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AWAVA Weekly Round-Up Archives

Weekly Round-Up * 1 September

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

Around the Country

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

Around the World

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

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

Weekly Round-Up * 25 August

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week we have highlighted a number of ways to get involved in the effort to prevent and eliminate violence against women. From attending conferences, trainings, and events, to filling out surveys, there are a huge variety of ways that you can support the movement to address gender-based violence. But the key idea that all of these opportunities share is that it is the responsibility of every individual to take action to make our communities safe for all women and girls.

Around the Country

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse may have to begin turning victims away from September this year if their deadline and funding are not extended
In Victoria, the No More Deaths campaign has been launched to encourage political parties to effectively address family violence
Labor Leader Bill Shorten has issued a statement to the media about an allegation of sexual assault made against him
Workers who are sexually harassed by customers are highly unlikely to report the incident to their managers
[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of harassment]
A pilot program is being rolled out to identify ways that vets can identify animals being abused by their owners and to measure the connections between animal abuse and domestic violence
In Victoria, new laws will allow offenders who breach family violence intervention orders to be named publicly without a court order, as well as allow police to issue family violence safety notices during business hours
New figures have shown that children who experience domestic violence are significantly more likely to have issues with the law into adulthood
In NSW, a man has been arrested for a number of sexual assaults of girls in the late 1980s and early 1990s following new DNA analysis [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual violence against children, kidnapping]

Around the World

In Papua New Guinea, gender-based violence is making international headlines
Rebecca Watson speaks about perceptions of false accusations of rape in the skeptic community and the general principle that ‘extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence’
In Canada, the Government is being urged to address violence against Aboriginal women and girls
In the United States, a risk assessment system is being trialled to identify those domestic violence perpetrators most likely to seriously injure or kill women
In the Amazon, social inequality, including high levels of violence against women, is making environmental conservation efforts ineffective
In the United States, new research is showing that financial education is a key service for survivors of domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, financial abuse]
In India, a pilot program is providing women with internet terminals to report assault and harassment to the police without having to attend a police station

Research, Resources and Reports

AWAVA’s sister alliance, economic Security 4 Women, has launched a new online tool, Know Your Value, to assist women when negotiating pay and employment conditions
In the United States, the National Network to End Domestic Violence has developed a toolkit to providedomestic violence and HIV/AIDS service providers with information and resources to enhance services for persons exposed to HIV/AIDS and domestic violence
The Australian Institute of Family Studies has released a new report: Groups and communities at risk of domestic and family violence
The International Women’s Media Foundation has released a new report: Violence and Harassment Against Women in the News Media: A Global Picture

Get Involved!

AWAVA’s sister alliance, the National Rural Women’s Coalition, is calling for expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the role of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Director
Registration is now open for the DVNSW Conference 2014
Registration is now open for the Is Prison Obsolete? Conference hosted by Sisters Inside
The 8th National Homelessness Australia Conference will be held on the Gold Coast in three weeks.Register now to avoid late registration fees
JERA International will be hosting a delegation of Egyptian business women and community leaders who are in Australia to investigate and build broad economic engagement of women in the Egyptian economy. A Conversation Luncheon will be held with the group in Canberra on Wednesday 27 August. For more information about the event and to RSVP email Judith or Carole at JERA International
The Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children is calling for submissions from suitable organisations in Victoria to build the capacity of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to prevent violence against women and their children. This primary prevention project is funded by the Victorian Government, through the Department of Human Services. An information session will be held on Monday 1 September
WESNET will be presenting a two day Technology Safety Training session in Canberra on 16-17 October
Advocacy for Inclusion will be hosting a workshop in Canberra entitled Women with disabilities and violence: Inclusion and Awareness Training on 2 October
The Hague Conference on Private International Law is currently exploring the development of a new international treaty on the cross-border recognition and enforcement on protection orders, addressing domestic violence and other violence against women. The permanent bureau of the Hague Conference is seeking input from NGOs and other experts who have knowledge in this area through a short online survey

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

Weekly Round-Up * 18 August

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, many of the articles we have highlighted focus on the need to change the broad attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of communities. The sexism and prejudices that lead to violence against women can be found in the way that institutions, organisations and individuals interact at all levels of society. It is the responsibility of all people and organisations to examine their own actions and beliefs and make changes to prevent and eliminate violence against women.

