02 May 2023

The budget next week

The federal Labor Government delivers its second budget next week. They have said themselves that their first budget in October was not a full budget, focussing rather on urgent priorities and election commitments. This first May budget provides an opportunity for the government to tell a fuller story about their ongoing priorities and values. It will hopefully balance addressing short term priorities - such as tackling the cost of living crisis and housing - with meeting longer term visions such as gender equality and long-term housing and economic security.

In a doorstop interview over the weekend, Minister for Finance and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher identified ‘the violence epidemic across the country’ and housing as key components of women’s inequality. She said this will be ‘a very, very strong budget for women…as it should be’ and that creating equality is ‘fundamental to our economic prosperity’.

While AWAVA was not invited to the budget lock-up, we will be watching the budget closely, and will report back in the next edition of Round Up.

Around the Country

In a pre-Budget announcement the Federal Government has indicated the 2023-24 Budget will invest $6.5 million over four years to deliver a key election commitment to work with states and territories to strengthen and harmonise sexual assault and consent laws, and improve criminal justice responses for victims and survivors.
A new Australia Law Reform Commission (ALRC) inquiry into Australia’s sexual violence laws will be a good opportunity to look at Australia’s patchwork of legal reforms with a “bird’s eye view”, says an expert.
The Northern Territory coroner will spend four weeks later this year examining the murders of four Aboriginal women, all killed by partners with a history of domestic violence.
The Western Australia's government has announced a $16.3 million investment to establish a "one-stop" family and domestic violence hub in Broome.
In a submission to the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews acknowledged racism and discrimination were behind Victoria's flawed systems and said the systemic change would bring much-needed healing.
NDIS cost scrutiny is intensifying again – the past shows this can harm health and wellbeing for people with disability.
Yamatji woman Tamica Mullaley shared her story in person with the Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children about enduring the horror of having her baby murdered at the hands of her former partner.
Sexual consent campaigner Chanel Contos has been chosen by former prime minister Julia Gillard to lead a youth committee for the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.
The Law Council of Australia has advised the amendment to the constitution to provide an Indigenous Voice to parliament and the executive government should be passed in its current form.

Around the World

In India, as the State Women Commission is disbanded, Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing a surge in violence against women.
India’s Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a landmark case on whether to legalise same sex marriage in the South Asian country, a right given by only about 34 countries so far.
In Britain, women are increasingly being forced to engage in “survival sex” because of the cost of living crisis amid worsening conditions for the country’s most vulnerable.
A brutal string of femicides in Peru is highlighting its judicial crisis, with negligent state responses sending a message that in Peru you can rape, disappear or kill a woman without consequence.
In an open letter to the United Nations leadership, UN Security Council and member states, Afghan women last week demanded that the intergovernmental groups stand “firm on their commitment” to not recognizing the Taliban as the official rulers of Afghanistan.
A report from the American Library Association has shown that attempted book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries reached a record high last year, with more than 1,200 challenges compiled by the association — nearly double the then-record total from 2021.
Read the Readout of White House State Legislative Convening on Non-Consensually Distributed Intimate Images.
A woman who is suing the state of Texas after being denied an abortion told lawmakers that not receiving abortion care harmed her mental health and might prevent her from having children in the future. “I nearly died on their watch,” she said.
In the Republic of Ireland, Gardai have received more than 16,600 domestic abuse reports so far this year, a 4 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.
Girls and young women in Kenya are facing serious and increased risks of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) amid fears of a sixth successive year of drought and an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
As Sierra Leone gears up for polls in June, women in politics speak out about refusing to be silenced despite the abuse and intimidation they face.
Kabar Bumi, an organisation for and by migrant workers and their families, has been at the forefront of migrant women’s struggle in Indonesia.

Research and Reports

Despite gradual improvements in community understanding of gender inequality and sexual violence between 2017 and 2021, the recently released National Community Attitudes Survey revealed attitudes rejecting domestic violence have stalled.
Data from the ABS 2021 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) has been released. The PSS collects information from persons aged 18 years and over about the nature and extent of violence experienced since the age of 15, and their past experiences of child abuse and witnessing parental violence before the age of 15.
UN Women has released Technology-facilitated violence against women: Taking stock of evidence and data collection.
CEDA’s Disrupting disadvantage 3: finding what works focuses on improving the evaluation of community services for their effectiveness and value. The report outlines how governments can use data collection to build more disciplined and consistent program evaluation, and how to foster a culture that enables this.
The UNDP has released Integration of GBV Prevention and Response: A New Way to Work On An Old Problem Together.
Phys Org reports on a study Female victims of gender violence: How do experiences of the justice system affect their self-esteem?
MD Linx reports on research In harm's way: Who is most vulnerable to violence against Health Care Practitioners?
Researchers at West Virginia University have developed a toolkit to change how domestic violence is screened in the medical industry into a more inclusive way for the safety needs of all patients.
Li, L., Shen, X., Zeng, G. et al. Sexual violence against women remains problematic and highly prevalent around the world. BMC Women's Health 23, 196 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02338-8
Tavits, M., Schleiter, P., Homola, J., & Ward, D. (2023). Fathers’ Leave Reduces Sexist Attitudes. American Political Science Review, 1-7. doi:10.1017/S0003055423000369

