
• AWAVA and NATSIWA’s NGOs’ Follow-up Report to the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was featured in an article in Bendigo’s (VIC) local media
• Wyndham City, Victoria, has adopted a new Gender Equitable, Safe and Inclusive Communities action plan as part of their Preventing Violence Against Women in Our Community pilot, which seeks to promote a whole of community approach to preventing violence against women and encourage gender equity
• The National Union of Students have launched a video as part of their In Your Own Voice campaign – (video warning: ‘language’ alert)
• White Ribbon have launched a new campaign for Fathers’ Day MANifesto for fathers against violence
• and finally, read Minister Julie Collins’ recent media release concerning cuts to services, including domestic violence services, in Queensland

Around the World

Last week we shared with you the disturbing comments from high-profile males worldwide about their ‘interpretation’ of rape; this week we share the “”Renegade Raging Grannies”” video, a musical response to Todd Akin’s statement about ‘legitimate’ rape (video warning: the Raging Grannies use some very colourful language towards the end!)

• Nairobi has hosted a meeting of social activists and entrepeneurs from 18 African countries focussed on ending gender-based violence
• New research in the UK has found that GPs receive minimal training in supporting domestic violence victims/survivors
• Watch this video on the steps being taken to end violence against women in PNG

Reports and Resources

New Reports!!

• Forgotten Sisters- A Report on Violence Against Women with Disabilities: An Overview of its Nature, Scope, Causes and Consequences from the Northeastern University School of Law, USA, is now available
• Male and female assault offending in Australia looks at the rates of male and female assaults in Australia, particularly in light of recent media reports focussing on the rise of females involved in assault cases
• “”Leadership to address domestic violence must be driven from highest levels to bring about the change that is so necessary””  and œThis policy area (DV) deserves no less than the leadership of the Premier”” says the NSW Legistlative Council report

Upcoming Events

NEW!!

• The Grey Man Fundraiser will be held this week, 5 September –  learn more about the Grey Man organisation work to stop human trafficking here
• A FREE Workshop on responding to Older people at risk of family violence will be held 24 September in Victoria – click here for more details
• Everyone™s Business: developing workplace programs for the primary prevention of violence against women will be held 2 October, register on-line now

September

• See the change in date for the Red Cross Trafficking Training in Sydney now 11 September – click here to find out more
• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September
• The Southern Regional Alliance conference is now open for registrations and will be held 20-21 September
• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the YouTube clip here
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September
• Women’s Legal Services NSW will hold its 30th Birthday Celebration Gala Dinner on 26 September

November

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference will be held 20-21 November

Later

• 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here

Internationally:

• 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, invites you to join the 2012 National Research Day conference,  held 7-9 November in Vancouver

This week the chair of AWAVA, Julie Oberin, met with Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, from the Australian Human Rights Commission and representatives from the National Women’s Alliances and attended the AusAID reception with UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet – a busy, productive and inspiring time!    AWAVA attended Michelle Bachelet’s Gender Equality a Lived Reality talk at ANU and was pleased to hear ending violence against women is one of UN Women’s three priorities for 2012; it was good to be reminded that to tackle violence against women, women’s voices need to be heard and we need to ask the question – how do our policies reach those who need it most?

Remember, for up-to-date information on AWAVA’s activities, you can follow us on Twitter at AWAVA_Women.

Meanwhile, back in the offices, we have been inundated with articles and commentary from the USA following comments made by Republican Senate nominee, Todd Akin, about ‘legitimate rape’.  It seems the world over high-profile men are getting this wrong and attempting to create different definitions of rape.

Around Australia

• The Australian Human Rights Commission report on the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force was released this week by Elizabeth Broderick, chapter 7 addresses sexual harassment, sex discrimination and sexual abuse in the ADF. Read the media release here
• Read Elizabeth Broderick’s speech from the recent EVA Media Awards (Eliminating Violence against Women) in Melbourne
• Australia commits funds to support women in developing countries who have been victims of gender-based violence
• The Age has been running a series of articles on the impact of lack of funding for services: Domestic violence services in crisis; Children victims of funds shortfall and Male violence programs in crisis have all appeared this week
• A Ballarat service says it has been inundated with women seeking support

Elsewhere around the world:

Chris Brown and Rhianna have been in the news again, following Rhianna’s recent interview with Oprah (watch here) – Chloe Papas, who wrote the recent review of Chris Brown’s album that went viral, sparked global discussion on partner abuse and talks about the importance of speaking up.

