SUNBURY Downs College students have learnt about the impact of family violence and sexual assault as part of a dedicated day of awareness and creativity dubbed Lovebites.
The whole day workshop last Tuesday saw year 10 students work with police officers, nurses, lawyers and more to understand the issues and brainstorm potential solutions.
While the subject matter may have been confronting, students took to the problems creatively, with a peace garden one of the artistic responses.

Portraits, banners, slogans empowering respect and resisting violence were also created on the day.
Student Kieran told the Leader it was daunting family violence was so prevalent.
“There was a lot of discussion about speaking up and spreading the message of not accepting family violence,” he said.
Sunbury Youth Resource Officer Leigh Johnson said the message facilitated by police was bystanders have a huge role in standing up to domestic violence.
Sunbury businesses Specsavers Sunbury and OnTime Delivery Solutions sponsored the workshop.

Meanwhile, the college has appointed Kennedy Nolan Architects to design its recently announced $3.92 million rebuild.
The funds committed at this year’s State Budget have paved the way for the modernisation of facilities, including the refurbishment of classrooms and other facilities that have deteriorated.
Sunbury state Labor MP Josh Bull said the appointment of the architect was “an exciting first step towards delivering the modern, safe and stimulating facilities that staff and students at Sunbury Downs College deserve”.
“Sunbury Downs has fantastic staff and students, and we are making sure they have state-of-the-art facilities to match,” he said.

This article was written by Barry Kennedy of the Sunbury Leader and was copied from here.

“DRINK was downfall of sex-abuse former carer”.
This was the headline about a man found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault causing bodily harm. The woman he raped and abused, who suffers mobility and health issues, was his former partner.
Rape and abuse is his “downfall”? Really? That’s the headline about a man’s choice to commit sexual and domestic violence against a woman with disability issues?
Headlines like this tells the public that rape is primarily a problem for the perpetrator not the victim, and that the she is invisible and irrelevant.
This headline also tells people that his choice to commit rape and domestic violence wasn’t really his fault, it was the drink that made him do it.
The MEAA code of ethics says the purpose of journalism is to describe society to itself. When journalists describe sexual and domestic violence as a perpetrator’s “downfall” and blame it on something other than his choice to be violent, we are failing at our purpose.
Men’s violence against women is not caused by alcohol or a man’s downfall, it is caused by a power imbalance most commonly defined by gender.
Rape is not about sex, it is about power and control.
According to Women With Disabilities Australia, “women with disabilities are 40 per cent more likely to be the victims of domestic violence than women without disabilities, and more than 70 per cent of women with disabilities have been victims of violent sexual encounters at some time in their lives”.
None of these issues are recognisable in a headline that describes rape and domestic violence as a perpetrator’s downfall.
Sadly, this is all too common in media reporting of men’s violence against women and children.
A brief google search of news headlines over the last few days brings up five different stories about “child sex charges”. The Leader, Yahoo 7 News, the ABC, The West Australian and The Newcastle Herald. Some of these cases haven’t been to court yet, so the guilt or innocence of the accused has yet to be determined, but the description of the charges against them is deeply troubling. Sex requires consent and children cannot give consent, so any sexual interaction with a child cannot be described as sex. It’s rape, sexual abuse or child abuse.
The influence of headlines like this should never be underestimated. Even if the body of the article provide more details and context, around 60 per cent of people will never read beyond the headline. People who see these headlines may not pay a great deal of attention or think very deeply about them, but the insidious message that violent men are not responsible for the actions still seeps in.
Responsible, ethical reporting of men’s violence against women requires an understanding of the broader context and a willingness to report without sensationalism. And it is possible to do in a way that is both respectful of victims and attractive to audiences. The Guardian recently published an article about the murder of Claire Hart and her daughter Charlotte. Claire’s two surviving children, Ryan and Luke, spoke bluntly about the way the media ignored their father’s controlling behaviour prior to the murders and made excuses for the killings afterwards.
Again, this is a common approach to men who murder their partners.
In May this year Greg Floyd shot and killed his partner, Orla Holt. Almost every news outlet in the country included some commentary on how “nice” Floyd was.



