Fortnightly Round-Up

9 November 2021

We’re back! Responding to many requests to keep the round-up going, WESNET is pleased to be able to step in. Like many of you, we have valued the excellent springboard provided by the round-up, highlighting surveys, reports, research and opportunities, as well as the latest news.

For the time being at least, while the round-up gets settled in its new home, we’ll be publishing slightly less frequently on every second Tuesday. As always, the round-up remains a group effort and we warmly welcome your contributions by emailing us through this link.

Around the country

Australian federal and state and territory governments have published the National strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse 2021–2030 to provide a nationally coordinated, strategic framework for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse.
Senator Jenny McAllister spoke about the way forward for the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children at a webinar convened by the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.
As the criminalisation of coercive control becomes a focus in many jurisdictions, and the development of National Principles gains momentum, the Productivity Commission research report Australia’s prison dilemma may provide some insight into the costs and benefits of imprisonment and if there are alternatives.
The National Indigenous Times reports that Aboriginal social workers in the New South Wales town of Bourke fear that lockdowns have created a spike in rates of domestic and family violence.
Women’s Legal Services Australia has expressed deep disappointment that funds believed to have been earmarked for women’s specialist services were revealed in Senate Estimates as being directed to legal aid commissions, Aboriginal legal services and community legal services.
In South Australia, new legislation aimed at criminalising controlling and abusive behaviours, such as coercive control, against partners or former partners has been introduced to Parliament. An implementation strategy discussion paper has been foreshadowed for release in the coming months.
The Queensland Government has released Prevent. Support. Believe. Queensland's framework to address sexual violence setting out its vision for a Queensland where everyone lives free of the fear, threat or experience of sexual violence.
Also in Queensland, rental law reforms have made temporary regulatory measures that were introduced under the COVID-19 residential tenancies response permanent. Renters experiencing DFV can leave immediately and are not liable for property damage caused by DFV, and are allowed to change the locks to the property without requiring the owner’s consent.
The Western Australian Government announced the establishment of a new family and domestic violence hub in Armadale, following the opening last year of the Naala Djookan Healing Centre in Mirrabooka and Mara Pirni Healing Place in Kalgoorlie.

Around the world

G20 leaders speak in favor of supporting gender equality stressing the necessity of efforts in such areas as ensuring equal access to education, promoting women’s entrepreneurship, and eliminating gender-based violence.
In England ‘honour-based’ offences soared by 81% in the last five years according to data from the 28 out of 39 constabularies that responded to freedom of information requests.
In the closing days of US Domestic Violence Awareness and Protection Month, Rosie Hidalgo, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor on Gender-Based Violence, Gender Policy Council summarised the Biden administration’s commitments to end gender-based violence.
In a report released by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) the EU scored 68 points out of 100 in the Gender Equality Index, a microscopic increase of just 0.6 points since last year’s edition. Points ranged from 83.9 points in Sweden to 52.6 points in Greece.
The 80th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is on 18 October to 12 November 2021. The committee is considering country reports from Egypt, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Russia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sweden and Yemen.
Italy has become the ninth country in the world, and the second European country, to ratify ILO Convention No. 190 Violence and Harassment.
On the sidelines of the annual Security Council Open Debate, signatories for the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action urged increased cooperation from the highest levels of policymaking to the grassroots, to ensure full protection and participation for women and girls in conflict and crisis.
The Texas Family Violence Council reports a 23% increase from 2019 to 2020 in intimate partner homicides, and the highest number in a decade.

Research and reports

A new ANROWS study “Chuck her on a lie detector”: Investigating Australians’ mistrust in women’s reports of sexual assault has revealed that a woman must meet unrealistic expectations for her report of sexual assault to be believed, while the accused man’s actions to gain or confirm consent are rarely scrutinised.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released its report Monitoring perpetrator interventions in Australia. The report presents a conceptual overview of the outcome monitoring activities currently being undertaken across states and territories, highlighting similarities and differences in approaches.
Our Watch has published three new National Primary Prevention Hub papers, which share insights into work to prevent violence against women that is progressing across the country. The papers follow a series of online forums that were held focussing on: promising practice, men and masculinities, and primary prevention in Queensland.

Calls for submissions

Public consultation is underway on the new Tasmanian Women’s Strategy 2022-25 with a survey open until 15 November 2021. The Strategy is intended to provide a clear framework for the Government to support gender equality.
The Australian Government is seeking feedback on the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 to further drive gender equality in Australia. Submissions close 24 November 2021.
A consultation paper Improving the competency and accountability of family report writers has been released by the federal Attorney-General’s Department, with submissions due by 3 December 2021.
The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council has released an issues paper The ‘80 per cent rule’: The serious violent offences scheme to assist stakeholders and community members to provide their views to the Council on the scheme and options for reform. Submissions close on 17 December 2021.
The UNSW Law Journal is currently welcoming submissions for Issue 45(3), due by 4 February 2022. The theme is ‘Law and Economics’ and submissions on a range of topics including modern slavery, and interactions between feminist economics and law on areas such as unpaid domestic labour, maternity leave and workplace discrimination are invited.

Training and events

Harmony Alliance has developed a free online course Financial Literacy for Women available in English, Arabic, Dari, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Punjabi, Hazaragi, Thai, Karen and Korean.
On 12 November 2021 the Productivity Commission is hosting an online discussion on Australia's Prison Dilemma with expert panel and Q&A.
A webinar on Understanding economic and financial abuse is being held by ANROWS on 15 November 2021.
On 17 November 2021 Dr Shane Tas, Senior Policy Advisor, Masculinities at Our Watch is presenting an online event Men in focus: unpacking masculinities and engaging men in the prevention of violence against women.
A webinar on Eliminating Violence Against Women - Responses in Australia and Argentina is being held jointly by the Embassy of Argentina, ANCLAS and the ANU Gender Institute on 25 November 2021.
On 30 November 2021 the Australian Mission to the European Union is hosting an online event Violence Against Women Online, with Julie Inman-Grant, e-Safety Commissioner, Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality, and Kate Jenkins, Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
The Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria (DVRCV) is offering online training aimed at practitioners in gender equality and the primary prevention of violence against women on Unpacking resistance. The training will be held over two sessions on 8 December 2021.
DV-alert offers an ongoing program of training for workers in health, community services and related professions, so that workers can learn to recognise the signs of domestic violence, respond appropriately and refer the case if appropriate. For more information on DV-alert’s training, visit the website here.

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

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