Uncategorized Archives - Page 5 of 11

Weekly Round-Up * 6 June

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. There has been a great deal of reflection, both within the preventing violence against women sector and in the broader community, during the past week. Many commentators have spoken about the dramatic increase in reporting on violence against women in recent times. And yet, the level of reporting and analysis does not begin to approach the enormity of violence against women globally. The right of all women and girls to feel and be safe in their homes and in their communities must be upheld, and it is up to everyone to make that happen.

Around the Country

Ambassador for Women And Girls Natasha Stott Despoja will represent Australia at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London
NSW Police have now begun to exercise the power to issue Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs) on the spot and without judicial oversight
The Victorian Government has announced a new $30 million package dedicated to addressing family violence
In Victoria, the RAMP (risk assessment management panel) program will be rolled out across the state after a successful pilot, however not before some controversial changes
Wodonga police have found that up to 95% of victims of family violence refuse help because of fear of death or assault
Dr Michael Salter has written about the entitlement some men feel to assault and abuse others
“A national royal commission into institutional responses to violence against women is the best hope of achieving meaningful systemic change across all jurisdictions and instrumentalities” says Leo D’Angelo Fisher
The Women In Prison Advocacy Network (WIPAN) has stated that if it is not able to find more funding, it will have to close its doors
Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay and Domestic Violence Victoria CEO Fiona McCormack reflect on the powerful public voice of Rosie Batty

Around the World

The African Union (AU) have launched a new campaign to end child marriage
Images have been published from a large protest outside of the Indian High Commission in London demanding justice for violence against women in India
Elly Kohistani writes that women in Afghanistan must no longer be treated as “bargaining chips in negotiations“
Attention is being called to the representations and discussion of trans women, who experience violence at a disproportionately high rate, in the media around the world
In Pakistan, a woman was killed by her family on a busy street, and distress is growing over the fact that no-one intervened
[TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of violence]
In the US, Senator Al Franken has called on the Congress to legislate against technology being used to stalk and harass women
In England, a specialised clinic has been established to deal with the projected increase in domestic violence during the Football World Cup
In the wake of the recent media attention to stories told by women of their own experiences of violence under the hashtag #yesallwomen, UK journalists have been directed to established guidelines for effectively and respectfully interviewing victims and survivors

Research, Reports and Resources

Submissions remain open for funding from the newly established Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety to conduct research into stemming rates of violence against women

Get Involved

In Adelaide, Victim Support Services Inc is currently seeking a new Board Member
The opportunity to contribute to the 2014 CEDAW Shadow Report remains open until 13 June. The general survey can be found here and the survey specifically relating to Indigenous women can be found here

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

Weekly Round-Up * 30 May

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Weekly Round-Up, now coming to you through our brand new newsletter distribution system!

This week has seen massive public conversations as people process the reality of gender-based violence and misogyny in our communities. The poignant and unfiltered conversation taking place under the hashtag #yesallwomen is discussed in several of the links below, as it has spread from a response to a single violent incident to a larger examination of sexism and violence in our society. This discussion, and the discussions happening within it concerning intersectional issues such as race and class, need to happen.

AWAVA believes that violence against women is both a consequence and a cause of gender inequality, and we must all engage with these ideas if we are to address the violence in our communities.

Around the Country

A senior employee at Victoria’s largest non-government disability service has been charged with a number of serious sexual offenses against a woman with disabilities under his care
In Victoria, service providers continue to advocate against Clause 4 of the proposed Crimes Amendment (Protection of Children) Bill 2014 which they say would see many victims of family violence criminalised
The Family Court is being called upon to do more to protect vulnerable women and children from violence
Brett Williamson has written about the process of understanding domestic violence and how it hides in our communities
In Queensland, a man who is the subject of a domestic violence order has been arrested for stabbing a woman repeatedly
[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
In NSW, a bill is before parliament to make specific provision for ‘offenses that involve choking, suffocation or strangulation’
A campaign has begun in Australia, echoing ’Counting Dead Women’ from the UK, to retain a public count of the number of women who die from violence
Telstra have introduced a new assistance program which provides pre-paid mobile recharge cards at no cost to support community agencies helping survivors of domestic violence
As the NSW Government continues to explore restructuring its funding to homelessness services, representatives from women’s shelters have said they may be forced to shut their doors. A number of women’s services have launched a campaign, Save Women’s Refuges, to argue against the changes in their current form

