Weekly Round-Up

Welcome to AWAVA’s Weekly Round-Up. A new literary award, the Staunch Book Prize, has been established to recognise novels in the thriller genre in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered. As the organisers have explained, "that doesn’t mean we’re just looking for thrillers that feature men in jeopardy, but stories in which female characters don’t have to be raped before they can be empowered, or become casual collateral to pump up the plot." Entries are open to people of all nationalities. The competition opens on 22nd February 2018 and closes at midnight (BST) on 15th July 2018. The winner will be announced and the prize awarded on 25th November 2018, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. 

Around the Country

• Ahead of the South Australian election in March, political party SA Best has committed to introducing law changes to more closely monitor domestic violence offenders, enable prosecution of breaches and increase funding for family and domestic violence services. 

• In NSW, a Wagga hospital response to domestic violence could be rolled out across the state, providing immediate support to victims/survivors within hospital emergency departments.  

• In Queensland, a report shows that one in four clients of specialist homeless services were not able to get access to suitable accommodation in 2016-17, with domestic violence driving increasing numbers of people to seek help from services.  

• The Victorian Government has announced $5million in funding for the First Action Plan of the strategy to prevent family violence, with the women’s health sector funded to work with local partners and earmarked funding for the prevention of violence against woman with disabilities.  

• In California USA, a non-for-profit FreeFrom has launched a self-help compensation tool for survivors of domestic violence. The web-based tool, found at compensation-quiz.freefrom.org, aims to help domestic violence survivors pursue legal compensation options.  

• Also in the United States, the Arizona Intimate Partner Risk Assessment Instrument System has been developed for launch in April, providing a checklist-style tool for police officers to use when responding to domestic violence calls. 

• In India, programs have been established to train police officers in victim-centric approaches to gender-based violence.  

• In Wales, a new campaign has been launched to address the underlying reasons for violence against women and domestic and sexual abuse. It uses positive examples to challenge gender stereotypes and show that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and achieve their potential.  

• Bulgaria's ruling party has delayed a vote to ratify a European treaty designed to eliminate violence against women in the face of opposition from religious and political groups who said its provisions on gender could promote moral decay. 

• In Vietnam, the second national survey on violence against women has been launched. According to the first national survey on violence against women conducted in 2010 by GSO, 58 per cent of married Vietnamese women aged from 18 to 60 experienced violence at least once in their lives. However, 87 per cent of domestic violence victims did not seek the assistance of public services.   

• Ireland will hold a referendum on abortion law reform in May, which could allow terminations up to 12 weeks. 

• ANROWS has published a report on Innovative models in addressing violence against Indigenous women. Click here for key findings and future directions paper. Access the in-depth research report here.  

• The Productivity Commission has published their annual report on government services. The section evaluating housing and homelessness services finds that nationally in 2016-17, 30.2 per cent of clients with an identified need for accommodation did not have this need met, an increase from 22.1 per cent in 2012-13. To get the full report click here.  

• UK-based agency BRACED has published a report 'Violence against women and girls and resilience: Links, impacts and perspectives from the Chadian context'. This report explores the links between gender-based violence and the resilience shown by survivors, their households and the wider community. 

• ANROWS and the Monash University Gender and Family Violence will host a public discussion of family violence and perpetrator accountability on the 8th of February. For more information and to RSVP, click here. 

• Monash University Gender and Family Violence Programs is hosting a seminar 'Domestic Homicide and Policy Interventions in the United Kingdom' on the 15th of February. For more information click here.  

• ANROWS will host a workshop in Sydney on the 23rd of 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. 

• 1800RESPECT is hosting a webinar on ‘Trauma-informed digital design: applying the practice guidelines for trauma informed care and service delivery to the digital space’ on the 6th of March. Register here. 

• Inner City Legal Centre is holding a one-day event on LGBTIQ rights and the law on the 9th of 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. 

• 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. 

• 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. 

• Marie Stopes Australia is seeking submissions from stakeholders about supporting women experiencing reproductive coercion. For more information click here. 

• 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. 

• DV-alert is offering specialised workshops for settlement services so that workers can learn to recognise the signs of domestic violence, respond appropriately and refer the case if necessary. For more information, visit the 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 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. 

• The Goulburn & Ovens Murray Integrated Family Violence Network is offering a series of 10 information sessions to educate and engage community members about the services provided within the family violence sector in Ovens Murray. Visit the Eventbrite page for more information and bookings.  

• The Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre (formerly Barwon CASA / Minerva) and the City of Greater Geelong are organising a Gender Equity in the Workplace Forum on the 14th of February in Geelong. Click here to book a free ticket.  

• The Aboriginal Health Alliance of the Peninsula Model is delivering a 'Through Young Black Eyes - Train the Trainer' 2-day workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers across the Frankston Mornington Peninsula. This is an introduction to using the Through Young Black Eyes Workshop Kit when working in the context of family violence with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For bookings click here. 

• The Victorian Department of Education and Training of the Bayside Peninsula Area is running a free training for trainers on Managing Family Violence Disclosures in Schools on the 23rd of February, utilising Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria resources. To register click here.  

• Sydney-based LGBTIQ organisation Twenty10 is holding a one-day practical workshop Here And Now for building confidence and better practice principles in working with people of diverse genders, diverse sexualities and/or intersex status. The next workshop is on the 28th of February. Book your ticket here.  

• The Aboriginal Health Alliance of the Peninsula Model is delivering a 'Recognising & Responding to Trauma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities' 2-day Trauma workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workers across the Frankston Mornington Peninsula. For bookings click here.