Around the Country

The Federal Court has upheld a decision that awarded almost $500,000 of damages to Jemma Ewin after she experienced sexual harassment at work
[TRIGGER WARNING: Description of sexual violence, harassment, assault, drugging]. This follows a decision last month in which the Court dramatically increased the level of damages awarded for sexual harassment in response to changing community standards
Police are urging the public to take action and notify them if they hear evidence of domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, abuse]
Women who do not have Australian citizenship or permanent residency often find themselves without options when experiencing domestic violence
In NSW, new research will investigate the abuse of family pets along with broader incidents of domestic violence, in the hopes of engaging vets to identify cases of violence and abuse
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is calling for paid domestic violence leave to be extended to all workers
In Victoria, a new centre has been opened to provide integrated support to people, both adults and children, who have experienced sexual abuse
“Successful, career-driven women are just as likely to be victims of domestic violence”
Participants in the Australian CEO challenge are highlighting the presence of domestic violence inworkplaces around the country
In Victoria, Father Bob Maguire and Senior Magistrate Bob Kumar are supporting a new program tohelp young people prevent violence against women

Around the World

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused on rape culture and violence against women in his biggest speech of the year
In Turkey, more than 5,000 women currently living in refuges or under police protection as victims of domestic violence were not permitted to vote in the recent presidential election
In France, new legislation has been passed that lifts restrictions on abortion before 12 weeks of pregnancy
Ambassador for Women and Girls, Natasha Stott Despoja, has spoken about the horrifying and disproportionate impact conflict in the Middle East is having on women [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, military violence, sexual violence, violence against children]
In California in the United States, legislators are contemplating a bill that would require people to obtain affirmative consent for sexual activity
Clementine Ford writes about the online reactions to the assault suffered by Christy Mack [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, abuse, sexual assault, images of injuries]
In Korea, a forum is being held on wartime sexual violence against women, with a focus on the experiences of Korean and Chinese women during World War II
In Tunisia, a new law is being drafted to consolidate actions to prevent violence against women
In Iraq, researchers and advocates are calling for more attention to be paid to growing rates of sexual violence against women

Research, Resources and Reports

The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights has developed a new resource focussed on media representations of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) entitled Respectful Dialogue: A guide for responsible reporting on Female Genital Cutting
A full version of the submission made by ANROWS (Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety) to the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee’s inquiry into domestic violence in Australia is now available online

Get Involved!

Early bird registration rates for the Violence Prevention: It’s Everybody’s Business conference in Bendigo close 22 August
Registration is still open for the Association of Women Educators Conference, Reclaiming Feminism: EnGendering Change on 3-4 October 2014
JERA International is holding a Beijing +20 Caravan in Melbourne on 5 September to start a conversation about the Beijing +20 review, as well as to give organisations an opportunity to engage with the caravan concept which they can use to inform their own caravans. You can register for the event here

Weekly Round-Up * 11 August

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. Many of the links we have shared this week highlight the interconnectedness and intersectionality of violence against women. The conversations and actions taking place around the world are crucial if we are to prevent and eliminate violence against women. From violence against women with disabilities; to violence against women in culturally diverse communities; to relationships to violence in the trans* community; as well as many other intersecting identities and communities, gender-based violence is a key topic of discussion.

Around the Country

Former Governor-General Quentin Bryce has been appointed chair of a new taskforce addressing domestic violence in Queensland
In the ACT, a new scheme has been introduced to assist women with disabilities who experience sexual assault and domestic violence
The Conversation has launched a series of articles with a particular focus on domestic violence, including: sexist media workplaces and poor reporting on violence against women; an analysis of the question ‘why doesn’t she just leave?’; and many others
Current regulations around spousal visas are contributing to the exploitation and abuse of women
In Bunbury, domestic violence victims are being provided with mobile phones to help with their recovery
Intimate partner violence and homicide is an ‘everyday event’ in Australia
[TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, gun violence]
The Fitzroy High School Feminist Collective continue to draw praise after their successful Kickstarter campaign which raised over 4 times their $3,000 goal
Debra Byrne has used social media to appeal for witnesses of her being sexually assaulted during her time on Young Talent Time [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of sexual violence, child abuse]
Professor Rachel Jewkes has spoken about the necessity of research into why men perpetrate violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, attempted justification of violence]