Around the World

In the United States, a man has killed six people and injured seven more after making several threatening and misogynistic statements on YouTube and elsewhere. A global conversation has begun about the violent sexist culture that influenced him under the hashtag #yesallwomen
Also in response to the mass killing of people in the United States, a webpage has been created to record incidents of violence entitled ‘When Women Refuse’
In Nigeria, Air Marshal Alex Badeh has announced that the military has located the hundreds of school girls abducted in April but is as yet unable to free them
In the UK, lawmakers are considering creating a separate criminal offence to address family violence
An artist has created a new project to highlight the seriousness of verbal abuse [TRIGGER WARNING: images of injuries, violence language, violence against children]
In the United States, a student is suing Duke University after being expelled for sexually assaulting another student

Research and Reports

The Australian Institute of Family Studies has released ‘Independent Children’s Lawyers Study: Final Report’
Submissions remain open for funding from the newly established Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety to conduct research into stemming rates of violence against women

Get Involved

The Fitzroy High School Feminist Collective have launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a feminist teaching resource for Australian schools addressing sexist language and objectification
Women in South Australia are being asked to contribute to Government consultation by sharing which issues are important to them

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

Weekly Round-Up * 23 May

In this week’s edition of the Weekly Round-Up, we have highlighted a huge variety of programs, strategies, and research focussing on preventing and eliminating violence against women. From legal assistance to public marches, from educating school children to training doctors, and in so many other ways, our communities are stepping up to address gender-based violence.

AWAVA is also excited to announce that Sophie Hardefeldt will be joining the AWAVA team as Program Manager next month.

Sophie has a BA in Development Studies from Melbourne Uni, and a Masters of Social Science in International Development from RMIT. She has also completed some Human Rights courses in the US. She has most recently been working for the Centre for Social Research in India as the Campaigns and International Projects Manager. She has a strong background in human rights and gender and other social inequalities. She has undertaken internships for The Program on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Human Rights Program in India, and for The United Nations Development Fund for Women South Asia Economic Security and Rights Program. Prior to moving to India she worked for the Department of Health in Victoria on the Victorian Data Linkages Project and Australian Catholic University as the Research Services Officer (Ethics).

We look forward to welcoming Sophie into our team. She is due to start work on 23^rd June.

Around the Country

A new pilot program is offering pro bono legal assistance to people in hospital, including victims of domestic violence
The Court of Appeal in Victoria has firmly condemned violence against women in a judgement rejecting an appeal by an offender against an 8-year gaol term
In Victoria, Premier Denis Napthine has committed $3 million for the construction of new facilities by the women’s crisis accommodation service Annie North in Bendigo
In Queensland, a police officer has spoken out to support the teaching of programs in schools specifically focussing on gender-based violence
Alice Williams writes about a day at a women’s crisis support centre
[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual violence, stalking, financial abuse]
In Victoria, the growing Indian community is being confronted with the issue of violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual violence]
Support continues to grow for the No Excuse campaign started by Domestic Violence NSW
Morning television presenter Samantha Armytage was the subject of an on-air ‘prank’ which many are describing as sexual harassment

Around the World

In the UK, two conferences are being planned to mark the end of Project Mirabal – a longitudinal research project into domestic violence perpetrator programmes. The conferences will be free to attend, and further enquiries can be made to [email protected]
In Zimbabwe, hundreds of women have marched in memory of Isabel Masuka who was killed by her husband last month. In response, the Government has affirmed its commitment to address gender-based violence
In Germany, figures have been released showing that the number of convictions in rape cases across the country has fallen from 22% to just 8% over the last two decades
In Indonesia, one of the Commissioners of the National Commission on Violence against Women, Andy Yentriyani, has spoken about her experiences of sexual violence in the context of racial prejudice [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual violence]
Taiwan’s Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta has described to the World Medical Association the steps his country is taking to address violence against women

Research and Reports

Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV), in partnership with the Office for the Public Advocate (OPA) and the Domestic Violence Resources Centre Victoria (DVRCV) have launched their research project ‘Voices Against Violence’
A recording and transcript are now available from the Child Family Community Australia webinar ‘Sexual abuse and exploitation prevention: Effective responses’ which presented the current research on child sexual abuse in Australia
The Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault has published ‘Bystander Approaches: Responding to and preventing men’s sexual violence against women’ by Dr Anastasia Powell
The call for research grant applications into a range of areas aimed at stemming the rate of violence against women from ANROWS, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, is still open

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

Weekly Round-Up * 16 May

Welcome to the latest edition of the Weekly Round-Up. This has been a week of considerable developments in the preventing violence against women sector, in particular with the launch of ANROWS – Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. ANROWS forms an integral part of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children. Its establishment is a key step towards realising the rights of women and children to feel and be safe in their communities.

