This week there have been some very interesting new reports released, so make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this post so you don’t miss out! But in brief news around the country:

• The Victorian Women’s Trust calls on the Premier to act on violence
• In Tasmania, the Police Union raises concerns over budget cuts to Specialist Domestic Violence Units
• The Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Rashida Manjoo, will be in Australia for a study tour from 10-20 April, see our post from earlier in the week here

and Internationally:

• In China, there are calls to broaden the definition of domestic violence to include domestic partners and ex-spouses
• Michelle Bachelet says violence against women is one of her top priorities
• The Age reports on findings of a recent visit by Rashida Manjoo to our neighbour, PNG, – read the full story here
• A new tool using crowd-sourcing technology is tracking violence against women in Syria
• A new report shows continuing high levels of violence against women in Afghanistan

New Reports and Research

New Reports and Research

• Women’s Health Goulburn North East have released The Way He Tells It a in-depth report into the effects and causes of increased violence against women following a natural disaster
• The AIC has released a report into People Trafficking – read this media release for more details

Upcoming events

and dont forget – there is still time to register for these events:

• International Symposium on VAW on 15 June, in Adelaide
• International Women’s Conference also in June, 14-15 June, in Cairns
• Association of Women Educators National Conference, 3-5 July, also in Cairns
• Responses to Men’s Domestic and Family Violence hosted by No To Violence, 14-15 November,in Melbourne
• 7th Women’s Health Conference in 2013, 7-10 May, in Sydney

This week in Violence Against Women news:

• Minister Collins announces new funding for victims of trafficking
• Mary Crooks, Executive Director of the Victorian Women’s Trust says keeping quiet about violence against women is to condone it
• ARPA (Australian Review of Public Affairs) asks empowering victims of domestic violence: could anti-discrimination laws play a role?
• Women’s Health Victoria will be speaking at the Global Launch in London of a campaign dedicated to reducing domestic violence worldwide – read the media release here
• and Victoria announces a new taskforce aimed at reducing sexual violence

Internationally

• the UK’s Home Office releases it’s updated action plan to reduce violence against women and girls
• Special Rapporteur on VAW, Rashida Manjoo, says the Solomon Islands must act to end Violence Against Women
• In Afghanistan, girl scout groups are taking steps to prevent forced marriages

My Short Skirt

On March 21 it was World Poetry Day, and to celebrate this we thought we would share with you an excerpt from the Vagina Monologues, which we think is close enough to a poem to count 😉

My Short Skirt
(from The Vagina Monologues)

My short skirt
is not an invitation
a provocation
an indication
that I want it
or give it
or that I hook

My short skirt
is not begging for it
it does not want you
to rip it off me
or pull it down.

My short skirt
is not a legal reason
for raping me
although it has been before
it will not hold up
in the new court.

My short skirt, believe it or not
has nothing to do with you.

My short skirt
is about discovering
the power of my lower calves
about cool autumn air traveling
up my inner thighs
about allowing everything I see
or pass or feel to live inside.

My short skirt is not proof
that I am stupid
or undecided
or a malleable little girl.

My short skirt is my defiance
I will not let you make me afraid
My short skirt is not showing off
this is who I am
before you made me cover it
or tone it down.
Get used to it.

My short skirt is happiness
I can feel myself on the ground.
I am here. I am hot.

My short skirt is a liberation
flag in the women™s army
I declare these streets, any streets
my vagina™s country.

My short skirt
is turquoise water
with swimming colored fish
a summery festival
in the starry dark
a bird calling
a train arriving in a foreign town
my short skirt is a wild spin
a full breath
a tango dip
my short skirt is
initiation
appreciation
excitation.

But mainly my short skirt
and everything under it
is Mine.
Mine.
Mine.

Eve Ensler, 2001

Welcome to another weekly round-up! Some interesting and diverse articles have crossed our virtual desks this week, and here are a few that we thought might interest you.

