whw news

PREVENTION

of VIOLENCE

against

women

EDITION 3 2015

EDITION

inside:
TRAINING AND EDUCATION:
IMPROVING POLICE
RESPONSE TO FAMILY
VIOLENCE P.8
More on page 3.

A word from the ceo

elcome to the third

edition of WHW
news for 2015, which
focuses on our priority area
of prevention of violence
against women. This is a timely edition given
the amount of activity surrounding the Royal
Commission into Family Violence and speculation
about the recommendations now that hearings
are complete. You can read more about our
evidence to the commission on page 8.
In reading the transcripts of the hearings, it
is increasingly clear that continued advocacy
is required by womens health services if
the work we have undertaken over some
decades in leading violence prevention
at a regional level is to be more widely
recognised and appropriately funded. With
funds a likely result of commission findings,
there is competition in a space that was
previously barely visible. We hope to harness
this energy for the benefit of women and
their children, and avoid losing momentum
built through prevention projects to date.

WHW calls for more training

for frontline officers responding
to a family violence incident.
Read about Jacky Tuckers,
our Family Violence Services
Manager, statement to the Royal
Commission on Family Violence.

Dr Robyn Gregory

Our ability to do that will be supported by

the recently-released Victorian Health and
Wellbeing Plan 2015-2019. This has legitimised
a public health approach to violence prevention
by including prevention of violence and injury as
a priority area. WHW applauds Health Minister,
Jill Hennessy, for her leadership in this regard.
And, in October, the Minister for Prevention
of Family Violence, Fiona Richardson,
announced a one-off grant of $50,000 to
the Womens Health Association of Victoria
to deliver local initiatives and resources in a
bid to prevent violence before it occurs. As
our colleague, Rita Butera from Womens
Health Victoria, noted at the announcement
of the funds, womens health services
are at the forefront of leadership in family
violence prevention[building] on years of
expertise in raising awareness about the link
between family violence, gender inequality
and poor health outcomes for women.
In the west this work includes leading the
Preventing Violence Together (PVT) regional
partnership and action plan to guide the
primary prevention of violence against women.

Continued p.2

womens health west equity and justice for women in the west

EVERY ACTION
MATTERS: WHAT
MEN CAN DO
TO PREVENT
FAMILY
VIOLENCE P.10
Five men reflect
on and discuss
their experiences
working in the
community sector
to prevent violence
against women.

ANTI-RACISM
UPDATE P.14
Our anti-racism
conversation
continues. An
update on
our research
and activities
with women of
Muslimfaith.

Continued from p.1

On page 13 Stephanie Rich highlights
the partnership activity over the last
three years to deliver this project.
PVT partnership activities include the
16 Days Activist Challenge from 25
November to 10 December. WHW
news arrives just in time for you to
jump on board and commit to a
challenge! See page 3 for details.
Some of the men that work in our PVT
partner agencies have chosen to share
their own challenges and experiences as
men working to prevent violence against
women. This thoughtful and thoughtprovoking article is on pages 10-11.
As a result of our partnerships, WHW
not only works with women and men,
but also with children and young
people. On pages 6-7 our childrens
counsellors write about the use of art
and play therapy to assist children in
their recovery from the impact of family
violence. Their child-led approach
to practice is of use to practitioners,
as well as mothers and carers.
And our work in delivering sexual and
reproductive health and respectful
relationships education programs in
schools and other settings has been
boosted with new grant funding,
including from the Helen Macpherson
Smith Trust. Health promoting schools
worker, Melanie Sleap, provides more
information about this on page 12.
Respect and equity are front and centre
when considering our organisational
response to the impact of unfounded
and appalling anti-Islamic attitudes and
behaviour towards Muslim women in
our diverse community in the west.

An article by Susan Timmins on page

14 outlines WHWs practical and
research responses to discrimination.
We encourage other organisations
to consider similar responses.
WHW also encourage a practical
response to redressing the barriers
women from newly-arrived communities
face in dealing with Australias financial
systems in Australia. On page 15,
Nirvana Bhandary, outlines outcomes of
our Financial Literacy program and the
consultations that have been underway
in promoting economic participation
for migrant and refugee women.
As our strategic plan highlights, good
health, safety and wellbeing begin
in our workplace, and we are always
looking for ways to strengthen how
we put that commitment into practice.
Our latest initiative, an organisational
decision-making tool, has supported
transparent, accountable and equitable
decision-making on topics that impact
on our staff. Emma Weaver outlines the
development of the tool on page 16.
Additional funds, including those to
cope with the demand generated
as a result of the Royal Commission
into Family Violence, have been very
much welcomed and, as a result, we
welcome new staff on page 5. We also
welcome our newest board director, Dr
Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts, who was also
appointed one of six new Commissioners
to the Victoria Multicultural Commission.
We congratulate Mimmie and look
forward to benefiting from her
particular interest in migrant and
womens health and health equity
topics at the core of WHWs work.

ISSN # 1834-7096

Illustrations: Isis and Pluto

Editor: Christine Crosby, Communications

Manager

Design and layout: Susan Miller, millervision@

netspace.net.au

Contributors to this edition: Aoibheann, Debra

Wannan, Emma Weaver, Karin Holzknecht,
Linden Deathe, Mimmie Ngum Watts, Nadine,
Nirvana Bhandary, Melanie Sleap, Robyn
Gregory, Sophie, Stephanie, Stephanie Rich,
Susan Timmins, Tess

Read this edition and archives of whwnews

online at www.whwest.org.au/news/
newsletter/

Photographers: Karin Holzknecht, Scout

Kozakiewicz, Stephanie

Edition 2 deadline: June 2016

Edition 3 published: November 2015

Edition 1 deadline: April 2016

Womens Health West acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work,
the people of the Kulin Nation, and we pay our respects to Elders and community members past
and present. We express solidarity with the ongoing struggle for land rights, self-determination,
sovereignty and the recognition of past injustices. We express our hope for reconciliation and justice.

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

About
Womens
Health
West
Womens Health West (WHW)
is the womens health service
for the western metropolitan
region of Melbourne. Our vision
is to achieve equity and justice
for women in the west.
We have two main programs that
complement each other allowing us
to work across the continuum from
preventing problems, to responding
to problems after they occur.
Our health promotion, research and
development program plans and
implements activities designed to
promote womens health, safety and
wellbeing across three key areas
sexual and reproductive health,
mental health, and prevention of
violence and discrimination.
Our family violence services
provide women and children with
the range of services they require
while in crisis such as court
support, crisis housing and case
management, through to services
designed to promote healing
and recovery, such as womens
and childrens counselling.
All women living, working or
studying in the western metropolitan
region of Melbourne are eligible
for membership of WHW, as are
organisations whose client base
includes the western region.