ANROWS CEO Heather Nancarrow speaking at the launch

Around the Country

At the launch of ANROWS this morning, Minister Kevin Andrews spoke about realities of violence against women
The Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and Their Children is currently hiring
In the Northern Territory, calls are being made for greater support for Aboriginal women experiencing violence
In Bundaberg, arts group Creative Regions are gearing up to perform stories told by survivors of domestic violence as part of a new play

[TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of violence against children]

Simone O’Brien, a survivor of domestic violence, has spoken out about her story and experiences [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of violence]

Women with disabilities continue to experience violence at extremely high rates and are often not believed when they speak out about their experiences

Senator Larissa Waters has spoken in Parliament about the importance of taking decisive action to address violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]

Migrant women continue to have little support when they experience violence

Family violence groups have expressed outrage at the funding levels committed by the Victorian Government

Australian doctors are being called upon to do more to help patients that they suspect may be experiencing violence

Around the World

In Papua New Guinea, women are speaking out about the horrific levels of violence they experience [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of violence, sexual violence, and sexual violence against children]
In the United States, First Lady Michelle Obama has given a Mother’s Day address which reflected on the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian school girls last month
A US photographer is displaying a series of photographs of a man violently assaulting his partner in an effort to raise awareness about violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Images of family violence]
In Ireland, a Senator has called for a full debate in the Seanad of violence against women and gender based violence

Research and Reports

A study released by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has found that judges and lawyers need additional training to avoid revictimising victims and survivors in court
The Australian Institute of Family Studies has also released ‘The good practice guide to Child Aware Approaches: Keeping children safe and well’
In New Zealand, researchers have found that domestic and family violence is costing the economy millions of dollars
‘The Trauma and Homelessness Initiative Research Findings’ have been released by the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health

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

Weekly Round-Up * 9 May

In this week’s edition of the Weekly Round-Up, we feature articles both from victims and survivors of violence, and from services dedicated to preventing and eliminating violence against women. Despite the many differences in perspective and focus among these articles, one thing is clear: it will require the entire community, working together, if we are ever to succeed in preventing and eliminating violence against women.

Around the Country

Gabrielle Upton, NSW Minister for Family & Community Services, has announced continued funding for the Keep Them Safe program
‘Domestic violence campaigners’ are arguing for family violence to be treated as a national emergency
Domestic Violence Victoria has called for the implementation of high-risk management task forces across Victoria to better identify and monitor men who are a risk to women and children
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is preparing for next month’s public hearings in Canberra
Domestic and family violence survivors from rural Victoria have spoken out about the challenges they face dealing with violence in small communities
Survivor and advocate Kay Schuback believes that in the last 12 months there has been a groundswell of support for drastic action to address rates of violence against women
The Victorian Opposition has rejected a Bill before the state’s Legislative Assembly which services stated created the risk of criminalising women facing family violence

Around the World

In Scotland, disturbing links have been drawn between experiences of domestic and sexual violence and death from drug overdose
The University of Kentucky in the United States has created a new office aimed at reducing violence against women
In Ireland, a woman has described feeling like a prisoner after the man convicted of sexually assaulting her walked free on a two year suspended sentence [TRIGGER WARNING: Description of sexual assault]
In the United States, an 8-year-old boy had died trying to protect his older sister from being sexually assaulted

Research and Reports

La Trobe University have published the results of their fifth National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health

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

Weekly Round-Up * 4 May

This week AWAVA said a final farewell to our outgoing Program Manager Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn. Trish will be much missed for all her work in amplifying and harnessing member expertise so that AWAVA continues to deliver best-practice VAW policy advice and advocacy. We wish her the best for her future endeavours!

Our Chairperson, Ms Julie Oberin along with our Executive Committee member Ms Margaret Augerinos (National Committee member WESNET and CEO, Centre for Non Violence ) and Advisory Group member Ms Moo Baulch (Project Manager, Domestic Violence NSW ) were in Canberra to see Trish off.