Media

ABC News reports Some migrant domestic violence victims don't realise they are suffering from domestic violence.
Crikey writes ‘Children don’t belong in prison’: We shouldn’t wait four years to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
The Guardian writes Angel Lynn: what her harrowing story tells us about coercive control.
The Conversation reports Abusive orphanages and forced adoption: delving into past child welfare practices that haunt the present.
The Educator Australia considers Why evidence-led consent education is essential.
France 24 asks Will the European Union's new Digital Services Act make tech platforms a safe place for women?
The Pakistan Daily Times writes about Gender-Based Violence and the Hudood Ordinance.
NJ.com reports Black and Latina women face a higher risk of sexual violence.
WorldCrunch writes about Toxic Salsa: When Latin Romance Music Glorifies Sexist Violence.
The Guardian explains How Facebook and Instagram became marketplaces for child sex trafficking.
The Conversation writes Why we need to talk about porn when we talk about Andrew Tate.
Ms Magazine reports When Is a Threat a Threat?: A Forthcoming SCOTUS Ruling Could Have a Sweeping Impact on Gender-Based Violence.
Medium writes on the prevalence of tech-facilitated violence, abuse and sexual harassment and How Women Are Being Increasingly Screwed Over by Modern Technology.
WorldCrunch writes Iran's Violence Against Women Runs Deep — And Can No Longer Be Swept Away.
Health Affairs writes It’s Time To Take Seriously The Connection Between Domestic Violence And Gun Violence.
WILPF explores Women on the Frontlines: A Feminist Perspective on the Ongoing Crisis in Sudan.
The Conversation reports Fair representation in news makes multicultural Australians feel more at home: new research.
Pink News profiles Iman Le Caire: Trans woman who fled home after being stabbed by own brother is saving trans lives.
Medscape provides a great summary of US State Abortion Legislation to Watch in 2023.
The Conversation reports The pandemic deepened gender inequality in dual-career households.
The Justice Map writes Australia is still failing its anti-torture obligations.

Surveys and Consultations

Curtin University are seeking practitioners who have worked with mothers of children with disability who have experiences of FDV to participate in an online and anonymous survey, to help improve understandings of disability and FDV to enhance services available to mothers and their children with disability.
Researchers are currently seeking to interview individuals in Australia and New Zealand who have used a domestic violence disclosure scheme. All interview participants will receive a $100 voucher for their time.
ACOSS has put together an open letter from the community sector and allies urging the government to raise the rate of income support to reduce poverty and inequality in Australia.
Deakin University and WESNET are inviting domestic and family violence workers to participate in a survey that is exploring the impacts of using home CCTV with victim-survivors of domestic and family violence. Participants will not be remunerated for completing the survey but will be provided an honorarium donation to their organisation.
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]
The University of Melbourne’s KODY Project - focussing on an all-of-family program in family violence & substance misuse - is currently cataloguing initiatives that lie at the intersection of DFV and AOD. If you are aware of relevant responses, programs, policies or plans, please email [email protected].
KPMG, on behalf of the Government, is surveying women with a disability who have experienced violence or abuse. The survey is to learn about experiences accessing support services and will ask participants if the services were helpful and what they could have done better. The survey does not ask about experiences of violence or abuse.

Calls and Submissions.

The Australian Government is seeking input from victims and survivors of sexual violence to inform the development of three pilot specialised and trauma-informed legal services. Submissions close on 7 May 2023.
A parliamentary joint standing committee is conducting a NDIS General Issues Inquiry to identify broad systemic issues relating to the implementation, performance, governance, administration and expenditure of the NDIS. Submissions are due by 30 June 2023.
The Australian Parliament has launched an Inquiry into Australia's Human Rights Framework with submissions due by 1 July 2023.

Events

In Adelaide, join Embolden, Spirit of Women and the community for the 2023 Domestic and Family Violence Vigil, to be held in Bonython Park from 5pm on Wednesday 3rd May.
The Inaugural Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence (DFSV) Recovery and Healing Conference is being held in Wollongong NSW on 4-5 May 2023.
The Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices) National Summit Summit will be held over three days from 9-11 May 2023, with an additional one-day Youth Forum on 8 May 2023. The Summit will bring together over 200 First Nations women delegates from across Australia, for decision-making, innovation and celebration.
The No to Violence Conference 2023: Leading the change to break the cycle of violence will be held in Melbourne from 28 - 31 August 2023.

Resources and Guidelines

WESNET has been working with Tinder Australia to create a Dating Safety Guide that will help survivors and the general population with learning about the safety features available in the Tinder Dating App.
Watch Randwick Council’s video on Affirmative Consent.
Listen to SBS’s Settlement Guide podcast and the episode What happens when you report non-consensual sex or rape in Australia?
The Australian Institute of Criminology has published How to implement online warnings to prevent the use of child sexual abuse material.
The UN Population Fund has issued Guidance on the Safe and Ethical Use of Technology to Address Gender-based Violence and Harmful Practices: Implementation Summary.
Our Watch has developed guidance material Growing with change: Developing an expert workforce to prevent violence against women.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has developed a number of resources aimed at helping workplaces access and support this leave including: comprehensive website information on the leave entitlements, including hypothetical examples to show the leave in practice; updated resources including the Employer Guide to family and domestic violence and a new Family and domestic violence leave fact sheet.
Our Watch’s latest resource - the Prevention toolkit for local government - shows the key role that local government across Australia can play in preventing violence against women.
The Respect@Work Council has published new guidelines on the use of confidentiality clauses in settling workplace sexual harassment cases, and good practice indicators to assist organisations to address workplace sexual harassment. Both sets of guidelines have been published on the Respect@Work website.
The Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Treaties and Law (DTL) at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has released an eLearning module about human rights in the context of emergencies which is available in both Lao and English.

Training and Education

WESNET is offering technology safety training for SADFV professionals, for dates and training descriptions please visit https://techsafety.org.au/training.
Applications are now open to study the Graduate Certificate in Domestic & Family Violence at RMIT University in 2023. Co-designed with a sector advisory committee, and a recognised qualification in the Victorian family violence sector - this Graduate Certificate is open to people who either have: 5-years relevant work experience, or an undergraduate degree.

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

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