Connect with
Womens Health West
Facebook
www.facebook.com/whwest
Twitter
www.twitter.com/whwest
LinkedIn
If youre on LinkedIn too,
please connect with us to
receive our updates. To find us,
log in and search for Womens
Health West.
Instagram
www.instagram.com/
womens_health_west

PREVENTION

of VIOLENCE

against

women
EDITION

From talk
to action:
16 Days
Activist
Challenge

Stephanie Rich, Health Promotion Worker

nspiring people to take action is

the focus of this years Preventing
Violence Together partnership 16
Days of Activism to End Gender-Based
Violence campaign. For the third year,
the partnership is coming together
to take part in the annual global
movement, which is held annually
from 25 November to 10 December.
The 16 Days of Activism begins on the
International Day for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women, and ends on
the International Day of Human Rights.
This year the Preventing Violence
Together partnership, consisting of 18
organisations based in Melbournes
west, will launch the Preventing
Violence Together 16 Days Activist

Challenge, asking staff from western

region organisations to take action
to prevent violence against women
during the 16 days. The aim of the
challenge is to build awareness and
capacity of PVT partner staff to take
action to prevent mens violence against
women in the western region.
Staff from partner agencies will use the
challenge to commit to learning about
violence against women, reflect on their
role, educate others about the problem,
and challenge gender inequality.

choose the challenge using the Bechdel

Test to look for gender bias in film, find
out why we have a gender pay gap in
Australia, or learn about male privilege.
We encourage our members to consider
committing to the challenge as well!
To find out more about the 16
Days Activist Challenge, visit
whwest.org.au/16-days-activist
and follow #16DaysActivist

There is a list of 16 challenges to choose

from, and the staff might action one
or more of these during the 16 Days
of Activism. For instance, they might

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

Behind the scenes

WHW Board

WHW Staff
Belinda Papa
SENIOR HUMAN
RESOURCES
ADVISOR

Dr Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts MPH (Melb); PhD (LaTrobe)

COURSE LEADER, BACHELOR OF HEALTH SCIENCE
LECTURER IN COMMUNITY HEALTH, COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND BIOMEDICINE,
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

My first job
was when I was
15, working
as a waitress
at Greenfields
Restaurant in Luton,
United Kingdom. I became assistant
revenue manager for the Thistle Hotel,
Luton, after I graduated from hospitality
at Bournemouth University. I then
moved to Adelaide and became a
wedding coordinator (they didnt have
revenue positions in Adelaide back
then). I followed this with extra studies
before moving into human resources
(HR) within hospitality, then the security
industry for over eight years and now
here. I hope to bring my 12 years of
knowledge and expertise working in the
HR field to WHW. My time is also taken
up with my two little ones - Angelina
is three and Lucas is 17 months.

COMMISSIONER, VICTORIA MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION

DIRECTOR, WESTERN HEALTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Julia

DIRECTOR, AMES AUSTRALIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

24-HOUR CRISIS RESPONSE WORKER

DIRECTOR, WOMENS HEALTH WEST BOARD OF DIRECTORS

I have expertise in public health

and have interests in international
health; health and diversity; gender;
refugee health; migrant womens
health; advocacy; adolescent and
child health; health promotion;
chronic diseases management; health
policy; research/research methods;
and curriculum development.
Im interested in improving the
health needs of those in our
community especially for the most
disadvantaged. Providing better
education for girls and increasing
opportunities among disadvantaged
peoples and diverse communities are
some of my main areas of focus.
I am honoured to be a part of the
WHW Board. Its exciting to be working
with others with shared interests but

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

importantly to participate in work that

promotes sexual and reproductive
health for women and their families,
health and gender equality.
To achieve health gains we need
[translational] research that involves
those most affected and who are
often the least involved in such
work, communities. We need good
policies embedded in human rights
and cultural competency frameworks
etc. WHW has demonstrated
leadership in such [translational]
research and policy development. I
am excited to be able to contribute
to this work at the board level.
To read more about Dr Mimmie
Watts research and activities, go
to whwest.org.au/news

My first job was at Video 2000, an old

video store that used to be around
in Canberra in the early 2000s (thus
Video 2000). When I first started there
VHS was still in style and DVDs were
just starting to come out they had a
small section in the store, maybe two
shelves worth. I loved that job. I got to
rent for free, and so began my love of
film. I have worked at various places
since, but the places I found most
memorable were at T2 in my university
days and the Domestic Violence Crisis
Service ACT, which gave me my footin-the-door position in the family
violence sector. I hope to further expand
my knowledge and skills at WHW. I
look forward to meeting new people
and becoming acquainted with the
Victorian system. Outside of work I am
an amateur photographer and I paint,
draw and illustrate in my spare time.

HEALTH
PROMOTION
WORKER WOMEN
WITH A DISABILITY

I began my career
working in a girls secondary school,
supporting students with an intellectual
disability and assisting teachers to
modify curriculum to better suit students
with learning difficulties. I then moved
into the disability sector, working in
community development with the goal
of empowering and supporting young
people to learn new skills. As part of my
postgraduate studies, I volunteered with
the Nossal Institute of Global Health on a
Philippines-based project to promote the
sexual rights and sexual and reproductive
health knowledge of women living
with a disability. I am excited to learn
from women in our region about the
barriers felt by women with a disability
and work together to break these.

Anastasia
24-HOUR CRISIS RESPONSE WORKER

My first taste of work was at an Indian

restaurant in country Victoria. I would do
three or four hour shifts and bring Indian
food home; it was great. In high school,
I assisted my dance teacher in ballet
and jazz classes, teaching tots how to
point their toes and dabbling in amateur
choreography. Im completing a PhD at
the moment and did a year of fieldwork
in Jakarta, working with amazing women
who supported mothers and female
factory workers. Writing about that is
a full-time job and privilege. At WHW, I
hope to be part of a growing movement
that listens to women from all walks of
life to work against the -isms. When
I feel angry about the world, I listen to
Kanye West, and plan trips to England.

Heeral
FAMILY VIOLENCE OUTREACH WORKER

From a passion of most things

French (including but not limited to
the language and croissants) I have
discovered a new passion that rocks

my world; the community sector.

