1 June 2023

Blueprint for Reform: Removing Barriers to Safety for Victims/Survivors of Domestic and Family Violence Who Are on Temporary Visas

You are invited to the webinar launch of the Blueprint for Reform: Removing Barriers to Safety for Temporary Visa Holders experiencing Domestic and Family Violence on 14 June 2023, from 12.30pm to 2.00pm.

The launch will be an interactive webinar featuring key speakers from the National Advocacy Group on Women on Temporary Visas Experiencing Violence:

• Professor Marie Segrave, Monash University

• Sophie de Rohan, Senior Solicitor, Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre

• Karen Bentley, CEO, WESNET

• Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor

• Michal Morris, CEO, InTouch

• Nuria Alarcon Lopez, Harmony Alliance

• Juliana Nkrumah AM, SSI.

This webinar will offer a detailed account of the Blueprint for Reform which maps how Australia could ensure temporary migrants who experience family violence can access the safety and support they need with respect to the migration system, social security (including Medicare), social and public housing, and through specialist domestic and family violence and legal services.

This discussion will offer a foundation for increasing awareness and supporting advocacy to ensure all women and children – regardless of visa status – have universal access to the full suite of services they need to be safe in both the short and long term. It will also identify relevant Budget 2023-24 measures, their likely impact, and key policy and program shortfalls. 

The event is free, but registrations are essential. We look forward to seeing you there!

Around the Country

• Watch the Four Corners investigation Hiding Behind Tombstones: The new legal tactics blocking justice for survivors. 

• The government and mental health groups are concerned First Nations Australians could experience similar levels of abuse during the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum as LGBTQ+ Australians during the marriage equality postal vote, with a mental health organisation saying the campaign “will only divide people”.

• Listen to ABC Radio National: The New South Government is looking at converting empty offices and unused government buildings to boost social housing stock.

• LGBTQI advocacy group Just.Equal published a report card that reveals the federal Labor government has a long way to go before it fulfils its promises to LGBTQI communities.

• Bruce Lehrmann inquiry hears ACT least likely in nation to lay charges in sexual assault cases. Detective also questioned over liking a social media post that said ‘Lerhmann is innocent until proven otherwise’ but denies it demonstrates bias.

• Watch Hannah Clarke's sanctuary to be opened for Queensland women and children escaping violence.

• The wait time between people applying for and accessing vital financial support via the Federal Government’s Escaping Violence Payment has been reduced from 33 days a year ago, and 28 days six months ago, to now just six business days.

• New data shows the proportion of Aboriginal people in prison is the highest on record. The number of Aboriginal people behind bars is also nearing record levels, following a brief reduction in numbers through the COVID pandemic.

• Rembarrnga Ngalakan woman Eileen Cummings is among 12 abuse survivors to reach an out-of-court settlement against the Uniting Church and the Commonwealth for physical and sexual abuse suffered at Croker Island Mission.

• Watch: Stolen Generations survivors from Cootamundra Girls Home reunite to remember.

Around the World

• A group of 30 women were kidnapped by pro-independence rebels in western Cameroon, which has been bloodied for more than six years by a conflict between separatists from the English-speaking minority and the security forces, according to authorities.

• Amid what he called the worst youth mental health crisis in recent memory, the US Surgeon General has issued an advisory warning about social media’s impact on developing young brains.

• A lawsuit by 13 women and two ob-gyns in Texas wants the state to answer for the consequences of its multiple anti-abortion laws.

• The US Justice Department has announced the release of the National Protocol for Intimate Partner Violence Medical Forensic Examinations. The protocol will guide the clinical practice of conducting comprehensive assessments for patients experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) that prioritise the patient’s health and well-being.

• The US White House has announced the first national plan to end gender-based violence, following up on years of federal legislation to address the issue and provide safety to those affected.

• As the fighting of the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces enters its second month, reports of the rape and sexual assault of women, including members of the university community, are emerging.

• Mexican prosecutors announced that they are withdrawing a case against a woman who was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a man as he raped and attacked her.

• The WHO Country Office in Poland and national partners have launched Polish-language guidance to strengthen the national health system’s response to violence against women and girls in emergencies.

• See Photo essay: Vulnerable women and girls face compounded crises after Cyclone Mocha.

• The ongoing protest by female wrestlers in India, which began in January, once again sheds light on the injustice meted out towards victims of gender violence in the country.

• In the UK thousands of hospital staff are reporting claims of sexual assaults and harassment by patients, an investigation has found, prompting calls for ministers to address the “daily threat of abuse” faced by doctors and nurses.

• As Indonesia marks the 25th anniversary of the May 1998 riots, which led to the fall of Suharto, much of the dark chapter around the assault of Indonesian-Chinese women remains unspoken.

• The president of Uganda has signed a punitive anti-gay bill that includes the death penalty, enshrining into law an intensifying crackdown against LGBTQI people in the conservative East African nation and dismissing widespread calls not to impose one of the world’s most restrictive anti-gay measures.

• Argentina has tweaked its protocols for responding to sexual and domestic violence, hoping to encourage victims to report crimes and reveal information vital to a prosecution.

• The Fijian Cabinet has approved the National Action Plan to prevent violence against all women and girls and its implementation strategy 2023-2028.

• In Canada, a former hockey star is calling attention to the 'staggering' rate of concussions for domestic violence survivors.

Research and Reports

• The Grattan Institute has released Short-changed: How to stop the exploitation of migrant workers in Australia.

• Mission Australia has published a Homelessness Impact report, presenting a summary of evidence gathered over the last three years, including data from services, experiences of practitioners and the voices of people with a lived experience of homelessness.

• The Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs has released its report Ending the postcode lottery: Addressing barriers to sexual, maternity and reproductive healthcare in Australia.

