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A busy week this week, with lots of international news and reports crossing our virtual desks that we want to share with you. But before you settle in to reading, check out the details on the UN Women event below, where you can join an on-line discussion on violence against women with experts across the world (without leaving the comfort of your desks or homes!)  Make sure that you register now if you want to participate, it starts Monday.

Be Involved!

UN Women are hosting an online discussion on ending violence against women and girls from 23 July “ 3 August which will inform preparations for the 57^th session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW57) in March 2013.  CSW57’s theme is: Eliminating and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls.  This is a great opportunity for you to give your views and contribute your expertise on addressing violence against women, respond to questions and share thoughts on best practice, gaps and challenges.  The key themes of the discussions will feed into two reports by UN Women to inform the UN Secretary-General™s reports for CSW57 and to guide discussions between CSW members, and will feed into an Expert Group Meeting on prevention (Bangkok, 17-20 September 2012) which will also present its outcomes to CSW.

The first week of discussions will focus on primary prevention and the second week on multi-sectoral services and responses to victims/survivors

Click here to find out more and register

In News Around Australia

• Many of you will have heard Ricky Nixon’s name in the news again over the last week, as he has been arrested on a number of charges relating to assaulting his partner. This op-ed by Susie O’Brien says there is no place in public life for men like Ricky Nixon
• More funding cuts in Queensland will impact on another frontline service – Breaking the Cycle in Rockhampton
• And take some time to read this article published in Marie Claire last month on the sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities in Australia

Around the World

• Philanthropist Owen Glenn has committed $80 million to addressing Domestic and Family Violence in New Zealand and the Roundtable on Violence Against Women supports his call for an inquiry into why domestic and family violence is still a major issue in New Zealand
• Still in NZ, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) focused on violence against women when it met with NZ officials this week – recent reforms to family legal systems and lack of progress in implementing recommendations from the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence report were called into question – read Women’s Health Action’s media release here
• News from Mexico reports that violence against women is surging, and many of the reported incidents remain uninvestigated
• A new report from Pakistan highlights violence against women, particularly domestic violence and ‘so-called honour killings’, are on the increase. Kidnapping and abduction cases are also on the rise
• Poor implementation of laws in Pakistan is argued in this article to be the main reason behind an increase in violence against women
• Dr Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, says that recent killings of women in Afghanistan and Pakistan are a tragic reminder of a… global and increasing concern
• and finally, read this op-ed on sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities

New Reports

New Reports  from the UK and Ireland that you may find interesting:

Sexual violence against people with disabilities – This report from Rape Crisis Network Ireland presents research findings suggesting that there are few notable differences between disabled and non-disabled women in relation to prevalence of sexual violence.

Office of the Children™s Commissioner™s Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups, with a special focus on children in care – The Office of the Children™s Commissioner has produced a briefing on the emerging findings of its inquiry, highlighting that both perpetrators and victims are ethnically diverse and come from all social backgrounds. The inquiry has found that young men and boys, as well as adults, are involved in perpetrating sexual exploitation and that there are some links to adult-based prostitution and brothels.

Upcoming Events

New!!

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

This Month

• The Equality Rights Alliance are conducting FREE Federal Budget training in Alice Springs 23 July – click  here to learn more and register now!!
• 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

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

Another big welcome to all our new subscribers! We’ve had quite a few of you join us over the past few weeks, which is great news (although, it might just be the cold weather in the southern states keeping you all indoors and looking for a great read!)

Quite a few diverse and interesting articles this week – and a few new events for you to check out as well.

Around the nation

• The Victorian Department of Human Services have this week released their Indigenous Family Violence Primary Prevention Framework
• This media release reports on Australia funding $17.7 million to reduce domestic and community violence against women in Afghanistan
• Volume 1 of the DLA Piper Report: Allegations of sexual and other abuse in Defence has now been released in full – read the media release here
• The Safe at Home, Safe at Work project has received funding for a further 12 months

Around the world

• New reports show that rape is being used as a weapon of war in Syria
• Amnesty International say that there has been a failure to address increased violence against women in Mexico

Get Involved!