• Actvisits in Somalia welcome the ban on female genital mutiliation included in the country’s new constitution
• A new report from Kenya highlights the plight of women being forcibly sterilised due primarily to their HIV positive status
• Iran is pushing to legalise marriage for girls under the age of 10
• In New Zealand, a Fijian woman has been granted refugee status after fleeing family violence in her home country

Get Involved!!

The National Union of Students Women’s Department this week launched the “”In My Own Voice”” campaign in response to the men™s rights movement that has put up posters in Victorian universities incorrectly claiming that domestic violence is “”half the fault of women”” find out more and how you can get involved

Upcoming Events

NEW!!

• Women’s Legal Services NSW will hold its 30th Birthday Celebration Gala Dinner on 26 September
• The First National Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference will be held 20-21 November

September

• See the change in date for the Red Cross Trafficking Training in Sydney now 11 September – click here to find out more
• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September
• The Southern Regional Alliance conference is now open for registrations and will be held 20-21 September
• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the YouTube clip here
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September

November

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012

Later

• 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here

Internationally:

•  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, invites you to join the 2012 National Research Day conference,  held 7-9 November in Vancouver

UNiTE to End Violence Against Women – Orange Day TOMORROW

And finally, a reminder that TOMORROW is 25 August – and the Secretary-General™s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign proclaims every 25th of the month as Orange Day!

The objective is to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women and girls, not only once a year on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), but every month.

The UNiTE campaign will also launch a new ribbon as symbol for preventing and ending violence against women and girls. With your help, we can make this symbol universal.

What can you do?

1. Wear orange on the 25th of every month
2. Invite others to wear orange on every 25th of the month, share posts & tweet about it!
3. Use & share the photo of the UNiTE ribbon – the new symbol for ending violence against women and girls
4. Change your Facebook cover photo to the cover photo of the Say NO – UNiTE Facebook page, promoting the Orange Day and the ribbon

A busy week in the AWAVA office last week, with the joint report with NATSIWA, NGOs’ Follow-up report to the CEDAW Committee, being finalised, submitted to the CEDAW Committee and published – thanks again to everyone who contributed to, and endorsed the report.   All six National Women’s Alliances and over 100 organisations supported it, a fantastic result! – you can read the report in full here.

An update on the National Plan from FaHCSIA’s National Plan Secretariat is now on our website, and we will continue to share these with you as we receive them.

Last week AWAVA also attended the Australian Government and UN Women launch of the Side by Side Women, Peace and Security DVD and Educational Toolkit at Parliament House  – you can watch the film here.

And now, the news:

• In Asia, social media is being used to raise awareness and start conversations about violence against women
• This report from Rape Crisis Ireland looks at alcohol consumption and victim blaming
• ACOSS’s Australian Community Sector Survey 2012 report published last week highlights “”Domestic violence and sexual assault support services feel the strain”” 52% of respondents said waiting times for services have increased and, 68% report costs of services exceed revenue
• In a first of its kind in Australia, the city of Monash will launch a $1million preventing violence against women project
• Western Australia will launch GPS Monitoring for sex offenders
• Female Genital Mutiliation is also back in the news, as it becomes increasingly relevant to Australia

Resources

New Resource!

Mental health and psychosocial support for conflict-related sexual violence: principles and interventions produced by the WHO, UNFPA, and UNICEF looks at strategies for supporting victims/survivors of sexual violence in conflict

Upcoming Events!

A reminder – if you or your organisation have an upcoming event that you want to promote, email the details to [email protected] and we will do our best to include it in our events section.

Exciting news: Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, is visiting Australia this week, AWAVA will be listening to Ms Bachelet speaking on Gender equality: a lived reality? at ANU on 24 August

September

• See the change in date for the Red Cross Trafficking Training in Sydney now 11 September – click here to find out more
• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September
• The Southern Regional Alliance conference is now open for registrations and will be held 20-21 September
• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the YouTube clip here
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September

Later 

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here
• Internationally: 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, invites you to join the 2012 National Research Day conference,  held 7-9 November in Vancouver

The emergence of blossoms on my trees tells me that spring is on the way!

