Weekly Round-Up

What a year 2017 was! International Women’s Development Agency has created a video highlighting ten of their favourite gender equality moments of 2017. What was your favourite? And if you are looking for a rewarding job that contributes to making more great gender equality moments in 2018, this may be for you: AWAVA is recruiting an Administration and Communications Assistant to join our small team in Canberra. Applications close 15 January. Click here to find out more about the role and how to apply.
 

• Bianca Fernandez has reviewed tenancy law across Australia and found that reform is urgently required to enable victims/survivors of domestic and family violence to terminate leases without penalty and to avoid being listed on tenancy databases as unsuitable tenants.
• In Victoria, the outgoing Aboriginal Children’s Commissioner Andrew Jackomos has urged  caution in setting targets to reduce child removals from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, arguing instead for wraparound services at Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, targeting issues including family violence and homelessness. 
• Also in Victoria, extra funding from the state government will mean that Maternal Child Health nurses working in Ballarat will be better able to support new mothers and their babies who are in situations of family violence.
• As the music festival season rolls out across Australia, Bianca Fileborn and Phillip Wadds of UNSW have written about the groundswell of activism against sexual assault at festivals, and outlined what festival organisers and others can to do prevent and respond effectively.
• At a sexuality symposium on the Gold Coast, community workers have discussed the sexuality and sexual health needs of international and domestic students.

• In Timor Leste, women still face many challenges in working for gender equality and safety, despite their bravery in the struggle for independence from Indonesia.
• In the UK, scholar Jessica Eaton has written about ‘whataboutery’, in which discussions about the issues facing women and girls, particularly violence, are regularly met with the question ‘what about men?’
• In the US, the Golden Globes awards ceremony became a site of protest, as women wore black in solidarity with the #metoo and #timesup campaigns, shows reflecting on violence and misogyny won awards, and Oprah made a compelling speech about progress on women’s rights.

• Our Watch has released an guide to monitoring the implementation of initiatives for the primary prevention of violence against women.
• The Australian Parliament has published a committee report making recommendations for an accessible, equitable and responsive family law system which better prioritises safety of those affected by family violence.

• Beyond DV, a new Brisbane-based charity is being launched on Tuesday 16 January at Holland Park State School. For more information and to RSVP (by 12 January) email beyonddv@hotmail.com  
• ANROWS will host a workshop in Sydney on 23 February called Local Evidence to Action & Local Action as Evidence, which will discuss community based practice for the prevention of violence against women and their children. To find out more, click here.
• Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) is holding a one-day event on LGBTIQ rights and the law on 9 March, including issues of domestic and family violence in LGBTIQ relationships and LGBTIQ issues in family law. For more information and to book, click here.

• ANROWS is asking workers, practitioners and policy makers in the violence against women sector to provide input on the development of the National Risk Assessment Principles. Learn more and complete the survey here.
• Researchers at Monash University are conducting a study on family violence information sharing. An overview is available here, and people interested in contributing can read the participant information here.
• The Women’s Centre for Health Matters is conducting a community consultation survey about ACT women’s sexual and reproductive health. For more information click here.
• Women’s Legal Service Victoria is conducting a survey to improve the training that it provides to community organisations. Complete the survey here
• WIRE women’s information service is conducting research to examine the best moments to work on financial capability and literacy with women who have been subjected to family violence. For more information on the project and to participate in focus groups, click here.
• Do you know someone with children who has recently finalised (or is soon to finalise) their separation? The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is undertaking a new study into young people’s experiences of separation. AIFS would like to talk to young people aged 10-17 years and a parent about how young people’s needs are being met by family law system services. More information can be found here.
• Are you a teacher in Australia? Do you teach any aspects of sex education? If so, researchers at La Trobe University need your help! You’re invited to take part in a survey from that seeks to understand the impact of the recently released Australian Curriculum on your experiences of teaching sex education. To find out more and/or complete the survey, visit the project website here.

• Chisholm TAFE in Victoria is offering a new Graduate Certificate course in family violence. Find out more here. 
• Stanford University is offering a free and introductory online course on International Women’s Health and Human Rights. Visit this website for more information.
• The March 2018 “The Future of Women’s Refuges” edition of Parity is now open for contributions. The central role and function of women’s refuges in meeting the crisis accommodation and support needs of women and children escaping domestic and family violence is at the heart of this edition of Parity; the fundamental question here being: What is the future for women’s refuges?  Contributions close 9 March 2018. Download the flyer here.
• The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is running an online Graduate Certificate Program in Domestic Violence which is designed for frontline workers, policy developers and professionals and is intended to provide them with specialised skills and knowledge on how to better respond to cases of domestic violence.
• DV-Alert is holding training sessions across Australia on responding to domestic violence over the coming months, including responding to violence in culturally and linguistically diverse communities, workshops for settlement services, and sessions for health and community workers supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Click here for the full schedule and more details.