Around the Nation

• New funds have been announced for increased security in refuges and specialist services
• In Canberra, school students discuss respectful relationships
• Minister Collins also unveiled the National Action Plan to Empower and Protect Women and Girls in Conflict Zones – you can read more about this in Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick’s, opinion piece here
• Australia’s Global Ambassador for Women and Girls spoke out against violence against women inFiji last week
• The Age continues its series on Violence Against Women, and takes a look at behaviour change programs and tells one man’s story as he goes through the process of change

Internationally:

• In Alberta, a new survey has been conducted on men’s attitude to violence against women
• The Age takes a look at a growing movement Project Unbreakable which encourages survivors of sexual assault to share their stories
• 75 activists from around Africa climb Mt Kilimanjaro to raise awareness and end Violence Against Women
• At the end of this month, Botswana will release its comprehensive data on gender based violence
• Also during March, the Southern African Development Community Gender Unit will host a regional conference on Gender Based Violence
• Jennifer Prestholdt takes a look at the Amina Filali case in Morroco (the young woman forced to marry her rapist) and Morroco’s penal code

Upcoming Events!

• Register for the 20th Annual Kingsley Laffer Lecture here on 19 March
• Flinders University are holding an International Symposium on Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women, on 15 June
• The Association of Women Educators conference is on again in July 2012 – learn more and register here
• The Violence Against Women Queensland Conference: An inconvenient reality on 7-9 August 2012, will be taking early bird registrations from 1 April

Funding Opportunities

• In Victoria, expressions of interest for Reducing Violence Against Women and Children grants are now open

A busy and focused couple of weeks for women right around the world, with the 2nd World Shelter Conference having just concluded, CSW56 in full swing and organisations and individuals preparing for, and celebrating International Women’s Day.

News on gender-based violence against women continues to appear in the media daily, so here is just a snippet of what has crossed our virtual desks this week

Around the Nation:

• Police and other services report a surge in reports of Family Violence in Victoria – as The Age reports here
• The Age has also started a series of articles examining the causes of Violence Against Women
• The National Times says that Domestic Violence is our Biggest Law and Order Issue

Around the World

• In Ireland, a new report reveals an average of 8 calls per hour from women experiencing violence over the new year period
• In the UK, new laws will allow women to ask police about any history of violence their partners may have
• Heather Barr reflects on the ever-changing situation for women in Afghanistan

And some of the media attention that the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters received:

• The Daily Star noted safe shelters save lives
• The Bahamas Weekly quoted Melanne Verveer as saying violence against women and girls is amongst the world’s greatest challenges

IWD also drew lots of attention from the Media – a few articles that caught our eye:

• In Pakistan, rape continues to be used as a tool to oppress women
• Still in Pakistan, and an awareness-raising event as part of the We Can All End Violence Against Women campaign was held in Islamabad
• At home, Elizabeth Broderick asks us to think about rural women living with violence
• And Penny Williams talks about women making a difference in the Pacific region
• Khady Koita looked at putting a universal end to female genital mutiliation

]

Reports and Publications

• DVRC has released this report into filicide and the link to Domestic Violence

• Findings from the first survey of the whole of Queensland, by the Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, provide a benchmark for measuring against the 12-year national plan to reduce violence against women and their children by 2022
• The Australian reports on the launch of the AFL Tackling the Tackle: Respect is for Everyone DVD which will help spread the message to young footballers across Australia that violence against women will not be tolerated

As usual, there has also been plenty of news Around the Nation and Internationally:

• Tricia Malowney reminds us of the complexity of issues women with disabilities can face when trying to escape violence
• Listen here to one woman’s story as a survivor of the Black Saturday fires and Domestic Violence