I have always been curious about other
peoples life stories and I love working
in this field. I have a hard to keep track
of background. I have been aFrench
tutor, studied economics,worked as
aquality leader and amnow a social
worker. I look forward to everything that
this new journey might bring my way!

Cecilia
FAMILY VIOLENCE OUTREACH WORKER

I am originally from Chile and I came

to Australia in 1989 under a refugee
program. I have had many jobs from
selling Christmas cards to working at
the Cadburys Chocolate Factory. After I
graduated from social work (in Australia),
I worked in foster care programs and
community agencies and, most recently,
with asylum seekers. This is my first role
in the family violence sector, so there is
much to learn. If my practice contributes
to restoring womens power to live their
own life, the way they want without
violence, well then I would feel satisfied
that I have contributed to the work of
WHW. I am interested in world affairs,
such as geo-politics, global social affairs
and the environment, as well as the
health and welfare sector in Australia.
I like travelling, and dancing with
friends is something I enjoy the most.

Jess
FAMILY VIOLENCE CHILDRENS
SUPPORT WORKER

My first job was in hospitality working

in a little caf at the front of a caravan
park, in a town with a population of
about 200 people. Since then I have
had a couple of hospitality jobs and
spent a summer working in a saw mill.
Ihave recently graduated with a Masters
in Social Work and taken up my first
job after graduation at WHW, as the
childrens support worker. During my
study I volunteered in a family violence
agency as a mentor and facilitator for
a healthy relationships program. I am
also currently coordinating volunteers
for an early intervention service. In my
spare time I love to hit the gym and get

outside for some camping and hiking.

At WHW I hope to make a positive
difference to the lives of the women and
children I work with through my passion
for promoting human rights.

Ruth Rivera
SENIOR RECEPTIONIST

My first job as a
young teenager was
at Harris Scarfe in the
lay-by department. Since
then my roles have been
quite diverse. I am currently
studying social work part-time and
hope to learn from my colleagues at
WHW as well as contribute the skills
Ive gained.My role in reception is a
new one, triaging calls so that women
who experience family violence receive
the quickest and most appropriate
referral. Out of work I enjoy gardening,
creating things and day-trips. Ive also
recently bought a hammock so I suspect
using it might become a new hobby!

Christine Crosby
COMMUNICATIONS
MANAGER
(maternity leave)

Ive worked in
petrol stations,
kebab shops and
call centres. In the
communications space Ive
been a journalist writing about sport,
cars, trucks, wine, food export and wool
for magazines and newspapers. Ive
had roles as media officer for Chisholm
TAFE and for the last 11 years as the
marketing and communications manager
at Australian Volunteers International. I
hope to work with the staff at WHW to
support positive change and ongoing
conversations around family violence,
mental health and sexual health in
the west. My passion is storytelling.
I believe stories can inspire, inform,
educate and create real change. As
a result I listen to a lot of podcasts,
including The Moth Theatre and This
American Life, and read constantly.

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

PHOTOS: Karin Holzknecht

Lauren
Temminghoff

A child-centred approach to
counselling
Aoibheann, Nadine and Stephanie, Childrens Counsellors

Womens Health Wests childrens counselling team uses art and play
therapy to help children to explore their experiences, hopes and
dreams for the future, following family violence. Many interventions
and approaches that support those who experience family violence are
targeted towards adults. WHW recognise that children have different
needs and so our childrens counselling team has adopted a childcentred approach in their work.

nlike adults, children are still

developing their understanding
and capacity to express themselves
effectively using words, so the natural
language of children is art and play.
Child-centred therapeutic group work and
counselling commonly use therapeutic
techniques that engage children and act
as a medium through which children can
express their feelings. These approaches
include child-led practice, art therapy
and play therapy. Here the team explains
how these approaches work, below:

Support the child to communicate

and share their emotions with their
mother/carer in a healthy way

Support the child to voice their

opinion about what might help
to make them feel safer

Use the knowledge we have gained

about the child to add to the mother/
carers understanding of how they
can support their child to recover

It does not mean that we:

Let the child do whatever they

want in the counselling room,
irrespective of what they need

Let the child decide the plan about

what should happen outside of
a session - the adults are still in
charge and know what needs
to happen to ensure safety

Listen only to the childs worldview,

not to their mother/carers perspective

Privilege only the childs perspective

on what has happened to their
family and do not speak with the
mothers/carers about anything
that a child has told us

What is child-led practice?

It means we:

Listen to the child and encourage

them to tell their story (often through
safe means such as play or art making,
which are a childs natural language)

Value the relationships in the

family and try to be mindful
of relationship repair

How does art therapy work?

Visual arts, drama and music are used
in art therapy to improve wellbeing.
It is believed that creative activity can
be inherently therapeutic, so creative
techniques are used as a form of
counselling by the childrens counselling
team, when working with children.
Art therapies are traditionally based
on psychodynamic principles, which

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

involve exploring the drivers of human

behaviour, feelings, and how they
might relate to early experience.
Within a child-centred approach, art
therapists use art and the interactions
around the making of art as part
of an ongoing curiosity about what
the childs experience might be.
All the current childrens counsellors at
WHW have postgraduate qualifications
in art therapy. Art is used with children
individually, with siblings or mums
together, and within groups to:

Facilitate expression around

themes important to the child

Build rapport in relationships

(including mother and child)

Help us understand a childs

development, their sense of
self and relationships.

Experience mastery (a sense

of achievement, learning or
being good at something)

Art therapydiffers from traditional

art-making in that the emphasis is on

Play provides children an important space

to explore their internal and external
worlds. In the counselling room there
are soft toys, a dolls house, puppets
and a sand tray ready for children to
use imaginatively. As we enter the
counselling room with a young child,
we enter their world of imagination.
the process of creating and meaningmaking, rather than on the end product.
We are not making art in sessions with
the hope that it will be taken home and
displayed with pride on the fridge!

explore relationships and share their

experiences. Play also allows children
to develop their capacity for reflection,
abstract thinking and creative problem
solving. Children can make sense of
their experiences and experiment
with different ways of being with the
support of a childrens counsellor.