Last week AWAVA, along with member organisations and Friends & Supporters, endorsed the Joint NGO Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee on the List of Issues Prior to Reporting for the Sixth Periodic Report of Australia, coordinated by NACLC and the Kingsford Legal Centre.  The Committee will issue its list of issues for the Australian Government to report on, and Australian NGOs will have an opportunity to contribute to a more detailed report.  AWAVA will post further updates on our website.

This week we have been finalising the NGOs’ Follow-up Report to the CEDAW Committee’s 2010 Interim Recommendations on addressing violence against women and actions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.  We have received amazing support from members organisations, Friends & Supporters and the wider preventing violence against women sector.  We will publish the report on our website once it is finalised. We received over 100 endorsements, so a huge thank you to all of you that supported AWAVA and NATSIWA’s report.

In news around the country

• Clementine Ford reminds us not to forget that Chris Brown isn’t the only one when it comes to celebrities with a history of violence against women
• This article raises concerns over women being trafficked for sex in Queensland mining towns
• This video of a recent seminar with Michael Flood: He hits, she hits: Assessing debates regarding men™s and women™s experiences of domestic violence  looks at whether men and women use violence against each other at similar rates and with similar effects, see also the presentation slides
• Homeless Persons’ week prompted articles looking at the causes of, and answers to, homelessness in Australia. This article looks at women and homelessness, highlighting that 50% of women with children staying in homeless assistance accommodation are escaping domestic violence.
• WESNET’s media release emphasises the urgent need to increase funding for housing and support services for women and children experiencing violence and outlines the impacts of homelessness particularly on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, older women, women in rural and remote areas and their children and that: œOne in every two women who approach services for women escaping domestic and family violence is turned away due to lack of accommodation or lack of resources””
• Watch this short YouTube clip, Break the Silence, on why domestic violence is a workplace issue
• Listen to Phil Cleary speak about women’s right to be safe on ABC Radio Sydney
• And if you missed it – click here for the recent Four Corners’ episode A Matter of Life and Death

And internationally

• In South Africa, Melbourne ex-pat Greg Nicolson looks at  gender-based violence in South Africa
• In the UK, there is still discussion and debate over the criminalisation of forced marriage
• See the concept note for the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) in preparation for CSW57: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls in Bangkok, Thailand from 17-20 September 2012

Upcoming Events

This Month

• Sexual Abuse and Talking to Children about Safety is a free information seminar, presented by WIRE – 16 August in Melbourne

September

• See the change in date for the Red Cross Trafficking Training in Sydney to 11 September – click here to find out more
• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September
• The Southern Regional Alliance conference is now open for registrations and will be held 20-21 September
• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the YouTube clip here
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September

Later 

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here
• Internationally: 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, invites you to join the 2012 National Research Day conference,  held 7-9 November in Vancouver

The first weekly round-up edition for the month and the news has been dominated with Olympic 2012 headlines; still, a few interesting articles to share, and dont forget to check out what’s on this month and coming up.

A quick update on the NGOs’ Follow-up CEDAW report: the final report was circulated this week for endorsement, and we hope to have your organisations support by 3pm Friday 3 August.  Thank you for your valuable contributions, AWAVA and NATSIWA have really appreciated your feedback and involvement in the process.  A final version of the report will be published on the website once it has been submitted to the CEDAW Committee.

Around the Nation

• In this media release, UN Women Australia wants businesses to include provisions for employees affected by domestic and family violence
• In Sydney, Metro have announced plans to provide employees with domestic and family violence leave, which could flow on to other industries
• The EVAs (Eliminating Violence Against Women Media Awards) Media Awards 2012 were announced this week.  The EVAs are held annually in recognition of journalists’ excellence in reporting on violence against women. The EVAs is a project partnership between AWAVA Advisory Group member Domestic Violence Victoria, and Friend & Supporter, No To Violence Male Family Violence Prevention Association, and CASA Forum, the women™s and men™s peak organisations supporting family violence and sexual assault services in Victoria

Internationally

• In France, new sexual harrassment laws have just been passed

Resources

New Resources

• The Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse has released this report Communities working to reduce Indigenous family violence, written by Kyllie Cripps and Megan Davis
• Want some tips on meeting with MPs?  This handy reference, provided by our sister alliance ERA (Equality Rights Alliance) and Kevin Noakes, (a staffer from the Office of Warren Snowdon MP) may be just the thing you need

Get Involved

Media Peace Awards 2012: Call for Nominations

Journalists and producers whose work promotes awareness of social justice and humanitarian issues are encouraged to nominate now for the 2012 Media Peace Awards. The work must have been published/broadcast in the Australian public media between 3 September 2011 and 31 August 2012. Winners will be announced at the Awards Presentation Dinner, to be held at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne on Friday 26 October to coincide with United Nations Day on 24 October. For entry criteria and nomination forms please click here

Upcoming Events

New!!

