WEL notes that violence against women is at last being recognised. Violence in the home includes violence against the elderly as well as domestic violence and also the murder of young children, often following divorce or separation. Violence is occuring in rural communities as well as urban communities.
The Australian (2011) reports that Western Australia will soon introduce some of the country's toughest laws against domestic violence, requiring a "presumption of imprisonment" for offenders who breach violence restraining orders three times.
Violence in Aboriginal communities is at last being recognised as criminal and not part of any cultural tradition. CLICK here for a recent report on "Rights of indigenous women and children must come first" and for "I am Woman Hear me Roar".
CLICK here to read the excellent article by Anne Gunter, WEL Victoria Coordinator on Violence against Women, supporting the new Victorian Family Violence Bill. The Victorian Government has changed the law to remove provocation as an excuse for violence.
The Federal Government is moving to reduce violence against women. Read the statements by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, about CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, the National Council Report on Violence and biographies of its Members. CLICK here to read the draft submission to the National Council on Violence by WEL Australia, in response to the Council's request for community input.
Note that the final report of the Family Violence Inquiry by the Australian Law Reform Commission was launched on 11 November 2010 - read www.alrc.gov.au
The Federal Budget 2006 allocated $2.1m, from January 1st 2007, over four years for Crisis Payment to victims of Domestic Violence. The Family Violence Prevention Legal Services have been expanded to 31 services.
WEL Victoria made a submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission in 2005 and is joining with other organisations to support the campaign for Family Violence Reform. WEL is particularly concerned that most women and children should not have to leave their homes. CLICK here for more information.
In May 2007 the Federation of Community Legal Centres and other organisations participated in consultations about some of the legislative recommendations. The next step is for the Department of Justice to approach Cabinet to draft a new Bill concerning intervention order matters.
Some money was allocated in the 2007 Victorian State budget for pilot counselling programs in the Magistrates Courts Family Violence division; also to legal aid to prevent intervention order applicants being cross-examined by unrepresented defendents; Safer Families Training Program for frontline agencies and to Community Legal Centres assisting intervention order applicants. However, the reform group believes the new Act will not be effective unless cultural change is addressed by implementation of the non-legislative recommendations.
A recent High Court decision will allow people who suffer psychological illness as a result of rape or other traumatic events, to sue for compensation years later.
WEL member Anne Gunter notes that the Victorian Office of Women's Policy has released a report entitled "Safe at Work? Women's Experience of Violence in the Workplace". The report points out the problems faced by many women at work. Employers should note that legal remedies will cost them far more than preventative measures which should be part of their normal work safety provisions.
WEL Victoria's "Freedom from Violence Action Groups" recommended measures to ensure the safety of women at work in several submissions to Victorian governments of the early nineties - up to 15 years ago!
Besides arrangements to prevent sexual harassment, we suggested that workplace safety officers should have a specific mandate to attend to particular ways women could be put at risk in the workplace by poor arrangements such as inadequate lighting of buildings [inside & out] for women working late at night. With far more casual work and the extension of the working day to virtually any hours in the 24 [e.g. for retail sales staff] the risks to many women are exacerbated, both at work and when they leave the workplace to travel home.
The fatal attack on real estate agent Lorelle Makin on 25/9/05 should act as a wake-up call. After two male police officers working alone on traffic duty were murdered earlier this year the Police Association is insisting that their members should not be expected to work alone. What about the rest of the workforce and the particular ways in which women become targets? While men are less likely to be raped, all workers should be able to feel safe from violence at work or going to or from it.
Workplace safety should not merely cover equipment and training to use it, but the whole configuration of the conditions under which employees are expected to work. Many women threatened with violence could or would not talk about it to their employers. As with sexual harassment, this is where an intermediary, such as a safety officer, should be available to hear their concerns.
Time for Action: The National Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, 2009-2021
Executive Summary
Violence against women and their children remains a profound problem in societies around the world, and Australia is no exception. Addressing the causes and solutions to this violence is a great moral and societal challenge. Nearly one in three Australian women experience physical violence and almost one in five women experience sexual violence over their lifetime1. Violence cuts across all aspects of our community – it knows no geographical, socio-economic, age, ability, cultural or religious boundaries.
