Welcome to this week’s round-up of news. This week, the Prime Minister requested an investigation into the Safe Schools program, which aims to create a safe and inclusive environment for same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students. At AWAVA, we believe that #weneedsafeschools to ensure that all young people feel safe and respected. We encourage you to like the ‘Ineedsafeschools’ Facebook page, and share why you think the program is important.

Around the Country

• The Australian Federal Police will introduce gender targets to increase the proportion of female officers to 50 per cent over the next 10 years.
• The AFL has committed to revising and improving its 11-year-old ‘Respect and Responsibility’ policy which covers the treatment of women.
• The Children’s Commissioner, Megan Mitchell, has expressed concerns about the ability of family courts to properly deal with the damage that family violence does to children.
• New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has confirmed that men are overwhelmingly responsible for perpetrating family and domestic violence.
• Erin Stewart has written about the difficulties women face in getting justice for online abuse in an article for the ABC.
• In NSW, the NSW Police Force has launched a new video campaign called ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ to raise awareness about family and domestic violence. The campaign comes at the same time as the introduction of the Suspect Targeting Management Plan (STMP), a NSW Police program for targeting repeat offenders.

Around the World

• In Ontario, Canada, the government will spend $100 million over three years on a program to address violence against indigenous women.
• In El Salvador, a special court has been created to try crimes committed against women.
• At the Academy Awards this week, singer Lady Gaga was joined by survivors of sexual assault as she performed her song ‘Til It Happens to You’.
• Pakistani filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, has won an Academy Award for her documentary ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’, which examines the practice of honour killings in Pakistan.
• In Pakistan, a bill aimed at addressing gender based violence has recently been passed.

Get Involved!

• Fair Agenda is running a petition to make the unauthorised sharing of intimate images a crime under federal law. AWAVA recently made a submission in support of this change to a Senate Committee, which has now reported urging the government to introduce legislation. You can sign the Fair Agenda petition here.
• The University of Melbourne has created a website where Australian women who have experienced abuse can share their stories.
• ANROWS invites applications for funding under the Perpetrator Interventions Research Stream which opened on 1 February 2016 and closes 28 April 2016.
• Join in One Billion Rising, the biggest mass action to end violence against women in human history! Between 14 February and 8 March 2016, at events all over the world, people will express their outrage, strike, dance, and rise in defiance of the injustices women suffer. Find out more here!
• Summer of Respect, an ACT based anti-sexual violence campaign is screening a documentary, The Hunting Ground, which addresses sexual assault on US university campuses. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, and will be held on 3 March 2016. Register here!
• Women’s Legal Services NSW and Marrickville Legal Centre are hosting an International Women’s Day Fair on Sunday 6 March, at Steel Park, Marrickville. More information here!
• Women’s Information and Referral Exchange (WIRE) presents ‘Cabaret Double Bill’ to celebrate International Women’s Day. The event will be held in Prahran, Melbourne on Thursday 10 March.
• Women’s Legal Services NSW is holding one day face-to-face seminars on Women and the Law. The first seminar in the series will be held on 16 March and will explore the law surrounding domestic violence. Register here!
• Domestic Violence Crisis Centre ACT is holding its annual ball on 19 March 2016 in Canberra. Register here!
• The 2016 Pamela Denoon lecture will be given by comedian and health promotion ambassador Nelly Thomas, on the topic of Sexual Equality: Negotiating a Modern Minefield. The lecture will be held at the Australian National University in Canberra on International Women’s Day, 8 March. Find out morehere!
• Our member organisation, Ruby Gaea, is running a campaign for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is held every April. The goal of Sexual Assault Awareness Month is to raise public awareness about sexual violation, and to educate communities and individuals about how to prevent sexual assault. This Awareness Month, Ruby Gaea is encouraging the community to take action and organise an event at your school or workplace on the International Day of Action on April 5. For more information or ideas on events, please contact Ruby Gaea’s education team on [email protected] or 08 8945 0155.
• AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
• The Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International (NNVAWI) invites individuals interested in presenting at the 21st NNVAWI conference to submit presentation abstracts. The theme of the conference is ‘Strengthening healthcare systems to promote safety and health of women and families’ and will be held on 26, 27 and 28 October. Submit abstracts by 1 April here!

