International Women’s Day – every woman has the right to feel safe

From the team here at the RWN we wanted to wish you all a very happy International Women’s Day!

International Women’s Day is an annual event held on 8 March each year to celebrate the successes of women around the globe? It is an opportunity to remember the barriers that women have broken through, and the accomplishments they have made despite barriers.

But it is also important to remember that while there is much to celebrate, too many women are still experiencing violence at the hands of a partner.

Jean Hailes has produced a short video on this topic, led by Professor Jane Fisher in conversation with Ms Maya Avdibegovic, CEO inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence.

inTouch provides services, programs and responses to issues of family violence in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

Intimate partner violence refers to any behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological and sexual harm. The World Health Organisation (2012) describes this behaviour as including:

• Acts of physical violence – slapping, hitting, kicking and beating
• Sexual violence – forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion
• Emotional abuse – insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation, threats of harm, threats to take away children
• Controlling behaviours – isolating a woman from her family and friends, monitoring her movements and restricting her access to financial resources, employment, education or medical care.

There have been wonderful advances in the opportunities available to women and we ask that while you celebrate the successes this International Women’s Day, that you also remember that women everywhere continue to face serious risks to their health and emotional wellbeing because of gender-based violence. Professor Jane Fisher, the Jean Hailes Professor of Women’s Health at Monash University

Watch the video and read more on this topic: www.healthforwomen.org.au/health-issues/85-violence-against-women