VAWnet News Blog

Many victims of domestic violence have been forced to move more than once after their abuser finds out where they live, but a new program in Iowa now promises to help them keep their addresses confidential.

Malcolm Turnbull has outlined his vision to transform Australia’s culture regarding disrespect for women, as the Prime Minister unveiled a $100 million domestic and family violence package as his first major policy announcement.

A new app gives college students the option to report their assault and 1)  send it directly to their campus Title IX coordinator, the point-person for student investigations. 2) save it and decide whether to file it later, or 3) save, and only file the report if someone else reports an assault by the same perpetrator.

The survey results were released Monday by the elite higher education trade group the Association of American Universities and included responses from 150,072 students at 27 research institutions, with an overall response rate of 19.3 percent. AAU’s survey is one of the largest ever done on sexual violence among college students in the United States.

One in four women in the U.S. has experienced severe violence at the hands of an intimate partner, yet asking for help is often far too dangerous for victims to even consider. That’s what inspired a new grassroots campaign that allows survivors to open up about their experiences without even having to say a word.

There has been progress – 25 years ago only seven countries out of the 173 studied had laws against domestic violence, whereas now, 127 do. The author of the report cites the importance of international agreements such as the Beijing Platform for Action in creating such change. They certainly are important, but even more vital is the work of local women’s organisations.