The NSW Legislative Council has established a Select Committee on the partial defence of provocation – you can have your say by lodging your submission by 10 August 2012

Upcoming Events

New!!

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

This Month

• Last chance to submit your abstracts for the inaugural National Rural Women’s Conference in February 2013 – closing date 4pm today (13 July)
• Still time to register to attend the Red Cross Human Trafficking sessions in Canberra on Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 July
• The Equality Rights Alliance will be conducting FREE Federal Budget training in Alice Springs 23 July – click  here to learn more and register now!!

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

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

Later 

• The No To Violence conference 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

Something of a quiet week in the news this week when it comes to reporting on violence against women – so only a brief round-up this week. Remember, if there is something you want to share or promote through the AWAVA website, email us  – we read all your emails and will consider all of your suggestions for inclusion.

Be sure to take some time to check out all the upcoming events in the sector  – there is a lot coming up in the very near future!

Around the Nation

• The Australian Institute of Criminology™s (AIC) second Trafficking in Persons monitoring report and research paper has been released – see the media release here. Or, read the full report here
• This report in The Age, explores the growing problem of sexual harrassment and virtual abuse that female gamers are subjected to

Upcoming Events

This Month

• National Rural Women’s Conference 2013 call for abstracts closes today, 6 July
• Launch of NUS Safe Events Respectful Clubs and Societies program, in Canberra 10 July  – find out more
• The Equality Rights Alliance will be conducting FREE Federal Budget training in Alice Springs 23rd July – click  here to learn more and register now!!

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

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

Later 

• The No To Violence conference 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

This week, on June 26th, it was the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture – sadly, many of these victims are women fighting for basic human rights. To learn more, read the UN’s Secretary General’s message here.

A quiet week in the news around the country, but it would have been hard for anyone to avoid the Grant Hackett interview and the multitude of news articles published afterwards. AWAVA made this media statement:

“”It’s important to understand that violence against women is not just physical and sexual violence, and it™s not a private matter.  Violence against women includes abusive, intimidating and controlling behaviours, destroying her property, and shifting responsibility for abusive behaviour to her or someone else.  This behaviour is never caused, invited or deserved by the victim.  Men like Grant Hackett who are public figures and role models need to recognise that their behaviour is abusive and must change.  We need to remember that the safety of women and children is paramount and that from a very young age, children begin to form their beliefs and attitudes about how women and men should behave within relationships.””

AWAVA’s spokesperson, Executive  member, Margaret Augerinos, was quoted in the West Australian, emphasising that public figures and role models need to recognise that their behaviour is abusive.

In other news around Australia:

• For many of those working in the community services sector, this media release from the Treasurer’s Office will bring welcome news
• AWAVA welcomed the news of the establishment of the statutory office of the National Children’s Commissioner – read more here

And around the world:

• In Zimbabwe, columnist Leo Wamwanduka calls on men to change their thinking and create a ‘new’ generation of men that do not use violence against women
• There are calls in Jakarta for greater coordination of agencies providing services to victims of violence
• a new report from Pakistan sheds some light on the extent of violence against women and girls, particularly sexual violence
• In Ghana, activists are trying to educate about, and end, Female Genital Mutiliation
• Read this opinion piece by Muhammad Abdul Bari, from the UK, who says criminalising forced marriage is not the answer
• In Manipur, North-Eastern India, there are calls for more gender-based preventative work to end violence against women, with this writer saying that legislation is not enough

Upcoming Events

NEW!!

• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 2012

July

• The Association of Women Educators conference being held 3-5 July 2012 – for details and registration click here
• National Rural Women’s Conference 2013 has a call for abstracts closing 6 July
• Launch of the AWAVA-endorsed NUS Safe Events Respectful Clubs and Societies program, in Canberra 10 July  – find out more
• The Equality Rights Alliance will be conducting FREE Federal Budget training in Alice Springs 23rd July – click  here to learn more and register now!!