The ABC: John Suta said like the rest of Wangaratta, he was shocked by the tragedy. “He seemed to me to be a decent young fellow, who worked hard in order to protect and feed his family,” he said.
The Herald Sun: (quoting Floyd’s sister) “Everyone will tell you he was an excellent person, there wasn’t a bad bone in his body.”
News.com.au: A former neighbour said there had never been signs of trouble at the property. “They’re pretty good people,” he said.
Kidspot: “The family have been described as loving and normal. Neighbours say they had never even heard Floyd yell at his kids.”
The Age: “They were very nice people.”
Floyd chased his partner and their four children to a neighbour’s house with a loaded gun. The children managed to escape, but he shot and killed Orla Holt, who was a person, a woman, his partner and the mother of his children.
His family and neighbours may not have recognised violence in him or his relationship, but that is not the story. The story we should be reporting is that Greg Floyd killed his partner and this happens, on average, once every week in Australia.
Journalists have a responsibility to their audience and the society that depends on them for information and truth.
The Our Watch Awards for exemplary reporting to end violence against women is not just about recognising the work of journalists who shine a light into Australia’s dark corners. The awards also highlight the victim blaming, invisible perpetrators and dangerous gender stereotypes that are still all too prevalent in media reporting of men’s violence against women.
We know attitudes and behaviours grounded in gender inequality drive violence against women, and the media has a strong role to play in changing these attitudes.
The thousands of women, children and men who suffer from men’s violence deserve far better than they get from the profession that exists to tell the truth about our society.

This article was written by Jane Gilmore who is a journalist and author of #fixedit — a website fixing media reports of male violence against women. This article is an excerpt of her TedX talk in Sydney on Thursday last week and has been copied from here.

STATISTICS are awesome things. They give a sense of legitimacy to pretty much every part of Australian life.
Without them, we’d have no idea about cancer rates, the road toll, immunisations, population growth, education outcomes and myriad other important issues that impact us daily.
Statistics are also vital tools used by governments, not-for-profits, charities and businesses when making decisions about where to direct cash and resources.
Sadly though, these little numerical wonders can be a double-edged sword.
Anyone can take a figure and, with a little clever marketing, turn it something that most of us might believe.
The Australian Brotherhood of Fathers, the #21fathers movement, started by men’s rights activist Leith Erikson, is a perfect example of this.
The catchy memorable hashtag is based around the claim that 21 men are suiciding each week because of family law issues such as child support and domestic violence orders.
Erikson is pretty good at the big sell. He has a professional website overflowing with basic family law advice for men and hyperlinks to well-known mental health organisations.
The site even asks us to help “fund” the ABF’s work by buying #21fathers branded merchandise or becoming financial members.
ASIC shows the ABF is not a charity or incorporated association but a business name owned by a discretionary trading trust.
Leith Erikson did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
The #21fathers message is spread strongly via social media but there’s also a strong presence in the community with #21fathers T-shirt wearing followers often thronging at family law courts or handing out #endalldv balloons at community-based domestic violence awareness events; and vehicles plastered with #21fathers livery driving along busy thoroughfares.