Around the Country

A Victorian pilot program, Strengthening Risk Management Demonstration Projects, has received an additional $4.5 million in State Government funding for its work with family violence and human services, police, corrections and the Courts
WIRE Women’s Information has released a new information booklet for people dealing with financial abuse
Services continue to urge the Federal Government to maintain their funding through the National Partnership Agreement on Housing (NPAH) beyond the current 2015 cut-off date
In the Northern Territory, a 24 year old man stands accused of murdering his wife
In Lismore, a man is charged with assaulting his partner while she held their one-year-old child
[TRIGGER WARNING: Description of violence]
In Queensland, the Courts’ average case load for domestic violence orders is 100 per day, and at least a third of these are simply ignored by the offenders in question

Around the World

In Ghana, Central Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Ms. Paulina Abayage, has urged the media to take an active role in preventing intimate partner violence
In Zambia, the US and UK Governments have pledged an additional $10 million to provide health services for survivors of gender-based violence
In Nigeria, grief and worry continues for the over 200 school girls kidnapped two weeks ago with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls trending around the world
Wang Min, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, has expressed condemnation of sexual violence against women in armed combat
In Europe, the ‘Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence’, or ‘Istanbul Convention’, is set to come into force on 1 August this year
In the United States, a 16-year-old girl has been killed by a classmate after rejecting his invitation to attend a prom [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence]
In South Africa, the trial of Oscar Pistorius continues to draw attention from the general public
Jessica Valenti has written about the current hesitation on the part of many to use the word ‘rape’ [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of rape and sexual assault]

Get Involved!

Researchers at the University of Melbourne are seeking women who may have experienced fear of a partner or ex-partner in the past 6 months to participate in giving feedback on a web-based relationship and wellbeing tool they are developing

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

Weekly Round-Up * 25 April

Welcome to another edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up! We are delighted to announce that the National Women’s Alliances will be reporting back on their attendance at the fifty-eighth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The CSW report back Forum in Sydney will allow you to hear directly from women who attended the Commission on the Status of Women in New York this year. We will discuss themes and trends emerging from the negotiations and examine options for further action. Please register your attendance by 2nd May 2014

The last two weeks have also been a time for somber reflection as Australia reels from homicides linked to Domestic and Family Violence. The brutal killing of Sunshine mother Fiona Warzywoda and the devastating murders of little Savannah and Indianna are stark reminders of how imperative it is for us all to challenge and change the attitudes that let violence against women flourish unabated.

In response, AWAVA member organisation DV NSW have launched their “No Excuse” Campaign. The campaign is a multi-pronged reaction to the violent and tragic deaths of five women and children over the 2014 Easter weekend. DVNSW CEO, Tracy Howe states: “Australia has had a gutful, enough is enough. Too many lives are being lost and there is no excuse for violence against women and children, ever.” DV NSW is calling for all Australians to sign an open letter petition expressing their outrage at the deaths and is petitioning our leaders to recognise domestic and family violence as a national emergency, to strongly condemn these acts of violence and to take urgent action.

Around the Country

The accused killer (and father) of two young girls in Watsonia has been remanded into custody pending a committal hearing: DV Vic CEO Fiona McCormack has spoken about the factors surrounding violence against women such as this when it occurs in communities
Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay has called for a compassionate and consistent response to victims and survivors of domestic violence
Tom Meagher, husband of Jill Meagher, has spoken out about the ‘danger of the monster myth’ when it comes to violence against women
Anna Bligh, former state premier and CEO of YWCA NSW, has called on men to make domestic violence unacceptable
The death of a woman in Maryville, NSW is being treated as suspicious by police
In Queensland, two women have been killed in separate incidents over the long weekend
Clementine Ford persuasively argues that it is time we stopped asking why women don’t leave abusive partners, but why men harm women
“The number of family violence-related homicides has been drastically understated until recently, Victoria Police has admitted”
Courageous Rosie Batty, mother of Luke Batty, “is using her energy to campaign against domestic violence, so that no mother needs to suffer again what she went through“
John Elder writes about “The brutal price of domestic violence“

Around the World

From the UK, Stephanie David Arais writes: “Ms Manjoo is right; a ‘visibly sexist’ country is a sexist ‘boys’ club’ culture, one in which women and girls are clearly disadvantaged”
An interesting article on the Feminist and Women’s Studies Association’s (UK & Ireland) blog makes the case for why men should support feminism
In Saudi Arabia, a proposed fine for domestic violence has provoked mockery from men opposing the bill
In Afghanistan, child marriage and domestic violence continue to cause death and injury to a huge proportion of women
In Fiji, the People’s Democratic Party has placed a significant emphasis on tackling violence against women in the lead up to the next election
In Indonesia, calls are being made to raise the minimum legal marriage to 18
Sonia Saraiya asks ” Why are the Game Of Thrones showrunners rewriting the books into misogyny?”