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

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

Later 

• The No To Violence conference in 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

Many of you will remember a few weeks ago AWAVA asking you to sign an on-line petition to strip a man of a bravery medal awarded after the Black Saturday fires – a man who was convicted of severely assaulting his partner and currently serving time in prison. This week, we are happy to share with everyone that the petition was presented with over 18000 signatures, and the award has been revoked – to read more, click here

AWAVA joined several of its Advisory Group member organisations in writing to the Attorney General advocating for the inclusion of domestic violence as a ground of discrimination in the consolidated Commonwealth Anti-Discrimination Laws.

In other news around Australia:

• Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, has released the Executive Summary of Volume 1 of  the DLA Piper report into allegations of sexual abuse in the Defence Force
• Geelong Football Club has been quick to taken action as one of their players is accused of assaulting a woman – read more here
• Minister for the Status of Women, Julie Collins MP, has announced new support for women who have been affected by Family Violence on provisional partner visas
• A new report says that Australia is leading the region in combatting human trafficking but there is still more to be done.  The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking report from the Mission to Australia is now available

Internationally:

• A new study in the USA showed that adult lesbian and same-sex attracted women are much more likely to report childhood and adult sexual abuse than women who identify as heterosexual
• In Iraq, laws criminalising domestic violence and female genital mutiliation have done little to change attitudes, and prevention and education are needed for real change, according to this article by Amelie Herenstein
• At the Rio +20 UN Women Leaders Forum, in her opening remarks Michelle Bachelet says “”we need to turn words in to action…  Action so that violence against women and girls is turned into new attitudes that promote zero tolerance for these crimes and zero impunity””

Our Thanks

A big thankyou to everyone that took time out of their busy lives to complete the CEDAW survey. We have had some excellent, thought-out and thought-provoking responses which will inform the NGO CEDAW report that we will complete and circulate for comment next month. Keep and eye out on our website for updates!

Upcoming Events

NEW!!

• Launch of NUS Safe Events Respectful Clubs and Societies program, in Canberra 10 July  – find out more
• National Rural Women’s Conference 2013 has a call for abstracts closing 6 July

Still Time to Register

• Check out dates and locations for Red Cross Human Trafficking Awareness-Raising Sessions – please note the change of time and venue for ACT sessions

This Month

• WIRE Women™s Information is offering free workshops to women who have experienced financial control in a family violence situation in Preston and Stawell on 27 June.  Please note these workshops are unsuitable for women currently in crisis situations

July

• The Association of Women Educators conference being held 3-5 July 2012 – for details and registration click here
• The Equality Rights Alliance will be conducting FREE Federal Budget training in Alice Springs 23rd July – click  here to learn more and register now!!

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

Later 

• 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
• The No To Violence conference in 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

 

Friday, June 15th, was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) – an issue that is becoming more wide-spread in Australia as our population ages, and which particularly affects older women. You can learn more about what elder abuse is here (which includes links to the WHO fact sheets on elder abuse) – and if you have a few minutes, watch this clip that was filmed in Melbourne at last years WEAAD event.

In other news around Australia:

• The NSW Parliamentary Research Service has released  “”Family Violence Counts”” – a new report on Specialist Family Violence courts and their impact

Internationally:

• A new report shows that with policies that promote gender equality and safeguards against violence and exploitation, Canada is ranked top of the G20 countries to be a woman, with India ranked last. Read the full article here
• Sparked by the same report, read more about life for women and girls in India in this article
• In the UK, family members of a woman who kidnapped her in an attempt to force her to marry have been convicted. This article in the Telegraph, debates the effectiveness of making Forced Marriage a crime, with fears that it may pevent vulnerable women from seeking help
• International attention has been on a Bulgarian fashion magazine that recently published a ‘beauty spread’ with  models being depicted as strangled, mutilated and attacked – read this opinion piece by ex-model Jenna Sauers.

]

Have Your Say

What do you think are the priority actions on VAW and for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women?

We want to know your views on Australia™s performance on, and what Australia™s priorities need to be on these two areas to feed into the NGOs’ report for CEDAW.  Tell us your views by accessing the survey here before 20 June 2012.  Just a few days left!