Around the World

Evidence is growing of links between intimate partner violence and HIV infection rates, as well as of the fact that reducing intimate partner violence is also necessary for comprehensive HIV prevention
Malta is set to ratify the Istanbul Convention on Violence Against Women in November
In the United States, a man who attempted to come to the aid of a group of women being harassed on the street was attacked and severely injured by the harassers
In Tanzania, journalists have been condemned for using images of victims and survivors of gender based violence in ways that do not respect the subject’s human rights or dignity
In Peru, the Government is taking steps to criminalise street harassment
In the UK, a move away from funding refuges has led to concern that women may be forced to return to violent partners [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual violence, abuse]
In India, a fashion photographer has drawn condemnation with his photography series ‘The Wrong Turn’ which is said to glorify violence against women [TRIGGER WARNING: Images of violence, descriptions of violence, sexual violence]
In the United States, new legislation is being considered to reduce availability of guns to people who have been convicted of domestic violence [TRIGGER WARNING: Gun violence]

Research, Resources and Reports

Over 100 submissions that were received by the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia are now available online

Get Involved!

JERA International is currently undertaking the Coordinated Australian NGO 20 year review of the Beijing Platform for Action. Information will be gathered from civil society groups and individuals throughout July through until September, 2014. The review of the BPFA takes place each 5 years and in 2015 we will be celebrating the 4^th complete review of the BPFA and the 20^th year of the existence of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The online survey can be found at http://esurv.org/?u=Beijing20
The Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children is currently recruiting three Project Implementation Leaders as part of their Respectful Relationships Education in Secondary Schools project. Applications close at 4pm on 22nd August 2014

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

Weekly Round-Up * 4 August

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, we welcomed the opportunity to provide our advice and comment to the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia. A copy of AWAVA’s submission can be found here: http://awava.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AWAVA-Submission-to-the-Senate-Inquiry-into-Domestic-Violence-in-Australia.pdf

Many of the links we are highlighting this week represent beginnings: the building of new facilities, the commencement of pilot programs, the directions of courts and the entering into force of new laws, among many others. Much like the recommendations we provided in our submission to the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence, these endeavours will only be successful in preventing and eliminating violence against women if we continue to build on them and commit ourselves to moving forward together.

Around the Country

In many abusive relationships, “money is used as a weapon or means of control”
[TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of violence, financial abuse]
The Victorian Police Association has suggested GPS tracking be used on repeat domestic violence offenders
In the Grampians region, work continues to address the everyday discrimination and sexism that leads to violence against women
People continue to express extreme concern at the availability and prevalence of ‘stalker apps’
The Women in Prisons Advocacy Network (WIPAN) has received last-minute funding to prevent their mentoring program for women leaving prison from having to close down
A new trial program being run by Victoria Police and the Safe Futures Foundation has begun to issue ‘safety cards’, which include duress alarms, to family violence victims
In Bendigo, construction of a new multidisciplinary centre (MDC) for victims of sexual assault and child abuse has begun

Around the World

The Istanbul Convention on Violence Against Women has now entered into force for the first eleven signatory countries
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled against the Government of Guatemala, finding thatit has not done enough to address massive rates of violence against women in the country [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual abuse, torture]
In Turkey, after Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told women not to laugh in public in order to preserve their ‘decency’, many Turkish women have begun tweeting images of themselves laughing in defiance
In Egypt, civilian groups aimed at preventing sexual harassment in public are growing more organised
In Taiwan, voters are being urged to pressure local governments to commit more resources to addressing violence against women
In Kathmandu, a sit-in by women’s rights activists has entered its ninth week as the protesters demand action to eliminate gender-based violence
“The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has urged Swaziland toenact into law, without further delay, the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence bill”
In the United States, a rapidly increasing number of sexual assault reports in the military is being hailed as a positive sign
In Liberia, UN Women has praised the work of the Government to begin to address high rates of violence against women and girls
In Uganda, the amount of money allocated by the Government to address domestic violence is only a fraction of the huge cost to the economy it creates