There are many serious and complex issues surrounding the question of violence against women and their children. For example, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women report higher levels of physical violence during their lifetime than do non-Aboriginal and non-Torres Strait Islander Australian women, and they are much more likely to experience sexual violence and to sustain injury. The same is true for women with disabilities. More than a third of women identifying as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex have been in a relationship where their partner abused them. Some women from immigrant and refugee backgrounds also face particular barriers related to their circumstances, and are less likely to receive appropriate assistance from services when they attempt to leave a violent relationship.
Domestic and family violence and sexual assault cannot be excused or justified under any circumstances. It is wrong, and all victims need compassionate and highly responsive support and all perpetrators must be held accountable for their violence.
Domestic and family violence and sexual assault are not merely personal or unseen problems, they should be regarded as public concerns that affect families, friends, communities, workplaces, and, ultimately, the nation. The accumulation of case upon case of violence against women and their children is a burden which our society must not sustain. Victims and their families must be helped to ensure safer futures not just for individuals but for the conscience of the nation. The cycle of the abused becoming abuser, the splintering of families, and the subsequent splintering of support groups and communities, endangers the future of generations of Australians.
Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2009-2021 (the Plan of Action) states that no woman should be a victim of sexual assault or domestic and family violence, and that no woman should fear for her safety at home, at work or in her community. It focuses on strategies and actions for prevention, early intervention, improved service delivery, and justice. See full National Plan at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au and select the violence report.
"As a nation, the time has well and truly come to have a national conversation – a public national conversation, not a private one – about how it could still be the case that in 2008 so many Australian women could have experienced violence from their partner…
"It is my gender – it is our gender – Australian men – that are responsible.
"And so the question is: what are we going to do about it?
"…There are no circumstances in which the threat of violence against women is acceptable. There are no circumstances in which the thought of violence against women is acceptable.
"That on violence against women, we have simple, clear policy in two words: 'zero tolerance.'"
The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP
The Minister for the Status of Women, Kate Ellis, has launched a $1.1 million workplace program combating violence against women.
“We need to pull the issue of family violence out of the shadows and challenge the notion that this is a ‘private issue. And this means standing up against violence in all spheres of our lives whether it be at home, in our schools, neighbourhoods or workplaces,” Ms Ellis said. “The Australian Government has a long history of partnering with the White Ribbon Foundation and I look forward to continuing that partnership with the Workplace Program".
"In the past year a reference group of 20 members has been established and in August 2011 the group met for the first time to endorse a project work plan and terms of reference.
“The new program is structured around three key elements – the appointment of ambassadors for positive workplace cultures, accreditation of workplaces that are safe places for women and awards for workplaces that introduce prevention strategies and speak out about violence,” Ms Ellis said.
“I’m encouraged to see some of Australia’s leading organisations including Universities Australia, the ACTU and NSW Police already taking stand on violence against women by taking part in this program and I urge all workplaces to get involved.”
Ms Ellis said that the Australian Government was dedicated to promoting a zero-tolerance policy on violence and has committed more than $86 million in funding to support the implementation of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, which is the first of its kind to focus on prevention, including building respectful relationships among young people and working to increase gender equality to stop violence from occurring in the first place.
A copy of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 is available from www.fahcsia.gov.au
Violence and Women - Updates December 2007
Violence against women Govt initiative
Domestic Violence Law Reform Campaign
GP role in fight against family violence
National Abuse Free Contact Campaign.
"Why Doesn't She Leave?" - An excellent report from the U.K. - http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-articles.asp?section=00010001002200410001&itemid=1277&itemTitle=Why+doesn%27t+she+leave
And if you are contemplating leaving a violent relationship and need to have your possessions moved safely, contact the Melbourne women's removalist initiative Soul Sisters Removals who guarantee secrecy www.soulsistersremovals.com.au.