Read more here

Position Vacant

• A fixed-term Parental Leave position as Prevention of Violence Against Women Project Coordinator has become available, with the Mt Alexander Shire in Victoria. Please note, applications close 22 June. For more information call Glenn Menner, Manager Community Development on (03) 5471 1818 or see job description here

Resources

New Resource!!

The Central Queensland Family Law Pathway Network has released this guide to online Family Law system resources

Upcoming Events and Training

NEW!!

• The Equality Rights Alliance will be conducting FREE Federal Budget training in Alice Springs – click  here to learn more and register now!!

Still Time to Register

• Check out dates and locations for Red Cross Human Trafficking Awareness-Raising Sessions

This Month

• Sowing the Seeds of Change forum to raise awareness of the effects of family violence on women with disabilities organized by women with disabilities, on 19 June  in Victoria
• WIRE Women™s Information is offering free workshops to women who have experienced financial control in a family violence situation in June.  Please note these workshops are unsuitable for women currently in crisis situations
• Michael Flood will assess debates over men’s and women’s experiences of domestic violence at a free seminar He Hits, She Hits in QLD on 22 June  – this talk will also be available via video-link to a number of sites around Australia. Click here for more information and to register

July

• The Association of Women Educators conference being held 3-5 July 2012 – for details and registration click here

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

Later 

• 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
• The No To Violence conference in 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

This week has seen plenty of focus on violence against women in the news, with the new Family Violence laws and definitions coming into effect this week – if you’ve missed them, we’ve captured a few of these articles below for you:

• Attorney General, Nicola Roxon, announces changes that will broaden the definition of Family Violence to include stalking, intentional property damage, and harm to pets, reported in the Sydney Morning Herald. The ABC also had this report
• Also in the SMH, this editorial states that violence…must not be tolerated
• The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has reported on Australia on the sale of children and children in armed conflict – read the questions asked of Australia and the responses here.   Note: this article contains links to the full Australian report
• Review of Family Law and Child Support System announced by Andrew Wilkie, see this media release from the National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc

Around the World

• A new report in Alberta, Canada, says domestic violence prevention makes economic sense
• In the USA, female farm-workers face increased risk of sexual violence
• Over in the UK, The Independent reports on the Prime Minister’s announcement that forced marriage will be made a criminal offence.  NGOs caution that prevention and support needs to be strengthened, Australia will need to take notes

In other news

• AWAVA sent a submission in for the Senate Inquiry for the National Children’s Commissioner Bill 2012 welcoming the position
• An interesting opinion piece on the politics of naming victims and survivors from last week

What do you think are the priority actions on VAW and for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women?

We want to know your views on Australia™s performance on, and what Australia™s priorities need to be on these two areas to feed into the NGO’s report for CEDAW.  Tell us your views by accessing the survey here before 20 June 2012.  

Read more here

Resources

New Resource!! ACSSA have this week released a new resource/fact sheet Asking women about intimate partner sexual violence – a must read and handy reference for anyone working with women – particularly in the health sector

Get Involved!!

New Petition During the week many of you may have seen this article with the Governor General calling for a  bravery award, given to a man currently serving prison time for assaulting his partner, to be stripped.  A campaign and petition are underway and if you want to join AWAVA and add your signature to the petition, and find out what else you can do to make a difference click here to become involved.

Upcoming Events

Still Time to Register!

• Check out dates and locations for Red Cross Human Trafficking Awareness-Raising Sessions – Sydney now confirmed! 29 and 30 August;  Perth and Adelaide dates, times and locations posted today
• Measuring Family Violence in Victoria – Data Workshops are currently being conducted around Victoria

This Month

• Preventing and responding to violence against women: Issues, challenges and best practice in Adelaide (South Australia) on 15 June 2012
• Sowing the Seeds of Change forum to raise awareness of the effects of family violence on women with disabilities organized by women with disabilities, on 19 June  in Victoria
• WIRE Women™s Information is offering free workshops to women who have experienced financial control in a family violence situation in June.  Please note these workshops are unsuitable for women currently in crisis situations
• Michael Flood will assess debates over men’s and women’s experiences of domestic violence at a free seminar He Hits, She Hits in QLD on 22 June  – this talk will also be available via video-link to a number of sites around Australia. Click here for more information and to register