Welcome to AWAVA’s latest weekly round-up of news! Our sister alliance, Equality Rights Alliance (ERA), is looking for a motivated, innovative and independent person to join the ERA team as a part-time Administration Officer. ERA is a national non-government network advocating for women’s equality. If you are interested in working with a team of dedicated individuals, and are passionate about advancing the cause of gender equality, apply by following this link! Applications close 4 March.

Around the Country

• In the ACT, domestic and family violence account for almost two-thirds of murders in the territory.
• In NSW, a parliamentary inquiry has heard that almost 50 000 seniors have experienced violence, abuse and neglect, often perpetrated by a trusted family member.
• In Queensland, the State Government has promised $3.7 million in funding to the Central Queensland University based Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research.
• Zoe Krupka, PhD candidate at La Trobe University, has written an opinion piece on how the discipline of psychology frames victims of domestic and family violence.
• Asher Flynn, Anastasia Powell and Nicola Henry have written about the legal and non-legal measures required to stop the distribution of sexual images as a tactic of abuse. The Senate inquiry into the unauthorised sharing of intimate images is due to report next week.
• Our Watch is partnering with universities to provide opportunities for information sharing about consent and respectful relationships following a study conducted by the organisation that revealed troubling statistics about the attitudes of young people towards consent. Read more about the research here.

Around the World

• Pakistani documentary ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’ by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been nominated in the Best Documentary (Short) category of the 88^th Academy Awards. The documentary addresses the issue of ‘honour killings’ in Pakistan.
• In Belize, the United Nations Population Fund donated laptops and computers to the Ministry of Human Development and the Ministry of Health to assist with the prevention of violence against women.
• In Uganda, women’s rights groups are setting up control centres to monitor this month’s national elections and intervene when necessary to prevent violence against women, which often increases during elections.

Get Involved!

• ANROWS invites applications for funding under the Perpetrator Interventions Research Stream which opened on 1 February 2016 and closes 28 April 2016.
• Join in One Billion Rising, the biggest mass action to end violence against women in human history! Between 14 February and 8 March 2016, at events all over the world, people will express their outrage, strike, dance, and rise in defiance of the injustices women suffer. Find out more here!
• Summer of Respect, an ACT based anti-sexual violence campaign is screening a documentary, The Hunting Ground, which addresses sexual assault on US university campuses. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, and will be held on 3 March 2016. Register here!
• Women’s Legal Services NSW and Marrickville Legal Centre are hosting an International Women’s Day Fair on Sunday 6 March, at Steel Park, Marrickville. More information here!
• Women’s Information and Referral Exchange (WIRE) presents ‘Cabaret Double Bill’ to celebrate International Women’s Day. The event will be held in Prahran, Melbourne on Thursday 10 March.
• Women’s Legal Services NSW is holding one day face-to-face seminars on Women and the Law. The first seminar in the series will be held on 16 March and will explore the law surrounding domestic violence. Register here!
• Domestic Violence Crisis Centre ACT is holding its annual ball on 19 March 2016 in Canberra. Register here!
• The 2016 Pamela Denoon lecture will be given by comedian and health promotion ambassador Nelly Thomas, on the topic of Sexual Equality: Negotiating a Modern Minefield. The lecture will be held at the Australian National University in Canberra on International Women’s Day, 8 March. Find out morehere!
• The Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International (NNVAWI) invites individuals interested in presenting at the 21st NNVAWI conference to submit presentation abstracts. The theme of the conference is ‘Strengthening healthcare systems to promote safety and health of women and families’ and will be held on 26, 27 and 28 October. Submit abstracts by 1 April here!

Welcome to the latest AWAVA Weekly-Round Up. We are delighted to announce that the two keynote speakers at the AWAVA/Our Watch international conference in September 2016 will be Marai Larasi and Rashida Manjoo. Marai Larasi is Executive Director of Imkaan, a UK-based organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black women and girls. Rashida Majoo was United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women from 2009 to 2015, and is now a Professor in the Department of Public Law at the University of Cape Town. We can’t wait to listen to them both speak about their work and share their stories with us in September. Find out more on our brand new conference website! More great speakers to come. Follow us to stay updated!

