4th Technology Safety Summit 

It is the last days for registration for the 4th Technology Safety Summit! The virtual summit brings together sector and industry experts and focuses on technology-facilitated abuse in the context of domestic and family violence. The summit will explore the ways technology and its uses are still evolving, and what happens when it intersects with intimate partner and other forms of gender-based violence.

The last minute announcement of a public holiday on 22 September 2022 has thrown a small spanner in the works! The first two days of the summit (20-21 September) will go ahead as planned. Options for the rescheduling of the third day (22 September) are currently being explored and delegates will be advised as soon as speakers are locked in to an alternative. For more information please visit the conference website here. 

Around the Country

• Victoria has passed laws banning stealthing and requiring affirmative consent. The new laws also target image-based sexual abuse, which includes taking intimate videos of someone without their consent as well as distributing or threatening to distribute intimate images.

• The federal government is seeking to entice the superannuation sector to invest in social and affordable housing as part of its plan to tackle a ballooning supply shortage.

• A racial discrimination case has been launched against the state of Queensland by Professor Chelsea Watego after she was arrested in Brisbane four years ago.

• More than 58% of boys referred to a Queensland forensic service for committing sexual assaults were exposed to domestic or family violence before their crimes, a study has found, as researchers call for an overhaul of youth justice programs.

• In Tasmania the Family Violence Amendment Bill 2022 passed both Houses of Parliament without amendment, amending the existing legislative framework and intending to strengthen the way the justice system deals with repeat perpetrators of family violence.

• The first tenants have started moving into Canberra’s newest social and affordable housing development, Common Ground Dickson. The Common Ground housing model supports people to move directly from homelessness into permanent housing.

• Dr Sue Wills is being remembered as a pioneer and a trailblazer in Australia’s gay and women’s liberation movements, after the activist and academic recently passed away.

• The apparent increase in the use of fire, petrol “dousing” or related threats by perpetrators of domestic and family violence requires greater attention from researchers and authorities, one of Australia’s leading legal experts on domestic violence says.

• Shocking findings have been revealed as part of an independent review into sexual harm, sexual harassment and systemic discrimination in the Australian music industry.

• LGBTIQ+ Health Australia has called for the implementation of the ABS Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, to better understand the disparities in LGBTIQ+ communities’ experience of family, domestic and sexual violence.

• Launched two-weeks ago at Micah Projects in South Brisbane and the Domestic Violence Action Centre in Ipswich, a trial project allowing victims of domestic violence to talk to officers outside a police setting is now underway

• The WA State Government is establishing a $2.16 million housing pilot program to help women and children escaping family and domestic violence to secure their own home. The Rapid Rehousing Pilot will trial two initiatives which assist eligible women — with or without children — to leave refuges and secure tenancies in the private rental market.

Around the World

• At the current rate of progress, it may take close to 300 years to achieve full gender equality, the Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): The Gender Snapshot 2022 shows.

• UN Women Pakistan is putting women at the heart of its flood response. So far, UN Women has distributed cash and non-food items for immediate relief, including shelter, kitchen utensils, medical aid, and sanitary products for flood-affected women in Swabi. 

• Famine has been projected in parts of the Bay region in Somalia by food security experts following four failed successive rainfall seasons, two desert locust infestations, and economic effects of COVID-19 lockdowns. Women and girls are travelling long distances in search of water, exposing them to gender-based violence.

• In Scotland, an open letter to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, signed by some Scottish Women’s Aid groups, as well as academics and experts on violence against women, warn that the restorative justice proposals could cause survivors “further harm”.

• In Nigeria, stakeholders in the education sector and CSOs have applauded the introduction and passage of a Bill seeking mandatory inclusion of preventive teachings and conceptual appreciation on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence into the curriculum of secondary schools.

• In the UK, the cost of living crisis, according to new research from Women’s Aid, is already making it more difficult for victims to leave an abuser. 73% of women who live with or have financial ties to the abuser said that the crisis had either prevented them from leaving or made it more difficult for them to do so.