It is widely acknowledged that children

use creative means to re-enact events
as part of the process of healing from
trauma. Children can use toys to
express their thoughts and feelings,

Maintaining health and well-being

For mothers/carers:
We always start with the message
to mothers and carers to be kind
to yourself! Remember, your
relationship with your child is
the most important factor in
their recovery. It can be common
to feel worried or shamed
about what your children have
experienced, but dont let that
stop you seeking support. It was
not your fault or your childs fault
that a family member chose to
use violence. Counselling for
yourself may be something you
can consider and that can help
process your own story and
trauma responses. We regularly
hear positive feedback about
some great womens groups that
operate in Melbournes western
region, including Djerriwarrh
womens group, which operates
in Melton and Caroline Springs.
For workers:
Working in the field of family
violence and hearing survivors

stories and descriptions of their

trauma can have significant
impacts on workers. Sometimes
the impact of this stress is called
vicarious trauma. Professional
supervision or support in the
form of counselling to process
or reflect on how you are
feeling about your work
is highly recommended.
You may be able to access
free counselling via your
organisations employee
assistance program
(EAP). Build self-care
activities regularly
into your daily work
schedule - you are worth it.
Counselling program
contacts:
Djerriwarrh Intake (Melton
and Caroline Springs):
Telephone 8746 1100
Womens Health West Intake:
Telephone 9689 9588

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

PHOTOS: Aoibheann and Stephanie

What is play therapy?

Training and education

Improving police response to family violence incidents
Tess, Outreach Coordinator

Jacky Tucker, Womens Health West Family Violence Services Manager, together with Fiona
McCormack, CEO of Domestic Violence Victoria, gave evidence at the Royal Commission into Family
Violence on 3August 2015. Their hearing focused on the initial police response to family violence.
Jacky highlighted the positive work that WHW is undertaking with Victoria Police in responding to
family violence, and stressed the need for more training for frontline officers responding to a family
violence incident.

HW receives all of the referrals

(L17s) for family violence
risk assessment for women
in the western region after police
are called to an incident of family
violence. These referrals are dealt
with by our 24 Hour Crisis team.
From 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015
WHW received a staggering 8,170
L17 referrals from police: a 32 per
cent increase on the previous year. The
crisis team triage all referrals according
to police coding in the process of
responding to women. For example,
codes 114 denote criminal abuse
including physical abuse, stalking
and breaches of current intervention
orders. Codes 1520 denote noncriminal abuse and include incidents
of verbal and emotional abuse. All
referrals coded 114 are responded
to by crisis staff within 48 hours of
receipt. Crisis staff contact women
over the phone and undertake risk
assessment and safety planning.
In her witness statement and evidence
to the commission, Jacky highlighted
the differences and complementary
responses between Victoria Police
and specialist family violence services
such as WHW in responding to L17s.

When a family violence service

is responding, the conversation
is really about asking [women],
What happened? What is your
relationship?gettinga more
fluid representation ofher
experiences...Its also talking
about her options and where she is
noweven when a woman declines
supportwe have sent the right
messages to her that, one, violence
is not acceptable in our community
and, two, services like Womens
Health West are out there; that
the violence is no longer invisible.
Jacky Tucker

Jacky highlighted the ongoing reform

and integration efforts between
police and womens services over
the last ten years in Victoria, in her
evidence to the commission. This
included the drastic improvements in
our relationship to the point that we
currently view each other as partners
in responding to family violence.

For example, in June 2015, WHW

received 733 L17 referrals from the
police; 57 of those identified women
as the respondent (primary aggressor).
After a risk assessment by our crisis
team, we found that only 6 out of the
57 women were perpetrators of family
violence less than 1 per cent of the
total referrals received in June 2015.
In her evidence Jacky outlined some
of the myths about how women
will behave following family violence
incidents; for instance assuming
that all women who are victims of
violence present as submissive

Women perpetrators of family violence June 2015

For instance, the police follow up with

women about the criminal aspects of
the abuse, while the family violence
service undertake a risk assessment.

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

In addition, Jacky outlined the need

for police to be better resourced to
provide training for frontline officers
and first responders to recognise,
respond and understand the dynamics
of family violence. She highlighted
how training can improve the way
police approach the crime scene and
investigate the incident a key role for
ensuring an appropriate conviction.

PREVENTION

of VIOLENCE

against

women
EDITION

in their behaviour. As a result, if a

woman is angry when police arrive
or does not conform to gendered
expectations she can be incorrectly
identified as the perpetrator.
Being able to recognise, appropriately
respond to and refer women who are
victims of family violence is a central
component of the integrated service
system. Since the commencement
of the Royal Commission into Family
Violence, there has been an increasing
demand from the government,
community services, health, education
and law and justice sectors for WHW
training and education to understand
and respond to family violence.
In her statement Jacky, noted
that for WHW and other service
providers to meet this demand,
more funding and resources needed
to be allocated to training and
education into family violence.
This will enable service providers to
have the capacity to deliver much
needed community education
and meet the growing training
demands of a range of sectors.
Building the capacity of individuals,
professionals and organisations is a
priority for improving the integrated
service system. Resourcing and
funding training and education
programs will ultimately improve
the understanding of family violence
across a range of sectors, and most
importantly improve the police
response to family violence incidents.
You can read Jackys statement to
the Royal Commission into Family
Violence at www.whwest.org.au/
police-response-to-family-violence

Victoria Police Code of Practice for the

Investigation of Family Violence
The Code of Practice for the Investigation of
Family Violence (the code) governs Victoria Polices
response to and investigation of family violence.
The code outlines the three main functions
of police in responding to family violence:

Maximise the safety of and

support to those involved

Identify and investigate incidents of family

violence and prosecute persons accused of
criminal offences arising from family violence

Assist in the prevention and deterrence

of family violence in the community by
responding to family violence appropriately
The aims of the code are to:

Increase the level of safety for

all victims of family violence,
particularly women and children

Provide early intervention and disruption

to break the cycle of family violence

Support Affected Family Members

(AFMs) to stay safely in their homes
where it is their wish to do so

In partnership with other agencies,

government and non-government support
an integrated response to family violence
More information: www.bit.ly/vpfv_code

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

Every action matters

What men can do to prevent family violence
James Dunne (HealthWest Partnership), Nuredin Hassan (ISIS Primary
Care), Cuong La (HealthWest Partnership), Peter Crowley (Moonee Valley City
Council) and Samuel Muchoki (Brimbank City Council)

A group of men from Preventing Violence Together partner

organisations met in early July to discuss their experiences as men
working to prevent violence against women.They share the journey
theyve taken to understand mens violence against women as
encompassing unequal power relations between men and women,
emanating from gender inequality.

s members of the Preventing

Violence Together partnership, we
have had the opportunity to discuss
violence, gender inequality and male
privilege at length with colleagues. We
have also had the opportunity of having
in-depth discussions with women working
in preventing mens violence against
women, enriching our learning and
professional development with insights
that other men have been rarely afforded.
Mostmen we talk to oppose violence
against women, but thisview does
notalways translate into action to
prevent violence. It is our belief that two
barriers, both related to language, hinder
most men from engaging in activities to
prevent violence against women. The
first barrier relates to understanding that
all men can play a role in preventing
violence against women. When we talk
with some men about the importance
of being involved in preventing violence
against women, we are so often met
with two responses: I am not violent,
why do I need to act? and I do not
know what you are asking me to do.
The links between gender equity and
preventing violence against women
are complex, with gender inequities
creating an environment for violence
to occur.However, this link often runs
counter to the personal experience of
men we talk to.All have grown up in
gendered environments, but not all men
choose to use violence.Answering the
question what causes violence against
women?, and giving men the capacity
and confidence to make changes in
their everyday lives is not an easy task.