July

• The Association of Women Educators conference being held 3-5 July 2012 – for details and registration click here

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

Later 

• 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
• The No To Violence conference in 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

Welcome to our new subscribers and Happy Official Winter everyone!  Quite a few of you have joined in the past few weeks, and it’s exciting to have our readership grow and know that these important stories are reaching further afield every day. Make sure you share these articles, events and news with your networks or encourage sign-up to the weekly round-up, and remember that if you have something you would like to see in the round-up, send it to [email protected] and we’ll try to include it.

In AWAVA news, the staff and Advisory Group have been busy, some of the recent highlights:

• presenting via weblink to Amnesty International offices across Australia on 24 May on AWAVA’s work and key messages.  A big thankyou to Amnesty International and the event organisers for inviting us and we look forward to working with Amnesty International in the future
• attending the Connect, Learn, Share presentation on the 2nd World Conference of Women™s Shelters hosted by the Minister for Women, Joy Burch MLA, on 28 May in ACT (find out more about the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters, held in February, here)
• receiving training on the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and engaging in the CEDAW review and reporting processes this week – thankyou to our Friend & Supporter, Edwina MacDonald, for being a fantastic, knowledgeable tutor – who patiently answered AWAVA™s Global Engagement and International Mechanisms Working Group’s questions!  If you are one of AWAVA’s Friends & Supporters and would be interested in a CEDAW training session please contact us

and now to the news

Around the nation

• This well-said piece from Dr Carole Ford looks at the impacts of violent, sexist language in Australian politics – see AWAVA’s recent post on this issue here
• Rachel Ball and Phil Lynch say that employers have a role in ending domestic violence in this opinion piece published on The Drum
• Watch the clip of Stella Young and Margaret Spencer on the sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities
• VicHealth have released their report on the project More than ready: Bystander action to prevent violence against women
• New laws are being introduced to criminalise forced marriage
• If you haven’t already heard, Elizabeth Broderick has been re-appointed to the Human Rights Commission – read the media release here
• And in news that has made headlines around the world, the High Court has ruled that a man that allegedly raped his wife in 1963 will stand trial, despite his claims that rape within marriage was not illegal at the time

Around the world

• In New Zealand, a new issues paper titled Building collaborations to eliminate family violence: facilitators, barriers and good practice has been released by the NZ Family Violence Clearinghouse

Resources

• Changes to the Family Violence Act will come into effect on 7 June – to access quick reference information, factsheets, and answers to FAQs click here to go to the Attorney General’s information page

]

Get Involved!

Heard of Lingerie Football? You soon will – it’s on its way to Australia – a form of entertainment (not a sport!) that sees lingerie-clad women playing grid-iron, which is both demeaning to women and puts the women involved at high risk of substantial injury. Collective Shout are asking for your help in petitioning to put a stop to it. Click here to sign the petition and to find out other ways that you can lobby. Read what the Australian Womensport and Recreation Association have to say here, and Kate Lundy’s (Federal Minister for Sports) view here if you want more information.

Upcoming Events and Training

NEW!!!

• Michael Flood will assess debates over men’s and women’s experiences of domestic violence at a free seminar He Hits, She Hits in QLD on June 22 – this talk will also be available via video-link to a number of sites around Australia. Click here for more information and to register

Still Time to Register!