Research, Resources and Reports

Abstract submissions are now open for the Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN)’s inaugural Asia-Pacific conference on Gendered Violence and Violations

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

Weekly Round-Up * 14 July

It is time once again for another edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, we have highlighted links which include a variety of responses to violence against women from all different sections of the community. We can take this opportunity to learn from both good and bad responses to gender-based violence and gender inequality. Violence exists on a spectrum, and it is the responsibility of every member of society to oppose violence against women in whatever form it takes.

Around the Country

In Victoria, student leaders from Waverley College organised the Waverley College Violence Against Women Forum to bring together students and consider what they can do to prevent violence against women
In New South Wales, a Nationals MP has used threatening and sexist language to attack a cabinet minister whose department made a decision he was not happy with
[TRIGGER WARNING: Violent language, threats]
Clementine Ford writes about the need to take ‘groping’ and assault seriously [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of indecent assault, sexual assault]
In South Australia, the State Coroner remains highly critical of the Police’s handling of domestic violence
Hannah Piterman writes that business must commit to addressing violence against women
In Orange, NSW, the local Domestic Violence Action Group are working to increase awareness of domestic violence and public support for victims and survivors

Around the World

In Nigeria, more than 60 girls and women have escaped from Boko Haram after having been abducted in late June
In the UK, a judge has highly made inappropriate comments while attempting to comfort a man being sentenced for sexual assault [TRIGGER WARNING: rape apologism]
Around the world, accusations of witchcraft and sorcery continue to serve as an excuse for gender-based violence
In New Zealand, judges will be given more power to order 24 hour GPS monitoring of domestic violence offenders
In Canada, the Supreme Court has ruled that defendants not be allowed access to the police records of victims when they are not related to the case in question
In the lead up to Mandela Day, people across South Africa are working to support survivors of gender-based violence
In the United States, Senator Claire McCaskill is raising concerns that colleges and universities areinadequately dealing with or outright ignoring incidents of sexual assault
In Lebanon, for the first time a man has been convicted under the new domestic violence law passed in April [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of domestic violence, threats of violence]
In Texas, a 16 year old girl is campaigning against sexual assault and online harassment after images of her being assaulted were posted online [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of sexual assault, use of social media to harass]

Research and Reports

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
The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society has published Norma’s Project: A Research Study into the Sexual Assault of Older Women in Australia by Rosemary Mann, Philomena Horsley, Catherine Barrett and Jean Tinney

Get Involved

The Take Back the Tech! campaign will be starting on July 21, in the hopes of encouraging large social media providers to better address violence against women on their platforms
Theatre group Improvising Change have called for the submission of short plays on the topic of ‘Mothers and the Impact of Domestic Violence’
A research project out of ANU is seeking people over 18, who currently reside in Australia, and who currently work with/on the issues of gender violence and the law/legal system in relation to Aboriginal women and girls in Australia, to complete a survey on Gender Violence and the Rule of Law in Aboriginal Australia

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

Weekly Round-Up * 7 July

Welcome to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week we feature articles and links that document a wide variety of gender-based violence, and an even wider variety of actions being taken to help prevent and eliminate violence against women. Through collaboration and true commitment, we can continue to build on the progress being made by passionate people around Australia and the world.

Around the Country

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has asked for an additional two years in order to adequately hear all cases
The Australian Women Educators biennial conference, this year entitled Reclaiming Feminism: EnGendering Change, will be held on 3-4 October 2014. Submissions for presentations, workshops and roundtables close July 11
Fiona Guthrie is speaking out about her experience of sexual violence as a woman with disability in the hope of helping other women in similar situations
Monica Dux writes on the disapproval many women feel when walking alone
In Lismore, the only women’s refuge in the area may close by the end of the month
AFL player Majak Daw has been charged with three counts of sexual assault
Anti-abuse campaigners have warned that the recent increase in reports of indecent and sexual assault are only ‘the tip of the iceberg’