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

10

The second barrier is balancing language

that doesnt shy away from the issue,
with language that encourages and
supports participation.Quite rightly,
we use the phrase mens violence
against women and encourage men to
take ownership over the problem. This
recognises that men are overwhelmingly
the perpetrators of violence, and that
men have been afforded unequal
positions of power in our society.Despite
this, we have found when we talk
to men who have never committed
violence and use language that seeks
to encourage ownership, we force our
audience to make a challenging decision
will I confront this as an issue for all
men or, because Ive never been violent
and I dont see the links youre referring
to will I choose to stay disengaged?
When talking to men outside of the
health and community sector we find
that many choose the easier option.
We believe that taking ownership
over the issue is not as simple as an
opting in or out at a single point in
time.Eliminating violence against
women is a long-term prospect,
meaning that building strong community
involvement will be more like a marathon
than a sprint. For this reason, we need
to be prepared to engage men where
they are in order to build the support to
get where we want to be as a society.
In this issue, the journey from superficial
engagement to comprehensive
understanding starts with small, every
day actions that build to longer term
engagement and, ultimately, a change
across our community.Participation

PREVENTION

of VIOLENCE

against

women
EDITION

in change occurs across a continuum

from being placated or informed,
through to partnering and leading.
For every man who makes a public
stand to promote gender equity and
prevent mens violence against women,
there are many more that contribute in
smaller ways.Whether its husbands and
partners who break gender stereotypes
in the home, or the sports coaches who
challenge sexist jokes in their clubs and
set a culture of respect for teams to
abide by, these ideas and contributions,
however small, should be encouraged
and seen as important steps on a
journey to move men from a position
of participation to one of leadership.

One in three women will experience

violence at some point in their life. That
means that, whether they know it or
not, most men will come into contact
with a woman who has experienced
violence. With an issue of the size and
breadth as violence against women,
men cannot simply choose whether
or not to be involved we are all
involved. The real choice is what that
involvement will be.Our objective is
to engage other men, to help them
identify ways to confront gender inequity
and oppose violence to women, and
to make small everyday contributions
that can grow into leadership. We
invite other men to join us.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those

of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official
policy or position of organisations mentioned.

Cuong La, PhD

Samuel Muchoki

ILLUSTRATION: Isis and Pluto

Why are you committed to ending mens violence

against women?
For me, violence in all forms is
completely zero tolerable, and
therefore ending violence against
women will create an equal world
for men and women to share, to live,
to care, to love and to be loved

I am a man, born of a woman. My

partner is a woman, and I am a
father to a daughter. I have relatives
and friends; many of them women.
I have a duty to engage other men
to create a society where women
and girls live free from all forms of
gender-based violence!

Nuredin Hassan

Most violence is mens violence

Peter Crowley

Eliminating violence to women

creates a safer society that supports
all people to grow and prosper

11

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

PREVENTION

of VIOLENCE

Promoting respect,
equity and diversity
in schools

against

women
EDITION

Womens Health West has a long and successful history of working with primary and senior school students,
and newly-arrived young people in alternate settings through the delivery of a range of best practice sexual
and reproductive health and respectful relationships education programs. Girls Talk Guys Talk and You, Me
and Us are two programs WHW is involved in that are engaging schools, teachers and students in sexual
health and respectful relationships education.

HW successfully obtained a grant

from the Helen MacPherson Smith
Trust on behalf of the Action for
Equity partnership, to partner with
cohealth to implement Girls Talk Guys
Talk in two specialist schools over the
next three years. Girls Talk Guys Talk is
a best practice sexual and reproductive
health and respectful relationships
education program that champions a
whole-of-school approach to engaging
school leadership, teachers, students,
parents and the wider community.
Girls Talk Guys Talk is designed to be
tailored to school and student needs.
This ensures the model can be adapted
for mainstream and specialist schools.
WHW and cohealth distributed an
expression of interest to the nine
specialist schools in the western
region earlier this year and five schools
expressed an interest in Girls Talk Guys
Talk. Rosamond School and Manor Lakes
P-12 College were selected to take part
in the program over the next two years.
WHW and cohealth are in the initial
stages of implementation; setting up
leadership groups, adapting the program
and designing curriculum to suit the
learning needs of the schools students.
Young people with a disability receive
very limited sexuality education and as

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

a result experience poorer sexual and

reproductive health outcomes. A strong
body of research shows that an effective
way to improve the long-term sexual and
reproductive health of the community
is to ensure that young people have
appropriate sexuality education. Girls
Talk Guys Talk is a program that responds
to this and supports their ability to
make healthy decisions about their
relationships and sexual practices.
WHWs You, Me and Us respectful
relationships program has also received
further funding and support from the
School Focused Youth Service, Hobsons
Bay City Council and the Smith Family to
deliver You, Me and Us in three schools
in Wyndham. Manor Lakes P-12 College,
Wyndham Park Primary and Our Lady
of the Southern Cross form part of the
Wyndham Schools Community Hub.
This commitment to You, Me and
Us will enable WHW to continue to
deliver education programs that are
focused on redressing the drivers
of violence against women through
promoting equal and respectful
relationships between young people.
As part of the next phase of delivering
You, Me and Us, WHW has developed
a teacher capacity building and
support program. Teachers will co-

12

deliver You, Me and Us curriculum

with a WHW health promotion worker,
which will build their confidence
and familiarity with the program.
Previously You, Me and Us focused
on a peer education model however,
this new approach is designed to
support increased sustainability in
the three participating schools postprogram delivery, as teachers will
be able to continue to deliver the
program to year 5 and 6 students in
the schools wellbeing curriculum.
Respectful relationships education
programs such as You, Me and Us
are core mechanisms for the primary
prevention of violence against women
and children. The program is targeted
at preventing the formation of
violence-promoting attitudes, beliefs,
and cultural values, to effectively
work to stop violence against women
and children before it occurs. You,
Me and Us and Girls Talk Guys Talk
are programs that also promote
broader ideals of respect, equity and
diversity in relation to senior primary
school students friendship groups.
They also establish the foundations
for respectful intimate partner
relationships now and into the future.