Internationally

• In Scotland, there are questions around changing the ‘corroboration’ clause in sexual assault cases – read more about the Cadder Ruling and its impacts here
• Amnesty International and the European Women’s Lobby call for the EU to do more to end violence against women
• In the UK, Aisha Gill looks into honour-based killings
• Read here about forced marriages of young women in NZ, and the government response
• The Center for Disease Control in the USA has released its findings on the number of women who will experience violence in their lifetimes, as reported here on The Rocket
• In Pakistan, NGOs are pushing for domestic violence to be criminalised

]

Coming up!

some great events are coming up over the next few months:

20 February: In the ACT there is a public forum on Exploring Sexual Violence and institutionalisation in the ACT

23 February: Equality Rights Alliance Federal Budget Training in Brisbane – see Events

28 February: Equality Rights Alliance Federal Budget Training in Canberra – see Events

2 March: National Womens’ Alliances International Womens’ Day 2012 in Canberra – see Events

15 March: The Grace Vaughan Memorial Lecture in Western Australia is focussing on The Sexualisation of Girls in the Digital Age

14-16 November: The No To Violence conference is being held in St Kilda

And there is still time to register for Identifying the Hidden Disaster and the 2nd World Shelter Conference

**articles included are not necessarily the views of AWAVA

How this year has flown!  February already, and I know that lots of you will be making plans for IWD celebrations, as well as the upcoming 2nd World Shelter Conference and CSW56.

With so much happening, now seems like the perfect time to take a few minutes to breathe and read-up on what has been happening in Australia and around the world, with lots of international articles popping up this week.

Around the Country

• More research confirms the prevalence of Family Violence after disasters, as reported here by the Age
• And the Australian goes into more detail on the same topic here

Internationally:

• This United Nations Report looks at conflict-related Sexual Violence
• From the USA, read this media release on Sexual Violence, Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence in the US, which highlights the importance of prevention
• Still in the USA, read about the campaign Women are Watching, which is keeping a close eye on ever-more restrictive laws on abortion and birth control
• In the Maldives, there is growing concern over rising rates of violence against women, particularly Female Genital Mutiliation
• In the UK, women’s groups are calling for stronger laws for sexualised images in the media and accurate reporting of violence against women

Coming up

]

Dont forget, you still have time to register for these events:

• Identifying the Hidden Disaster: The First Australian Conference on Natural Disasters and Family Violence – Melbourne – 9 March
• Dont miss Eve Ensler at Sydney Theatre on 14 February
• The International Women’s Conference being held in June is calling for submissions
• And don’t forget the 2nd World Shelter Conference in Washington DC, 27 February-1 March

A quieter week this week for VAW in the news – but still a few ‘must reads’ that have caught our attention…

Around the Nation

• Still more on the ADF enquiry, as the Age looks at women in the armed forces
• CASA – the Centre Against Sexual Assault – has seen an increase in the number of children showing sexualised behaviour, according to this report in the Age
• The Age also reports on the growing number of registered sex offenders in Victoria

Internationally:

• The International Planned Parenthood Association published this opinion piece on Femicide in South Asia
• the Boston Globe reports that a previous decision by a judge to force a woman to have an abortion and be sterilised has been overturned

Welcome to all our new subscribers, and a Happy 2012 to everyone! 2012 looks set to be another big year as AWAVA moves to new projects and continues to try to put an end to Violence Against Women – but for the moment, here is some catch-up reading on articles published over the break 

• The Herald Sun reported on the expected rise in reports of Family Violence during the Christmas period – read the full story here
• The Sydney Morning Herald published an opinion piece on the impact women are having politics and leadership in countries such as Egypt, Liberia, and Papua New Guinea
• Still in Egypt, and a court has  ruled that the “Virginity Tests’ carried out on female demonstrators is a human rights violation
• The Age reports an an increase of migrant women seeking help from refuges
• The National Times publish this opinion piece  by Leslie Cannold about the importance of ensuring women’s rights in the face of so-called ‘religious and cultural’ beliefs

Internationally

• The Guardian in the UK reports on a number of women’s groups pushing for the Leveson inquiry to address sexism in the media.