Around the World

In the United States, Lisa Sendrow, the woman initially targeted by George Will in his column dismissing sexual assault on university campuses, has spoken about her experiences
In Turkey, 114 women have been killed by male partners, ex-partners or relatives in the last five months
After the conviction of Rolf Harris in the UK, the need for robust support for victims and survivors has been highlighted
In New Zealand, a Malaysian official has used diplomatic immunity to leave the country after being charges with sexual assault
In India, MP Tapas Pal is being called on to resign following a threat of rape he made against the families of his political opponents
In South Sudan, actions to address gender-based violence are helping women to feel safer within refugee camps
[TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of sexual violence, military violence]

Research and Reports

The Right to Refuse report has now been released as a result of The Right to Refuse forum held by DVVic, Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service and Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand in September 2013. A fact sheet has also been produced entitled The Right to Refuse: Examining Forced Marriage in Australia
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse I nterim Report is now available
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

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

Weekly Round-Up * 30 June

Welcome once again to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. It has been an exciting week for us here at AWAVA. We began on Monday and Tuesday with the annual National Women’s Alliances Forum in Canberra: two full days of collaboration with our sister Alliances from around the country. You can read tweets from the forum under the hashtag #nwa2014.

Some highlights of the 2014 forum included the Parliamentary Breakfast hosted by Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, as well as the attendance of Tara Moss as a guest speaker at the Forum Dinner. Ms Moss discussed with us gender inequality and representation in the media.

It was a fantastic event, and a wonderful way to welcome our new Program Manager, Sophie!

On Wednesday, we participated in a Round Table on the Economic Impact on Women in Disaster Affected Areas in Australia hosted by our sister alliances economic Security4Women and the National Rural Women’s Coalition. This highly productive discussion, held at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, was attended by a wide variety of stakeholders and brought to light the significant need for disaster response to be assessed through a gender lens.

AWAVA has also had the pleasure of attending the launch of the Second Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 on Friday morning. You can read more about the Second Action Plan 2013-2016 on the Department of Social Services website.

Around the Country

“The Federal Government and every State and Territory Government have agreed to implement the National Domestic Violence Order Scheme” in order to make court orders intended to keep victims safe enforceable nationwide
From 1 July 2014 The Line social marketing campaign is transferring to the Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children
In New South Wales, surprise and concern is being expressed that a large number of women’s refuges, including Australia’s first women’s refuge Elsie, have been handed over to large religious organisations by the NSW Government
Anne Summers has spoken about her experiences of violence and personal journey as a feminist
[TRIGGER WARNING: sexual violence, unsafe abortion]
Doctors in Victoria have been urged to be more vigilant following a report showing that half of all women who die either during pregnancy or soon after giving birth were killed or took their own life
In South Australia, police have spoken about reforms which have been put in place since the public murder of Zahra Abrahimzadeh in 2010 [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of abuse, physical violence, threats of violence, death]
In Victoria, the Government has introduced a bill to Parliament to remove defensive homicide provisions initially intended to family violence victims
An inquest is being conducted into the killing of Noelene Beutel and the role of doctor/patient confidentiality [TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of physical violence]
In the aftermath of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, reports of sexual assault have dramatically increased across the country
In NSW, a police officer charged with sexually assaulting a young girl has been released on bail

Around the World

UN Women, in conjunction with OHCHR, have launched the UN Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Reparations for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
In Libya, Women’s Rights Activist Salwa Bugaighis has been assassinated
Soraya Chemaly has created a list of ‘10 Everyday Sexisms’ that typically remain unnoticed or unremarked upon
In the United States, research is examining the pressure on survivors of domestic violence to maintain a ‘two-parent household’
In New Zealand, a new resource including a short film as well as a set of lesson plans has been developed to help support children who have experienced family violence
In Fiji, Police Chief of Operations ACP Rusiate Tudravu has stated that the Fiji Police Force does not have sufficient expertise or funding to deal with violence against women
In the Great Lakes Region in Africa, a new World Bank project has been approved to provide support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence
Robin Thicke’s latest music video is being criticised for attempting to romanticise stalking and harassment

Research, Reports and Resources

An inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia has been passed by the Senate with tri-partisan support. The closing date for submissions is 31 July 2014
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
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety is creating a Networking Database “to enable researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, community members, and others interested in reducing the impact and incidence of violence against women to connect directly with each other.”