ILLUSTRATION: Isis and Pluto

Melanie Sleap, Health Promotion Worker

PREVENTION

Violence against women is not inevitable;

it is preventable
Stephanie Rich, Health Promotion Worker

Violence is far too common in Australia. While both women and men
experience violence, their risks of violence are markedly different. Men
are most at risk of violence from a male stranger in a public place,
while women are most at risk of violence from a man known to them,
and in their own home. The latest National Personal Safety Survey
revealed that 95 per cent of all violence committed in Australia is
perpetrated by men. Violence is a gendered problem.

ens violence against women is

not a private matter; it is a human
rights violation, public health
concern and a crime. It is a worldwide problem, in which one in three
Australian women have experienced
violence from a man in their lifetime.
The good news is that violence against
women is not inevitable; it is preventable.
By identifying and redressing the factors
that increase the likelihood of violence
against women, we can work to prevent
it. The World Health Organisation and
the United Nations recognise that
gender inequality (namely the adherence
to rigid gender roles and stereotypes,
and the unequal distribution of power
and resources between women and
men) is a key driver of mens violence
against women. If we want to end mens
violence against women in Australia, we
must create a society in which women
and men are equal in status and power,
and respected and valued equally.
WHW is the lead organisation for
the Preventing Violence Together
(PVT) regional partnership and action
plan to guide the primary prevention
of violence against women in the
west. The partnership comprises
18 partner organisations from local
government, community health, family
violence and sexual assault services,
womens health, police, justice and
regulation, and the Indigenous family
violence regional action group.
In 2012, the PVT partnership was
successfully awarded funding from the
Department of Justice and Regulation
to implement the United project. United
is a collaboratively-developed plan to
embed sustainable, evidence-based
strategies for the primary prevention
of violence against women within
partner agencies and communities.
As a primary prevention project, the
United strategies have been designed
to prevent violence against women
before it occurs, by redressing the key

Implemented a gender equity

staff attitudes survey in 2013
and 2015, with 14 partner
organisations participating

Hosted a Leading in Gender Equity

Executive Leaders forum, attended
by councillors, board members,
directors and senior managers
from partner organisations

Increasing awareness and

knowledge about the prevention of
violence against women:

Expanded the PVT Executive

Governance Group to include
senior management representation
from all partner organisations

Developed and delivered a

Preventing Mens Violence Against
Women Training Package with
staff in partner organisations

Welcomed three new partner

organisations to the PVT partnership:
Victoria Police, Department of Justice
and Regulation, and WestCASA

Developed a conceptual model

to explore the link between
gender inequality and mens
violence against women

Launched a 16 Days of Activism to

Eliminate Gender-based Violence
partnership campaign titled
16Partners, 16 Days, 16 Actions,
with participation from executive
leaders from all partner organisations

Hosted White Ribbon Day

events, forums, staff BBQs
and community lunches

Established a Gender Equity

for Community Health Services
Working Group and conducted
consultations with 125 staff to inform
development of a gender equity
resource for community health
Established a Gender Equity and
Sports Practice Group for local
governments in the west
Delivered capacity building sessions
with the PVT Implementation
Committee on engaging men in
the prevention of mens violence
against women; gender equity and
the workplace; intersectionality
and preventing mens violence
against women; and speaking
publicly on preventing mens
violence against women
Developed resources including gender
audit guidelines and a gender equity
and prevention of violence against
women organisational policy tool

Organisational change to prevent

violence against women:

EDITION

Preventing violence against women

through advancing gender equity:

women

Strengthening the partnership:

against

statements, strategies and action

plans across ten partner organisations

drivers of violence against women.

Over the course of 20122015, the
partnership has worked to prevent
mens violence against women through
an impressive range of advocacy,
education and policy activities.
Partnership highlights include:

of VIOLENCE

Developed whole-of-organisation
gender equity and prevention of
violence against women policy

13

Building and sharing the evidence:

Presented Preventing violence

against women: Reflections on a
regional approach at the National
Crime Conference in 2014

Made partnership submissions

to the Australian Parliamentary
Inquiry into Domestic Violence in
Australia, the Second Action Plan
of the National Plan to Reduce
Violence Against Women and their
Children, and the Victorian Royal
Commission into Family Violence

Coordinated a three year external

evaluation of the United project,
conducted by the Australian Research
Centre in Sex, Health and Society

The United project concludes November

2015, but Preventing Violence Together
continues thanks to the dedication of
the partnership and their commitment to
end violence against women in the west.

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

PREVENTION

of VIOLENCE

Anti-Racism Update

against

women
EDITION

Susan Timmins, Health Promotions Worker

Readers of WHW news might recall our recent article featuring a conversation between four Womens
Health West staff members, sharing their experiences, concerns and opinions about Islamophobia and
the safety of Muslim women in our communities. This conversation is just one of many we have had with
women on this topic.

ommunity women have told us

about their troubling experiences
of public violence, harassment,
discrimination and racism. These
experiences have resulted in women
having less freedom of movement and
being less able to enjoy activities that
are part of everyday life for most of us.
Shukria, one of the women we heard
from in edition 1, encapsulates the
experience of many Muslim women when
she says the park is just behind my
house, but I cant take my daughter there
because I am really scared that I might
be identified by the wearing of the hijab
and get attacked physically or verbally.
As an organisation committed to
womens health, safety and wellbeing,
these reports are of great concern to
WHW and we want to better understand
Muslim womens experiences and how
we can best assist them. To this end,
we are undertaking two pieces of work,
in collaboration with Muslim women.

Partnering with the University of

Melbourne to conduct research
exploring Muslim womens
experiences of discrimination in
employment.
This work will examine strong anecdotal
evidence that Muslim women experience
difficulty securing employment,

despite high and relevant qualifications.

We will explore womens concerns about
being discriminated against because of
their name, or because they wear a hijab.
This research will provide further insight
into Muslim womens experiences as
jobseekers and make recommendations
to redress inequity and discrimination.