Around the Country

• AWAVA’s Program Manager, Merrindahl Andrew, gave evidence on the Family Law Amendment (Financial Agreements and Other Measures) Bill 2015 before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee on Friday12 February. Watch from 10:34 on the video for AWAVA’s appearance, and you can also hear Women’s Legal Service Queensland’s evidence immediately before AWAVA’s.
• The Australian Human Rights Commission has recently appointed lawyer Kate Jenkins as Australia’s new Sex Discrimination Commissioner. Ms Jenkins has been the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner since 2013 and has two decades of legal experience.
• The Equality Rights Alliance Young Women’s Advisory Group has released findings from the ‘Let’s Talk: Young Women’s Views on Sex Education’ survey. Read the full report here.
• The National Union of Students Women’s Department has released a report showing that nearly three quarters of women-identifying and non-binary students had been sexually harassed or suffered unwanted sexual behaviour while enrolled at their current campus.
• Anastasia Powell has written about the role of technology in both perpetrating and preventing abuse.As she argues in the article, ‘technology is not doing more harm than good; those people who choose to harass, threaten, stalk and abuse are doing the harm’.
• Domestic Violence NSW has released a series of Valentine’s Day Cards to raise awareness about violence against women. All proceeds from the sale of the cards will be used to support the organisation’s programs and services.
• In NSW, the Sydney-based Lebanese Muslim Association has launched the ‘Together We Are Strong’ initiative to address family and domestic violence.

Around the World

• In Ghana, the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection and the United Nations Population Fund have established response centres in three market areas to address gender based violence.
• In the UK, troubling new figures have shown that almost a third of women who have been sexually abused are below the age of 16.
• In Turkey, the police force has established specialised domestic violence bureaus around the country.

Get Involved!

• Equality Rights Alliance (ERA) is looking for a motivated, innovative and independent person to join the ERA team as a part-time Administration Officer. ERA is a national non-government network advocating for women’s equality. Applications close 4 March. Find out more here!
• ANROWS invites applications for funding under the Perpetrator Interventions Research Stream which opened on 1 February 2016 and closes 28 April 2016.
• Join in One Billion Rising, the biggest mass action to end violence against women in human history! Between 14 February and 8 March 2016, at events all over the world, people will express their outrage, strike, dance, and rise in defiance of the injustices women suffer. Find out more here!
• Women’s Legal Centre NSW is hosting a free webinar on domestic violence and immigration. The webinar will be held on 25 February at 11 am. Register here!
• Summer of Respect, an ACT based anti-sexual violence campaign is screening a documentary, The Hunting Ground, which addresses sexual assault on US university campuses. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, and will be held on 3 March 2016. Register here!
• Domestic Violence Crisis Centre ACT is holding its annual ball on 19 March 2016 in Canberra. Register here!

Welcome to our latest weekly Round-Up. We wish all of you a happy festive season and new year! We sincerely thank you for your support this year. In 2015, violence against women has attracted much-needed attention in the media. For this, we congratulate women’s organisations around the country, including our Advisory Group, for their tireless efforts. There is still much to be done to ensure that all women and children are safe from violence; however, the dedication of women around the country has shown that it is possible to start a national conversation about gender based violence, and make our concerns a national priority. We look forward to working with all of you in the new year!

Around the Country

• In NSW, a recent study has dispelled the misconception that police receive several red flags before a domestic violence murder. The study conducted by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that victims are still reluctant to notify authorities and seek help.
• In Tamworth, NSW, local sports clubs are signing up to a program to address and raise awareness about violence against women.
• In South Australia, changes to tenancy laws have recently been introduced to provide more options to victims escaping domestic violence.
• A report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found that children who grow up in violent households can suffer lifelong mental and physical health problems but often fail to receive adequate support.
• Women’s services in Australia are expecting an influx of reports over the next couple of weeks, as domestic and sexual violence has shown to increase over the holiday period. If you, or anyone you know, has experienced violence, please contact 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) for 24/7 counselling and support.
• Lisa Annese has written about the role of employers in supporting victims of domestic violence.
• Women’s Agenda have written about the ten most important things we have learned from women in 2015 to wrap up the year.

Around the World

• Rashida Manjoo, former UN special rapporteur on the causes and consequences of violence against women, has called for a binding international treaty addressing gender based violence.
• In Algeria, the parliament has passed a law criminalising all forms of abuse, including verbal and psychological abuse, against women.
• In New Delhi, a number of changes have been made to better respond to violence against women.CNN reporter, Sumnima Udas, joins a patrol with India’s highest ranking female police officer in this video to document these changes.

Get Involved!

• AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
• Women’s Legal Services Australia invites female victims/ survivors of sexual assault and domestic/ family violence who have been involved in family law court proceedings about children’s matters and would like to share about their experiences to please answer the short survey (open until 31 December).
• The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has released the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions (NOSPI), which was developed by Commonwealth, state and territory governments. The Standards are: 1. Women and their children’s safety is the core priority of all perpetrator interventions; 2. Perpetrators get the right interventions at the right time; 3. Perpetrators face justice and legal consequences when they commit violence; 4. Perpetrators participate in programmes and services that change their violent behaviours and attitudes; 5. Perpetrator interventions are driven by credible evidence to continuously improve; 6. People working in perpetrator intervention systems are skilled in responding to the dynamics and impacts  of domestic, family and sexual violence.

Around the Country

• The Townsville Women’s Centre has welcomed plans for new legislation allowing domestic violence victims access to compensation.
• Karen Willis of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia has spoken about the annual increase in calls for help with sexual assault and domestic violence during the holiday season.
• In NSW, a domestic violence complainant has been charged with contempt after refusing to answer questions in court. Helen Campbell of Women’s Legal Services NSW said, “The judicial system unfortunately does not always understand the nature of domestic violence and the sort of pressure women are under when they go to court.”
• Kara Eva Schlegl writes about an incident of domestic violence sending shockwaves through Sydney’s comedy scene, arguing that guilt may lie not just with the perpetrator but also with the men who protected him.

Around the World

• In New Mexico (USA), state auditors have identified 5,406 evidence kits from rapes and sexual assaults that never were tested for DNA, some of which date back to the 1980s. A 2003 law in New Mexico puts the statute of limitations on hold for sexual assaults in cases when a kit has not been tested, so some of the kits may still be used.
• In Nepal, the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) community has urged lawmakers to make sure that their rights are ensured through the Gender Equality Bill and other to-be-formulated laws. Manisha Dhakal, Executive Director of Blue Diamond Society, which works for the LGBTI community in Nepal said, “There is a tendency to assume that gender-based violence happens only to women, and most of the programmes on GBV are women-centric and we are always left out.”
• In The Philippines, a lawmaker is urging hospitals to establish a place in their facilities where victims of sexual assault can go for treatment and submit forensic evidence.
• In Dubai, almost 5,000 people have visited an orange container set up by the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children to raise awareness about violence against women and encourage victims to speak up. The program invited visitors to a dark, cold room to listen to a five-minute soundtrack of a woman who is abused by her husband.
• In Malawi, the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare has organised a national day of prayers to end abuse of women and children, in conjunction with Malawi Interfaith Aids Association, UNICEF, and the UK Department for International Development.
• The New York Times covers a controversial program in Norway that aims to prevent sexual and other violence by educating migrants in European sexual norms and social codes.
• In Mongolia, new legislation before parliament would establish a team of female specialists to provide counselling to victims of domestic violence and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies. The International Development Law Organization is holding consultations to support coordinated responses.
• In Alberta in Canada, a new law will enable victims of domestic violence to break their leases early and forbids landlords from penalising them.

Research, Resources and Reports

• Emma Katz has written about the ways in which mothers and their children can be promoters of each other’s recoveries from domestic violence, in her report Strengthening mother-child relationships as part of domestic violence recovery.
• Lindsay Clowes reflects on teaching masculinities in a South African classroom, showing how teaching gender through a focus on men and masculinities offers insights into resistance to gender equity as well as possibilities for challenging such resistance.
• In an Australian first, ANROWS has released a state of knowledge paper mapping the pathways and interventions for perpetrators of domestic and family violence and sexual assault through civil and criminal legal systems, and examining the responses and service systems currently available in each jurisdiction.

Get Involved!

• Today (22 December) is the last day to complete the survey on the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. The survey (approx. 20 minutes) seeks the views of service providers, peak bodies and similar organisations on the effectiveness of the Second Action Plan and issues that should be addressed in the Third Action Plan. Access the online survey here!
• AWAVA, in conjunction with Our Watch and supported by WESNET, invite you to attend an international conference on violence against women. The conference will be held from 19 to 22 September 2016. More information here!
• Women’s Legal Services Australia invites female victims/ survivors of sexual assault and domestic/ family violence who have been involved in family law court proceedings about children’s matters and would like to share about their experiences to please answer the short survey (open until 31 December).
• The 21^st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference 2016 will be held from 26-28 October 2016. More information here!