• Women’s organisations and experts in violence against women and girls in the UK are particularly concerned that a proposed Bill of Rights would remove victims’ and survivors’ ability to seek justice and accountability for failings by institutions meant to protect them.

• A group of women students from Kerala in Indi, have started a photo series to tackle misogyny that places the blame on women’s clothing for sexual harassment.

• An initiative in Jiaquan in China will deny promotion to officials with a history of domestic abuse, but the campaign may also be seeking to discourage people from getting divorce and promoting traditional values.

• The pandemic has resulted in an excessive rise in cases of domestic violence across several provinces of China due to loopholes in draft laws of the country which failed to cover couples who were divorced, unmarried, or in same-sex relationships.

• Nearly 5,000 cases of domestic violence were reported in Kyrgyzstan in the first six months of 2022, according to the Central Asian country’s Interior Ministry, with the overwhelming majority of the victims being women.

Research and Publications

• New research by Dr Delanie Woodlock and Dr Bridget Harris has been released ‘You have to be really careful’: technology and the abuse of women with intellectual and cognitive disabilities’ and available with a subscription here. 

• Family, domestic and sexual violence: National data landscape 2022 - released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - summarises the national evidence base for monitoring family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia.

• ANROWS has released A life course approach to determining the prevalence and impact of sexual violence in Australia: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health.

• ANROWS has also released Adverse childhood experiences among youth who offend:Examining exposure to domestic and family violence for male youth who perpetrate sexual harm and violence.

• Another ANROWS research report has just been released Adolescent family violence in Australia: A national study of prevalence, history of childhood victimisation and impacts.

• A report released by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, shows that domestic violence incidents in the United States increased by 8.1% following the imposition of lockdown orders during the 2020 pandemic.

• New research from the University of Suffolk has found a strong correlation between online abuse and offline domestic violence.

• The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) released a Jobs and Skills Summit issues paper A Secure and Successful Multicultural Workforce.

• The Lowitja Institute has published the Indigenous Nation Building and the Political Determinants of Health and Wellbeing Discussion Paper.

• The Department of Parliamentary Services recently published a research paper Voice, Treaty, Truth? The role of truth-telling in Australian, state and territory governments’ reconciliation processes: a chronology from 2015. 

• Social Reinvestment WA has released Blueprint for a Better Future: Paving the Way for Youth Justice Reform in WA.

• The 2022 Jean Hailes National Women's Health Survey was conducted in March-May and attracted over 14,000 respondents, finding that over 40% of women said their physical and mental health has deteriorated since the pandemic began, regardless of whether they have had COVID-19 or not.

• The Centre for Policy Development has published a report Redefining progress: Global lessons for an Australian approach to wellbeing. 

• More than 18 percent of previously abused participants in an online survey of LBGT residents in the United States, reported increased instances of intimate partner violence during the early days of the pandemic, according to researchers from Rutgers and other schools.

• Lessons Learned, Promising Practices, & Challenges to Overcome Report contains key stories and actionable recommendations from the eight African countries implementing the Spotlight Initiative, on fighting gender-based violence.

• Eurocities new report, Cities social trends paper: Gender equality in cities, which maps cities’ existing policy measures that align with the European Pillar of Social Rights principles, includes a focus on gender equality.

• Bahati, C., Izabayo, J., Munezero, P. et al. Trends and correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in Rwanda: results from the 2015 and 2020 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey (RDHS 2015 and 2020). BMC Women's Health 22, 368 (2022).

Resources and Guidelines

• Our Watch’s Men in focus practice guide offers practical strategies on engaging with men and boys on masculinities, such focusing on building empathy and motivation and fostering self-awareness.

• The Victoria Police has released Equal, Safe and Strong: Victoria Police Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2024.