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

Weekly Round-Up * 20 June

Welcome, once again, to the latest edition of the AWAVA Weekly Round-Up. This week, as every week, we highlight the latest news from around the preventing violence against women sector. People from all walks of life and all segments of society have spoken out this week against violence against women, from the gaming community

[TRIGGER WARNING: Images of violence, sexual abuse] to the UN Secretary-General. It is essential that all members of our communities take action to address gender-based violence and sexism in all of its forms.

Around the Country

Army Chief Lieutenant General David Morrison has been praised for his strong statements at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in London
Activists and service providers are hoping to draw attention to early and forced marriages, as well as so-called honour killings, within Australia [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, sexual violence, violence against children]
Clementine Ford writes about the absurdity of the idea that being a survivor of sexual assault is somehow a ‘privileged status’
Former Sydney Swans player Luke Ablett has spoken about his experiences working to prevent and eliminate men’s violence against women
The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights has launched a new guide to working with Muslim women on the effects of family violence and child sexual abuse
One of Darwin’s largest AFL clubs has launched their Domestic Violence Action Plan in the hope of helping to prevent violence against women

Around the World

In Arkansas, in the United States, Laura Ponce is campaigning for action to prevent violence against women after the violent death of her daughter at the hands of an ex-partner [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of violence, gun violence]
In Canada, First Nations leaders are calling for a national public enquiry into the deaths and disappearances of aboriginal women across the country
In New Zealand, the first report of the Glenn Inquiry into violence and abuse has been released, with significant implications for the nation’s Government and Courts
In the United states, the push continues to deal with the backlog of thousands of unprocessed rape kits, many of which are decades old
In the UK, a new law has been passed to criminalise forced marriage [TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of forced marriage, sexual abuse]
In Iran, the judiciary is being urged to halt the execution of a young woman convicted of murdering the man she was forced to marry aged 14
In Egypt, hundred of demonstrators have gathered to call for action on sexual harassment and abuse of women, although the protest was not without controversy

Research and Reports

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

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

Weekly Round-Up * 13 June

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Weekly Round-Up. This week, discussion of violence against women, and what actions we can take to prevent and eliminate it, has continued on an international scale. These conversations are centred on horrific patterns of violence and suffering the world over. However, we also feature this week some powerful words and ideas from strong and dedicated women such Razan Zaitouneh, Najwa Fituri, Asma Al-Ghoul and others. Their work is pivotal is moving towards preventing and eliminating violence against women for good.

Around the Country

ACON has produced a new campaign called ‘Another Closet’ to assist LGBTIQ people experiencing domestic violence
Potential changes to homelessness and housing services in New South Wales continue to draw concern
University of Melbourne’s department of general practice are launching a pilot of a new app designed to help women who may be experiencing violence assess their level of safety
Kirsty Wardle, a survivor of domestic violence and advocate for women experiencing violence, has spoken about the inadequacy of the sentence given to the man who abused her
Libraries in the ACT are currently working to upgrade their infrastructure in response to the sexual assault of a 3-year-old girl inside a library branch

Around the World

Angelina Jolie has spoken about the importance of holding persecutors of violence against women responsible for their actions
In Nigeria, 20 women have been kidnapped by men suspected to be members of Boko Haram – the same group responsible for the abduction of over 200 school girls in April this year
In Fiji, the Fiji Womens Crisis Centre are training police in human rights, including gender relations and preventing violence against women
A new documentary has been released which examines intersectional realities of women and self-defence
In the US, estimates show that domestic violence costs that nation $8.3 billion every year
In India, male politicians continue to draw strong criticism over their public statements dismissing violence against women while women holding political office call for more substantive action to address violence
In Rwanda, new ‘one-stop-shop’ centres are being opened in refugee camps to help address gender based violence
In the UK, police have begun using new orders excluding people suspected of committing domestic or family violence from re-entering their homes if they are considered a risk to their partner or children
In Egypt, video of a young woman being sexually assaulted in a crowd of protesters has drawn a large amount of public concern and debate

Research and Reports

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

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