• The 7th Women’s Health Conference, being held in 2013, is now calling for abstracts – submissions close 30 September
• The Southern Regional Alliance conference is now open for registrations and will be held 20-21 September
• New dates have been announced for the Red Cross Trafficking Training for Melbourne and Sydney – click here to find out more
• Internationally: 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, invites you to join the 2012 National Research Day conference,  held November 7-9 in Vancouver

This Month

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises the most common reason clients give for seeking assistance relates to domestic and family violence
• The Violence Against Women Conference on 7,8, 9 August 2012, in Brisbane www.violenceagainstwomenqld.com.au
• Sexual Abuse and Talking to Children about Safety is a free information seminar, presented by WIRE – 16 August in Melbourne

September

• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the youtube clip here
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September
• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September

Later 

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here

Firstly, a big thank-you to everyone who participated in the recent CEDAW online survey hosted by AWAVA and NATSIWA – we had some excellent, informative and well thought-out responses and really appreciate your contributions. For those that requested it, you will have received a draft report for comment by today 27 July.  The report will be circulated next week for endorsement, so please provide your organisation’s logo for inclusion and circulate it to your networks.  We would like these by 3pm on Friday 3 August.  Keep an eye out for the final version, which will be posted on the website around mid-August

Lots happening this week in the news!  Quite a few articles internationally about the rising number of incidents and reports of violence against women in different countries, which you can check out below, and for those that would like a bit of weekend reading, there are a number of new Australian reports released this week for you to delve into.

But firstly, for those that don’t want to read and would rather listen – download this podcast from SBS where UN Women Executive Director, Julie Mackay, discusses domestic violence leave in the workplace

Around the Nation

• A new report out this week by the Australian Human Rights Commission says that Bystanders can play a vital role against sexual harrassment. This opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald, written by Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, goes into further detail
• A number of reports from the  Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse have been published this week: this one covers responding to alcohol misuse and domestic violence; also, What do we know about Dating Violence and Australian Adolescents? and thirdly, Supporting women who remain in violent relationships
• This media release from the Minister for Women’s office says that “”Ministers agree to build better evidence base on violence against women””
• In South Australia, new police powers have seen an increase in interim intervention orders in domestic and family violence cases
• Still in South Australia, this story shares one woman’s story of emotional and physical abuse

And Internationally

• In India, violence against women is on the rise, more so than any other type of crime
• Statistics from the UK show a rise in arrests and prosecutions for crimes  of violence against women – you can also read more here
• Zimbabwe shares a similar story, with incidents of reported domestic violence increasing
• The UN calls on all citizens of the world to end human trafficking
• This article from the UK looks at employers’ responsibilities and domestic violence
• Still in the UK, and the Director of Public Prosecutions estimates that 9 out 10 sexual assaults still go unreported
• A successful pilot program of mandatory lie detector tests for sex-offenders is set to be rolled out across England and Wales

Upcoming Events

New!!

• The Participatory Justice and Victims Conference will be held in Canberra, 17-18 September

This Month

• Wire have announced new dates and locations in Victoria for their Women’s Workshop: Getting Control of your money after family violence

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises the most common reason clients give for seeking assistance relates to domestic and family violence
• The Violence Against Women Conference on 7,8, 9 August 2012, in Brisbane www.violenceagainstwomenqld.com.au
• Sexual Abuse and Talking to Children about Safety is a free information seminar, presented by WIRE – 16 August in Melbourne

September

• Take action on Peace Day 21 September, and become part of the largest gathering of people in the name of Peace and non violence. Watch the youtube clip here
• Standing firm for change: a journey to justice is a national conference run by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria. The conference will be held on 21-23 November 2012, in Melbourne.  Registration is open until 30 September.

Later 

• The No To Violence conference is in November 2012
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012
• The 7th Womens Health Conference will be held in Sydney in 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, 21 March 2013. Find out more here