• The Handbook on Gender, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Disasters provides practical guidance to policymakers, response staff of the Disaster Management Centre and community groups to plan, coordinate, implement, monitor, and evaluate essential actions for a gender equitable disaster response. The handbook was created by the Disaster Management Centre, Sri Lanka with the financial support of the Australian Government.

• Harmony Alliance has developed a 2016 Census and Settlement Database brief to provide an understanding on migrant and refugee women's diversity in Australia and identify some of the challenges they face with a focus on the impact of English proficiency.

• The Supporting Women’s Financial Safety guide - published by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet - provides user-friendly checklists for financial service organisations to better understand, prevent and address financial abuse.

• Safe and Equal and the Expert Advisory Panel have developed a series of resources and templates to support other services and organisations in their engagement with survivor advocates. Safe and Equal has also released an issues paper, seeking to define and explore different sources of lived experience to inform the work of the family violence sector.

• As part of the Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) LEAD project, WWDA has developed a fact sheet to support women, girls, feminine identifying, and non-binary people with disability in understanding, applying for and navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

• The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has uploaded a website article Family, domestic and sexual violence containing facts and data, drawing from a range of statistics and research.

• Harmony Alliance has developed a grant writing guide which includes the steps to prepare grant proposals, what a proposal should consist of, and a practical example. 

• The Victorian Women’s Trust has launched Rural Women Online for women living and working in rural and remote Victoria. The program is designed to provide online help with computers, phones, and the internet, and is also a place to learn new digital skills, find a nearby workshop, access technical support, and sign up to be mentored.

• Our Watch and Senior Rights Victoria have produced a new resource for practitioners seeking to build their knowledge and practice on preventing violence against older women.

Media

• Asking For It is an eight-part investigative series examining rape culture in Australia, and what it will take for things to finally change.

• The Guardian writes Claims of an antiracism ‘cult’ are an excuse for the settler justice system to ignore its failures.

• The New York Times writes Battling Violence and Censors, Women in China Become ‘Invisible and Absent’.

• Human Rights Watch says Afghan War Commission Should Examine US Role on Women’s Rights.

• Women’s Agenda writes Britain to gain its third female Prime Minister but that doesn’t mean progress on women’s rights.

• Current Affairs magazine argues Why We Should Abolish the Family.

• Meet Karina Pintarelli: The First Recognized Trans Survivor Of Argentina’s Dictatorship. Now 64, the transgender poet and activist suffered police torture under the military dictatorship of the 1970s and 1980s.

• Outlook India writes Women's Safety: Why Landmark Judgments Do Not Always Succeed In Creating An Egalitarian Society.

• GQ magazine interviews Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the battle over abortion, her own shot at the presidency, and why it's critical that men step up now. 

Calls for Submissions, Surveys, and EOIs

• Have you experienced tech-facilitated coercive control? Has a partner abused you using text messages or Facebook? Have they tracked you using GPS tracking apps? If you have experienced this type of abuse and sought safety and justice support, researchers from Monash, RMIT and WESNET would like to speak to you. Contact: [email protected]
  

• Monash University with Harmony Alliance are surveying migrant and refugee women’s experiences and views around behaviour they experience in work settings. The survey is open until 16 September 2022.

• Another Monash project, Workplace sexual harassment: A national study to inform new prevention and early intervention strategies, is seeking survey participants 15 years old or older who have either experience workplace sexual harassment, or who have witnessed workplace sexual harassment. 

• The ACOSS Australian Community Sector Survey is open until 23 September 2002 and is aimed at finding out about how the community sector has been faring in 2022. All paid staff in community sector organisations in Australia are invited to participate. Questions are about the work that you do, levels of need in the community, and what would strengthen the sector

• The WA Government recently opened a grant program for community-based initiatives that work towards the prevention of violence against women and their children. A total of $3 million is available for eligible organisations to deliver community primary prevention programs that address the gendered drivers of violence and aim to shift attitudes and culture that allow violence to occur. Applications close on 30 September 2022.