Working with women of Muslim faith

Are you a Muslim woman from the Horn of Africa who lives,
works or studies in the western suburbs? Are you interested
in finding out more about your rights? Would you like more
experience in project management and community organising?
Then Our Community, Our Rights is the project foryou!
You are invited to be part of the Our Community, Our Rights
project and to participate in fun workshops with a focus on
human rights and advocacy. After the workshops, you will be
supported to run your own project, in collaboration with other
women.
This project will help you develop:

Identifying our Barkly Street

offices as a safe space for Muslim
women.
We have posted signage inviting
women to come into our office if
they are experiencing harassment,
feeling unsafe, or would like to chat
to someone about their experiences.
Muslim women report that this has
been received as a significant public
gesture of support. WHW are currently
considering ways to encourage and
support other agencies to do the same.

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

Knowledge and skills to understand the law and your rights

The chance to run your own project on something thats

important to you

Be part of skills-based workshops and networks that will help

as you take your next steps towards employment, study or
volunteering

Confidence to protect your rights and the rights of others

New friends and connections
An understanding of the services that can help you and your
community

Lunch, childcare and a reimbursement of your time and travel

costs provided.
For more information, please contact Susan on 9689 9588 or
susan@whwest.org.au

14

Breaking down financial barriers

Nirvana Bhandary, Health Promotions Worker

Women from newly-arrived communities can face language and

cultural barriers when engaging with Australian financial systems; a
reality that compounds their economic disadvantage.

any women from culturally and

linguistically diverse backgrounds
are participating in a range of
programs delivered by Womens Health
West to break down these barriers
by learning more about Australias
financial institutions and systems.

Financial literacy
Earlier this year twelve Eritrean women
participated in the four-week financial
literacy program (FLP). In October
and November, fifteen Dari and Farsispeaking women participated in a
six-week program in Sunshine. The
FLP, delivered in partnership with
Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre,
provides women from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds
a way to overcome the barriers to
understanding and using banks and
other financial services in Australia.
Spectrum has noted that, over
the past few months, the group
expressed a desire to learn more
about education and employment
pathways, as well as better understand
and navigate financial institutions.
As a result the program will now
dedicate two of the six sessions to
future opportunities and pathways,
with various speakers from education
and training institutions and job service
providers, including Victoria University,
Volunteer West, Jesuit Social Services,
and Small Business Victoria. A session
on mortgage stress and wellbeing is

The financial literacy program has

helped newly-arrived Eritrean women
understand Australias financial systems.

also a new addition to the program and

will be delivered by Community West.
We anticipate that this expanded
program will result in women
being better informed and more
confident when navigating financial
systems, making economic decisions
and planning for their future.

Economic participation
It has been a busy two months for the
Promoting economic participation for
migrant and refugee women research
project. We have consulted with over
50 women from four cultural groups
(Afghan, Tibetan, Karen and Oromo)
across the west about their economic
participation in society, such as seeking
employment and managing finances.
The consultation is an insight into the
barriers to participation and womens
opinions on how support can be
improved. The consultations generated
interesting discussion and ideas which
will directly inform the research report.
In addition to speaking to community
women, we also held a service provider
focus group and distributed an online
survey, which has been completed by
over 30 practitioners from the health,
legal, community and settlement
services sectors in the west. The
research team is now working hard to
analyse the data and write the report.
A public launch is anticipated for late
February 2016. Watch this space!
PHOTO: Scout Kozakiewicz

15

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

ILLUSTRATION: Isis and Pluto

Strengthening decision making

in our workplace

Emma Weaver, Health Promotion Worker

Womens Health West works within a feminist framework to redress the gendered and structural inequities
that limit the lives of women and girls. Last year we conducted an organisation-wide feminist audit so we
could identify and measure where we are succeeding, and the areas of feminist principles, practice and
behaviour that we need to strengthen.

articipating in an organisation-wide
feminist audit has helped WHW
identify transparent, accountable
and equitable decision-making as an
area of our practice we would like to
strengthen. As a result, we have included
a focus on decision-making in our
organisation-wide People and Culture
Plan, to build and maintain a workplace
culture that is consistent with the goals
and values outlined in our strategic plan.
In May 2015 staff attended a
cross-team workshop to further
the conversation around defining
decision-making processes at WHW.
This helped inform the development
of a Feminist Audit: Decision-making
tool. Staff worked in small groups to
complete three activities to help tease
out key principles and forums for
decision-making in our workplace.
As a first step, staff identified some
overarching principles to underpin
decision-making at WHW. These
were, that the process needs to be:

Fair, equitable, transparent

and empowering

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

Consistently communicated
across the organisation

Staff also explored the different

forums in which they can have
influence over decisions. Some of
these areas included staff meetings,
cross-team training, team meetings,
staff supervision with coordinators or
managers, and internal staff surveys.
Finally staff reviewed a decisionmaking tool that was developed
by the leadership team to support
transparent, equitable and accountable
decision-making. The tool supports
this process through asking a
series of questions, including:

What is the decision?

Which staff groups will be consulted

and how is this determined?

What is the process for consultation

and decision-making?

How is the consultation

process determined?

Who is responsible and

for which steps?

16

At the next cross-team training in August

2015, staff tested a revised version
of the decision-making tool in small
groups by working through a concrete
organisation-wide decision the
reconfiguration of the WHW office space
to accommodate new staff members.
The reconfiguration will commence in
the next few months and will impact
all staff and the people we work with.
The decision-making tool enabled staff
to provide feedback and information
on how we can better use all the
available space in the building, improve
space for existing staff and teams, and
create space for new staff members.
The principles identified by staff
using the tool have been collated
and are being used to guide the
upcoming reconfiguration to ensure
that the process is transparent,
accountable and equitable.
The Feminist Audit: Decision-making
tool has now been finalised and is
available to assist staff with future
decision-making. It is currently being
used in each team to guide decisions
about competing demands for staff
leave over the summer break.

donations
Debra Wannan, Finance Officer
Sophie, Crisis Accommodation Coordinator

omens Health West extend our warmest thanks for

the following contributions from February to June
2015. These much-appreciated donations and grants
help us to enhance our programs and services. Every
donation goes straight to assisting women and children.

PHOTO: Karin Holzknecht

Share the Dignity

provide homeless
and at-risk women
nationally with
sanitary products
to allow them a
sense of dignity at
a time when they
need it most. Thank
you so much for
your donation - the
maternity pads were
especially handy as
one of the women
in refuge gave birth
the day before the
donation came in!