Get Involved

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is looking into child sexual abuse, for people with disabilities, that happened where government and private institutions were responsible for children, and encourages all survivors to tell their story
Submissions have opened for the National Children’s Commissioner’s examination of intentional self-harm and suicidal behaviour in children and young people

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

Weekly Round-Up * 17 April

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up, with all of the latest news and links from the sector.

The AWAVA team would like to wish you all a happy and safe long weekend. We would also like to thank our outgoing Program Manager, Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn and wish her all the best. We are delighted to be able to announce that we are currently in the process of recruiting a new team member to fill Trish’s shoes. You can view an advertisement for the Program Manager position here.

We will be back with another edition of the Round-Up next week!

Around the Country

A woman has been killed by her abusive partner on a public street in Melbourne
[Trigger Warning: description of violent attack] A media statement about this attack has been released by the Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service of Victoria
A nurse is accused of sexually assaulting elderly patients in a Sydney hospital
Karl Stefanovic has spoken out in favour of action to eliminate violence against women
‘A Perth taxi driver has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting five wheelchair-bound women in his vehicle’
A ‘spiritual healer’ from Sydney has been charged with sexually assaulting one of his clients
New data has shown that Dubbo has had twice the reports of domestic violence than the average for NSW
Advocates have expressed concern that ‘homeless women fleeing domestic violence or suffering severe mental illness will be left without specialist support in a radical overhaul of homelessness services in NSW’

Around the World

Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, has condemned the ‘boys’ club’ culture prevalent in Britain
Although the Egyptian constitution explicitly protects women’s rights, Egyptian women have yet to see changes to behaviours on the ground
In the lead up to New Zealand’s general election in September, political parties are being called upon to commit to making a stand for women’s rights
Musician Flavor Flav has pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges
In the United States, a woman is bringing a legal claim against fast-food restaurant Chipotle for discrimination on the basis of her status as a domestic violence victim
In Botswana, Kelebogile Kgabi, Deputy Permenant Secretary of the Botswana Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, has expressed disappointment at the continuing prevalence of gender based violence

Research and Reports

The Australian Council of Social Service has released a report on the level of funding uncertainty of vital community organisations
The Mercy Foundation has released a new report: ‘Older women’s pathways out of homelessness in Australia’
No To Violence has released a report: ‘Domestic violence perpetrator programs: Education, therapy, support, accountability ‘or’ struggle?’

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

Weekly Round Up * 11 April

Welcome once again to the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week has seen people from incredibly diverse backgrounds and in a large variety of locations expressing their support and solidarity with victims and survivors of violence against women. In acknowledging that violence against women is both a consequence and a cause of gender inequality, AWAVA believes that support and action from the entire Australian and global community is vital if we are to protect the right of all women and girls to live free from all forms of violence and abuse. Preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls is everyone’s responsibility.

Around the Country

The Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children and VicHealth have announced a new three-year partnership to develop a national framework to the prevention of violence against women which has been welcomed by many services across the sector
The Australian Human Rights Commission has found that half of all Australian women have experienced pregnancy related discrimination in the workplace
The transitioning of clearinghouse functions previously delivered by the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA) at the Australia Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse (ADFVC) at UNSW to the National Centre of Excellence to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (NCE) has begun
Over six hundred people attended a candle-light vigil for murdered French student Sophie Louise Collombet in Brisbane
In Victoria, courts are struggling to deal with large numbers of family violence offenders breaching intervention orders multiple times
In 2012-13, there was a 34 percent increase in older women seeking assistance from homelessness services in Victoria, often as a result of fleeing domestic violence
Journalist Thomas Oriti has spoken about the deeply disturbing nature and huge importance of the evidence being presented at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
The Women’s Centre for Health Matters in Canberra is surveying residents to learn more about how people get around safely at night
Ken Lay and Luke Ablett have condemned an article written by an anonymous AFL player which objectified women and glamorised harassment and abuse
A court in the ACT has set a precedent by accepting expert evidence that approximately half of all sexual assault victims experience a paralysis response to their assault

Around the World

Buzzfeed employees share 28 stories of street sexual harassment
[Trigger Warning: descriptions of sexual harassment, violence and threats]
In Norway, a shock campaign has been launched to raise awareness of domestic violence [Trigger Warning: image of assault]
In India, a sentence of death in the Shakti Mills rape cases has forced women’s rights activists to speak out against the suitability of the penalty as a ‘regressive judgement’
Feminists in the UK have highlighted the vast difference between flirting and harassment
In Lebanon, the future of legislation criminalising domestic violence for the first time remains unclear
In Brazil, a surge of public attention has followed the results of a study on attitudes towards violence against women
Amnesty International reports that 2014 may be a “make-or-break year for Afghan women”