• The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Workforce Pulse Survey is seeking Victorian specialists working in family violence, sexual assault or The Orange Door Network, to contribute to workforce planning and highlight issues faced in the course of this work. The survey closes on 5 October 2022.

• The ACT Government is encouraging organisations to apply for the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence (FDSV) Grants Program which provide one-off funding for initiatives that aim to improve, innovate, and expand responses to FDSV in inclusive and accessible ways. A total of $2.075 million is available and applications are now open until 7 October.

• Forcibly Displaced People Network has launched the first Australia-wide survey to capture the experiences of displacement and settlement for LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people. The findings will be used to advocate for more welcoming and inclusive support. The survey can be completed online before 9 October 2022.

• The Queensland Government is offering grants of up to $25,000 for community organisations delivering targeted projects in culturally and linguistically diverse communities to respond to domestic, family and sexual violence. Applications will remain open 14 October 2022.

• The Australian Senate has referred an inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 31 July 2023. The submission closing date is 11 November 2022.

• Now is the time to share your experience of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation with the Disability Royal Commission. Submissions close on 31 December 2022. Find more information on the DRC website.

Events

• REGISTRATION CLOSING SOON: WESNET is convening the 4th Tech Summit on 20-21 September 2022 to bring together national and international experts on technology safety and violence against women. This year’s virtual conference will focus on trending issues of technology-facilitated abuse in the context of domestic and family violence, as well as emerging technologies addressing the intersection of technology, privacy and violence against women. Register here.
  

• The ACCANect 2022 Better Basics conference will feature a range of presentations about key topics including access to reliable communications services, affordable communications, on-line safety and trust, and the essentiality of communications. The event is on 14 September 2022 and registrations are now open.

• As part of the 2022 Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre Seminar Series, Dr Rebecca Stewart is presenting a seminar and webinar Exploring the help-seeking behaviours in education settings of young people experiencing family violence in Australia on 5 October 2022, 9am to 10am (AEDT).

• The Conference on Women's Safety and Financial Security is being held at the ANU Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Statistics in Canberra on 20 to 21 October 2022.

• A roundtable Understanding domestic violence and religion: Exploring how faith-based organisations can be part of the solution is to be held in-person in Melbourne or online on 28 October 2022.
• The Queer Displacements is the first and only conference in the Asia Pacific (22 February 2023) designed to comprehensibly foreground protection and settlement challenges of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) forcibly displaced people. Proposals to present are now accepted before 1 October and there will be a number of scholarships available for LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people with applications open until 1 November.

Training and Further Education

• WESNET is offering Technology Safety Online Training for SADFV professionals, for dates and training descriptions please visit https://techsafety.org.au/training
• Harmony Alliance is collaborating with La Trobe University to support migrant and refugee women to start and further develop their careers through the Future Proof Career Development program. This free program will include educational, mentorship and networking resources.

• ACON has recently launched three online training modules: The Trans Vitality: Trans Affirming Practice eLearning; Trans and Gender Diverse Sexual Health ELearning, in collaboration with ASHM; and Recognise and Respond, in collaboration with the Black Dog Institute.

• The RACGP Family Violence GP Education Program assists GPs in developing skills and knowledge to respond to domestic and family violence. The program is open to all Victorian GPs and practice staff and offers two training pathway options – beginner and intermediate/advanced.
  

• RMIT’s Graduate Certificate in Domestic and Family Violence provides an exciting opportunity for current and future family violence practitioners, with subjects in gendered violence, responding to family violence, primary prevention of violence against women and specialist case coordination and management. The program is offered online and part-time to support work/life/study balance. Applications can be made online here, or for more information, visit the Program Overview.

• Harmony Alliance has developed a free online course on 'Financial Literacy for Women' available in English, Arabic, Dari, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Punjabi, Hazaragi, Thai, Karen, and Korean.

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