PHOTO: Courtesy Women of the West

Women of the West

are an amazing
dynamic duo and
long-time supporters
of Womens Health
West. Here they are
at the Ladies Night
in West Footscray in
August. Thank you
for all your hard work
raising funds this
year!

MEMBERSHIP FORM

Donor

Donation

WHW staff member

Books for women and children

Bill and Chloe Shorten

Furniture and whitegoods

for the refuge

WHW staff member

Kitchen knife set and utensils

Footscray Lions Club

$1000 cheque and

24 Care Parcels

Private donor

Kitchenware

Share The Dignity

Womens personal care items

Donor

Purpose

Magistrates Court of
Victoria, Criminal Justice
Diversion program

6 x court
ordered funds

POD Cafe

Donation from
fundraising event

Department of
Education and Training
(Footscray Office)

Donation from staff

after lunchtime
presentation

Women of the West

Donation from
the Ladies Night
fundraising event

Private donors

Donation

$275

Country Womens
Association of Victoria

Donation to buy
supplies for the
womens refuge

$400

TOTAL

Amount
$3,350

$300
$83

$2,000

$6,408

Donations are tax deductible. To donate online

www.whwest.org.au/about-us/donations

Membership is free. To apply, fill in this form and mail to

Womens Health West: 317319 Barkly Street, Footscray VIC 3011

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

CONTACT DETAILS

Individual Voting Member

(woman who lives, works or studies in the western metro region)

ADDRESS

NAME
SUBURB POSTCODE

 rganisational Member
O
(organisation in, or whose client-base includes, the region)

PHONE (W)

PHONE (H)

O R G A N I S AT I O N

(Individual members only)

EMAIL ADDRESS
C O N TA C T P E R S O N

S I G N AT U R E D AT E

(This person is also eligible to attend and vote at our Annual General Meeting)
POSITION

 ssociate Non-voting Member

A
(individual or organisation outside the region)

17

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

FEATURED PUBLICATION

Gender, diabetes and equity

Emma Weaver, Health Promotions Worker

ype 2 diabetes compromises the

health of many Australians and is on
the rise despite being preventable.
Womens Health West has developed
a series of factsheets in response to
this health problem that are available
for local government, primary care
partnerships and community health
organisations in the west. These valuable
information tools explore the social and
gendered determinants of this type
of diabetes to support future health
promotion and public health planning.
WHW conducted a literature search
that found that identified rates of
diabetes are increasing in Australia
and that particular groups are at
greater risk. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander women, women from
culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds, women with a disability
and older women are all at high risk of
developing diabetes. Poorer women are
particularly at risk given their limited
access to resources. In fact, women
with the lowest income are twice as
likely to report a chronic condition,
such as diabetes, than women with
the highest income (WHV 2010).

We also found that, like many other

health conditions, there are social
and gendered determinants for
type 2 diabetes. These determinants
include single parenting, low income
and unemployment, which limit
womens access to vital resources,
such as education, employment,
transport and other services. In
addition, women who experience
these inequities are also at greater risk
of experiencing food insecurity the
inability to find and afford culturallyappropriate and healthy food. This, in
combination with physical inactivity
and weight gain, increases a womans
risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Our type 2 diabetes factsheets
highlight some of these key social and
gendered determinants and explore
the prevalence of diabetes among
women and men across the seven
local government areas in Melbournes
west. The factsheet information also
provides support for future planning
and health promotion initiatives that
redress some of the health inequities
that can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Download the factsheets at: whwest.
org.au/women-and-diabetes

Reference: Womens Health Victoria (2010), Gender

Impact Assessment No. 13, Womens Health Victoria.

ORDER FORM
Womens Health West Publications

Order by mail

Communications Worker
Womens Health West
317 319 Barkly Street FOOTSCRAY VIC 3011

Order by fax

03 9689 3861

Order by email

info@whwest.org.au

Order by phone

03 9689 9588

Payment

Please send payment with your order or we can

invoice you. Cheques payable to: Womens
Health West

This form may be used as a Tax Invoice for GST purposes

Order Form Tax Invoice

ABN 24 036 234 159

Popular resources FREE

Description

Qty (max. 50)

Family Violence Crisis Outreach

Service brochure
What if the intervention
order is breached? How to
collect evidence brochure

DELIVERY DETAILS
Name:
Organisation:

How to collect evidence DVD

Postal Address:

My Safety Plan brochure

Postcode:

Safe at Home poster

Phone: Fax:
Email:

Violence against women is

unacceptable in any culture poster

whwnews EDITION 3 2015

A range of brochures and fact sheets are available from our web site
www.whwest.org.au/resources

18

EVENTS Notices
Karin Holzknecht, Communications Worker

Inaugural ANROWS National Research Conference

23-25 February 2016

ANROWS is Australias National Research Organisation for Womens Safety,

and registrations are now opento attend their inaugural National Research
Conference on Violence against Women and their Children. This event will
showcase current ANROWS and other Australian research, and demonstrate
how it is informing policy and practice in addressing violence against women.
The conference is a unique opportunity to see the scope of ANROWSs research
and how it will shape policy and practice on violence against women, through
collaboration between researchers, policy-makers, practitioners and survivors.
Registration closes on 19 February 2016.
To register or for more information, see:www.anrowsconference.org.au

Preventing and resolving elder abuse by showcasing new knowledge to

use in practice, raise awareness and influence system change is the focus
of the 4th National Elder Abuse Conference. A range of internationally
acclaimed speakers from medical and allied health, education, government
and aged care sectors will feature at the conference, along with engaging
discussionon the prevention of elder abuse and networking opportunities.
To register or for more information, see: elderabuseconference.org.au

Upcoming dates
10 December 2015

Human Rights Day

18 December 2015

International Migrants Day

25 December 2015

Christmas Day

26 January 2016

Australia/Survival Day

6 February 2016

International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM

7 February 2016

Pride March

8 February 2016

Chinese New Year

13 February 2016

Anniversary of the Apology to Stolen Generations

14 February 2016

One Billion Rising

20 February 2016

World Day of Social Justice

1 March 2016

Zero Discrimination Day

8 March 2016

International Womens Day

19

Thank you for

your support in
2015. See you
next year!

whw in the news

Leader Community ePaper, 30

June

2015

Womens Health West

317-319 Barkly Street
Footscray 3011
phone
fax
email
website

womens health west equity and justice for women in the west

9689 9588

9689 3861

info@whwest.org.au

www.whwest.org.au