• Check out dates and locations for Red Cross Human Trafficking Awareness-Raising Sessions – Tasmania now confirmed!  Dates 14 and 15 June
• Measuring Family Violence in Victoria – Data Workshops are currently being conducted around Victoria

June

• Preventing and responding to violence against women: Issues, challenges and best practice in Adelaide (South Australia) on 15 June 2012
• Sowing the Seeds of Change forum to raise awareness of the effects of family violence on women with disabilities organized by women with disabilities, on 19 June  in Victoria
• WIRE Women™s Information is offering free workshops to women who have experienced financial control in a family violence situation in June.  Please note these workshops are unsuitable for women currently in crisis situations

July

• The Association of Women Educators conference being held 3-5 July 2012 – for details and registration click here

August

• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that 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

Later 

• 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
• The No To Violence conference in 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

As winter well and truly sets in across the southern states, it seems like the perfect time to snuggle up with a warm bowl of soup and take some time out to read what is happening in the VAW sector, both at home and around the world

Around the nation

• AWAVA Advisory Group members Anne Morris and Annie Parkinson attended the launch of the Women™s Statement in Sydney on 15 May. Julie Collins MP, Minister for the Status of Women, outlined some of the Federal Government™s achievements for women, adding that the government intended to work towards further progress next year. Minister Collins launched the document, Women’s Statement 2012 – Achievements and Budget Measures stating that its œnew look was a reflection of the government™s particular concern with women™s issues.  See comments on the 2012-13 Federal Budget from AWAVA’s Chair, Julie Oberin, here
• There has been some controversy over Brisbane’s 2nd SlutWalk, with some of the original core values being overshadowed
• Jocelyn Scutt presents this opinion piece on Women’s Leadership in Politics 
• This interview with Catherine Smith, a survivor of domestic violence, highlights some of the short-falls of the Australian police and justice system.  Catherine was part of the Australian delegation for CSW56 (Commission on the Status of Women) this year and presented at the Australian and Solomon Islands government-sponsored side event on the Impacts of Domestic Violence on Rural Women

And internationally

• In China, a recent NGO survey showed more than half of respondents had been affected by domestic violence
• The UK will host a trilateral meeting with women MPs from Pakistan and Afghanistan, focussing on women in politics, gender diversity and forced marriage
• The CSW56 report with resolutions and decisions adopted by the Commission this year is now available – you can access it here

Get Involved

Your chance to make a difference

AWAVA was shocked and disappointed to hear the recent news that one of our Friends & Supporters, Sisters Inside, has been defunded by the Queensland Government.

The National Chair of AWAVA, Julie Oberin, extended the following support to Sisters Inside:

œDebbie Kilroy has been an extremely strong advocate for some of Australia™s most vulnerable women, her work for women in prisons and for Aboriginal women has been amazing and much needed.  AWAVA extends its support to you Debbie, and Sisters Inside, and hopes funding is secured quickly for the vital services you provide.

AWAVA has written a letter of support to the Queensland State Government, urging the reconsideration of this decision. If you want to get involved, (joining over 8,500 supporters at the time of posting) and lend your support, click here to find out how

Have Your Say!

The Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse (ADFVC) invites workers with clients affected by domestic violence, during and after a natural disaster, to participate in an online survey – click here to find out more

Call for Papers

The Biennial Australian Women and Gender Studies Conference (21-23 November 2012) is calling for papers by 27 July – click here to find out more

Upcoming Events!

Still time to register

• The Domestic Violence Resource Centre will hold a forum on their latest discussion paper “”Just Say Goodbye””: parents who kill their children in the context of separation on 31 May, in Melbourne
• Sowing the Seeds of Change is a forum to raise awareness of the effects of family violence on women with disabilities organized by women with disabilities, being held 19 June  in Victoria
• WIRE Women™s Information is offering free workshops to women who have experienced financial control in a family violence situation in June.  Please note these workshops are unsuitable for women currently in crisis situations
• Homeless Persons Week, running 6 -12 August, recognises that the most common reason clients give for seeking assistance, relates to domestic and family violence
• Dont forget:
• Preventing and responding to violence against women: Issues, challenges and best practice to be held in Adelaide (South Australia) on 15 June 2012
• The Association of Women Educators conference being held in July 2012 – for details and registration click here
• The Violence Against Women Conference on 7,8, 9 August 2012, in Brisbane www.violenceagainstwomenqld.com.au
• The No To Violence conference in 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