• Our Watch has released its second report of A national responsibility: Actions towards reconciliation and preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in a series of reports on the actions Our Watch is taking towards reconciliation and preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

• Community Housing Industry Association Victoria has released the Victorian Community Housing Workforce Strategy.

• The Centre for Social Impact has released the report Understanding the social impact of safeguarding services for children and young people.

• A report LGBTQ+ young people, mental health and digital peer support has been published.

• A new report presents the preliminary findings of the Care Post-Roe Study, and shows how health care providers have been unable to provide the standard of care in states with abortion bans since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade ten months ago, leading to harm and negative health outcomes for patients.

• Victims of rape can genuinely become “frozen” with fear, new research explains. Experts in the United Kingdom suggest that neuroscientific evidence should be presented to juries during sexual assault trials.

• Lawler S, Boxall H & Dowling C 2023. The role of depression in intimate partner homicide perpetrated by men against women: An analysis of sentencing remarks. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 672. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/ti77000

• Miall, N., Francis, S.C., Stöckl, H. et al. Working from home and intimate partner violence among cis-women during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a global, cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 23, 965 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15785-7

• Murmu S K, Keche A S, Patnaik M, et al. (May 28, 2023) An Analysis of Psychological Perceptions of Survivors of Sexual Assault. Cureus 15(5): e39618. doi:10.7759/cureus.39618

• Okedare, O.O., Fawole, O.I. Intimate partner violence among young women in Ibadan, Nigeria: are there slum and non-slum differences?. BMC Women's Health 23, 290 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02446-5

• Phiri, M., Namayawa, S., Sianyeuka, B. et al. Determinants of spousal physical violence against women in Zambia: a multilevel analysis. BMC Public Health 23, 934 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15927-x

Media

• ABC News reports When fearful migrant workers are exploited, all Australians cop lower wages, advocates warn.

• Ms Magazine writes ‘Black Women’s Bodies Have Always Been Under Attack’: Marcela Howell on Reproductive Justice and Why We Must Listen to Black Women.

• SPLC writes Nine years after deadly ‘incel’ attack, threat of male supremacism is growing.

• CBS News reports Domestic violence shelters move out of hiding.

• Relief Web writes 5 Reasons Why Feminists Should Care About Disarmament.

• Verdict writes Tech companies must address the role of smart homes in domestic abuse.

• Pass Blue asks Decades of Hard-Won Gains for Women Are Unraveling Fast. How Can We Stop It?

• ABC News explores How Tina Turner's fight against domestic violence gave the voiceless a voice.

• University World News provides Ideas on teaching with and for intersectional gender justice.

• Modern Diplomacy writes Equality Not Yet Seen: North-South in Security and Women’s Discourses.

• CBS News asks Would Gabby Petito be alive today if warning signs of domestic violence had been acted on earlier?

• BBC writes How to Have Sex and the Cannes films showing sexual assault is still endemic.

• The Conversation writes Focusing on consent ignores better ways of preventing sexual violence.

• The Boar writes Korea’s low birth rates: linking gender-based violence and discrimination with feminist movements.

• The Guardian writes Erdoğan and his hardline allies have won Turkey – women and LGBTQ+ people will pay the price.

• Peace Research Institute Oslo discusses Digital inclusion in peace processes – no silver bullet, but a major opportunity.

• In her new book Whose Life is it Anyway? A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival, Debra Thomson explains how someone can find themself in an abusive situation and then how, with compassion and support from others, they can regain their dignity and life. The book is available from major booksellers.

Surveys and Consultations

• CLOSING SOON: 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. Participant’s will be provided an honorarium donation to their organisation.  

• The Attorney-General’s Department is seeking expressions of interest for membership of the next term of the Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group (Expert Advisory Group). EOIs close at 9.00pm AEST on Friday 9 June 2023 and further details, including the EOI Form and Terms of Reference are available on the Attorney-General’s Department website.

• 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.

• 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].

Calls and Submissions.

• The National Children’s Commissioner is calling for submissions regarding Youth Justice and Child Wellbeing Reform across Australia. Input is due by 18 June 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.

• There has been a Call for Papers: Causes, Consequences, and Recovery for Children with Experiences of Domestic and Family Violence for a special issue of the Journal of Family Violence. Abstracts are due by 17 July 2023.

Events

• The National Rural Women’s Coalition has started accepting applications for this year’s RRR Women’s Advocacy & Leadership program – MUSTER. There is no cost to the program which is a mixture of virtual learning and a four-day residential in Canberra. Places are limited to 10-12 women and acceptance is by a panel review of applications. 

• An initiative of Women’s Legal Service Tasmania, the Safe Equal Respected Conference will be held over four days, between 13-16 June 2023, at the Launceston Conference Centre, bringing together a diverse group of people including academics, professionals and survivor advocates.

• Find out how to use Good Shepherd's No Interest Loans and the Financial Independence Hub to help the people you support meet needs and achieve their goals. These are online monthly information sessions with the next one being held on 15 June 2023 from 11am to midday.

• 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.

• The Australian Institute of Family Studies has published a practice guide Reproductive coercion and abuse.
• Safe + Equal have produced a series of information sheets ‘What is Primary Prevention?’ which aim to promote understanding of work across the continuum from prevention to response, as well as provide practical suggestions to improve connection.
• Women’s Legal Service NSW has published Women and Sexual Violence Law has information for women and girls who have been sexually assaulted, and those supporting them, including getting medical help and counselling after a sexual assault; reporting to the police; and legal process and rights.

• 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.

Share the latest round-up with a colleague
and encourage them to sign up here.

Don't forget that all previous editions of Round Up are available at the AWAVA website.

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

If you would like to submit a particularly topical piece of news, research, report, etc. please e-mail to [email protected]. We cannot guarantee this will be included.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.