Research and Reports

The NSW Ombudsman has tabled a special report into the Child Protection System in NSW: ‘Review of NSW Child Protection System: Are things improving?’
New research has found that many young women do not report harassment and abuse because they view it as normal [Trigger Warning: descriptions of sexual abuse of children]

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

Weekly Round-Up * 4 April

This Weekly Round-Up comes to you at the end of Stop Street Harassment Week. AWAVA is proud to have participated in and co-sponsored this global event once again this year. We firmly believe that women and girls have the right to feel and be safe in private and in public. Street harassment is a form of gender-based violence and it MUST end!

You can see some of our activities on our Twitter Feed and Facebook page, or join the global conversation taking place on Twitter under #EndSHWeek

Around the Country

Justice Peter McClellan, Chair of the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse, has stated that the Commission does not have the resources to completely investigate the huge number of plaints made to them
Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes has spoken out “about his terrifying childhood“
A proposed Victorian law to criminalise non-disclosure of child abuse has been met with concern about the status of victims of abuse, including a passionate response from Rosie Batty, mother of murdered 11-year-old Luke Batty
The Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria has won the global Avon Communications Award for their booklet ‘Sex, Love and Other Stuff’
The Commonwealth Government has announced an extension to the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness funding
After discussion with the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Western Australian Government has committed to considering indefinite detention of people with disability in its current review of criminal legislation
Reports of family violence in Aboriginal families in Victoria has almost tripled in the past five years
In a landmark decision, the High Court has ruled that the NSW Registrar must recognise that a person may be neither male nor female
In Victoria, Behaviour change programs aimed at stopping men from being violent will expand by more than 20 per cent with a $2.1 million funding boost from the Victorian Coalition Government
Also in Victoria, a report says that “Victoria has severe shortage of public housing“
There is growing recognition of the variety of ‘tricks’ and ‘loopholes’ used by defence counsel to attempt to make victims of violence retract their complaints
On 3rd April, 2014 Community Law Australia held a social media Day of Action with community legal centres around Australia telling their stories on Facebook, and using the #unlockthelaw hashtag on Twitter.
13 year old Olive Bowler, “hits out at surfer sexism“

Around the World

Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the head of UN Women, has called for men to do more to ensure women’s rights and for ‘bold steps, not baby steps’ when it comes to the status of women
Actress Angelina Jolie has visited Bosnia as part of a campaign against rape as a weapon of war
In the UK, funding cuts have led to a significant decrease in services for victims and survivors of domestic violence
In Zimbabwe, calls are being made for change across the whole of society in order to prevent and eliminate gender based violence
In Brazil, “a recent government-sanctioned poll revealed that Brazilian men — and women — believe that if a woman shows off her body she deserves to be raped“
A court in India has sentenced three men to hang, under a new law which carries the death penalty for those convicted of multiple sexual assaults.
In the United States, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month with events all over the country
In Lebanon, a new law has been passed to criminalise domestic violence, however activists maintain that without amendments, including the criminalisation of marital rape, the law will be ineffective
UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Rashida Manjoo, has begun an investigative mission in the UK at the invitation of the UK Government

Research and Reports

Researchers from UNSW’s Gender Violence Research Network have launched a new report in conjunction with Ruby Gaea Darwin and the Northern Territory Working Women’s Centre: ‘Report on a scoping study into the effects of sexual violence on employees and the workplace’
The Australian Institute of Family Studies have released ”
Victim/survivor-focused justice responses and reforms to criminal court practice: Implementation, current practice and future directions”

Resources

Women’s Legal Services New South Wales have launched “When she talks to you about the violence: A toolkit for GPs in NSW“

Get Involved

On 31st March, The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) released a Discussion Paper, Serious Invasions of Privacy in the Digital Era (DP 80, 2014). The Terms of Reference for this Inquiry ask the ALRC to consider the detailed legal design of a statutory cause of action and, in addition, other innovative ways the law might prevent or redress serious invasions of privacy. The ALRC is seeking feedback from the community on 47 proposals for reform outlined in the Discussion Paper including a new Commonwealth Act that would provide for a statutory cause of action for serious invasions of privacy.

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

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Around the Country

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Research, Reports and Resources

Get Involved

Around the Country

Around the World

Research and Reports

Get Involved