There are even photos of Erikson with high-profile politicians.
Everything about the #21fathers brand is so polished, so legitimate that it’s pretty hard to believe it may all be built on rocky foundations.
Over the past few weeks, I have searched high and low for a source of information that backs up the ABF’s 21 fathers claim and despite my best efforts I haven’t been able to find it.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics — Australia’s key data collection agency — confirms it has no material to show a link between family law processes and suicides.
In fact, the ABS has no data that links suicides to any particular issue.
Mindframe, Beyondblue, Lifeline and many other mental health organisations all said the same thing.
At its heart, the #21fathers campaign is structured around the premise that most women “fake” domestic violence to “win” in the family court.
Instead of offering suggestions to help men cope with mental health problems and stress, the ABF tells blokes in crisis to fight back by “not consenting” to any legal orders.
Instead of confining himself to offering suggestions that help men cope with mental health problems and stress, Erikson has suggested they self-harm as a form of political protest.
“Don’t hide away in a dark corner. Take yourself down to your state and federal members’ office and let them witness your final act in person,” Erikson recently posted on Facebook.
“One week where we see 44 men hack, slice, shoot, stab, hang or overdose at a MP’s office and laws would change. It’s bad enough they give up, why hide it?”
What does this all add up to? Twenty-one male suicides a week are brought on by women and it’s up to those women to go without child support payments so they can potentially save the lives of 1092 men a year.



ABS death and mortality data does show 3027 Australians took their own lives in 2015.
The data shows that six men a day suicide — or 42 men a week.
Linking 21 of these deaths to family law issues is naivety at best and downright dangerous at its worst.
If the #21fathers movement is successful, this statistic could lead to wider funding and policy implications.
Along the way, the statistic dupes the unwary into believing one section of society is actively destroying another section of society.
This in turn builds distrust and hate towards women, especially those who are openly facing domestic violence and child support problems.
Mental health and suicide experts agree the decision to end one’s life is not something that happens in a vacuum.
The Mindframe website says depression, psychotic illnesses and eating disorders increase the risk of suicide while people with alcohol or drug abuse problems are more likely to take their own lives than the rest of the community.
It’s really hard to fathom why any organisation dedicated to the betterment of men in Australia is compelled to build their campaign on this statistic.
Especially when countless researchers across the country can confirm the odds are already stacked against blokes in so many ways.
For example, the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Homicide in Australia report for 2012-14 reveals 64 per cent of Australian homicide victims were male and 88 per cent of all killers were men.
In other words, men are more likely to kill other men.
We also know men generally die younger; they succumb more often than women to preventable diseases caused by smoking, drinking and overeating; they make up the majority of the Australian prison population; and they are even the most prominent gender in Australia’s road toll.
With hard-hitting realities like this, it’s time to for all Australians to focus on finding solutions to fix the problems that are really killing our country’s blokes.
For 24-hour domestic violence support call the national hotline 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. For 24-hour mental health support Lifeline on 131 114 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78.
This article was written by Sherele Moody and has been copied from here. Sherele is a journalist with News Corp and the founder of The RED HEART Campaign, which focuses on reducing violence against women and children.

The last time was not the first time. My father was attempting to break both my mother’s arms off, and in trying to help my Mum he tried to throw me through our glass sliding doors.
The floor was wet, a result of the beverage that Mum was preparing being knocked off the kitchen counter as she was manhandled to the floor by a man who was lost to an alcohol induced rage. Black eyes, screaming, crying siblings. A small boy unable to save his mother properly. These are my memories, but we got away that night.

Read the rest of the article here: 
​https://themighty.com/2017/06/domestic-violence-breaking-the-cycle/

Have you heard about Ravenswood Heights Primary School? Well you should...

​These young people sing out against family violence in an inspiring way.
​
IT'S NEVER OK, by singer songwriter, RAV Thomas, and created by Glenn Folpp, is certainly worthy of watching and sharing. It's message is strong and compelling, it's tune catchy. 

The making of the video: 
https://www.facebook.com/663294150377251/videos/1663535553686434/

The video itself:
https://www.facebook.com/663294150377251/videos/1663535553686434/

shared from ​Colony 47:
​https://www.facebook.com/Colony-47-663294150377251/

Problems of gender violence, which include sexual violence, domestic violence, sexual abuse of children, and sexual harassment, are viewed by society as “women’s issues that some good men help out with,” rather than seen as men’s issues.

Men and masculinity “have been rendered invisible in much of the discourse” around gender violence, Katz said. This is not surprising since “dominant groups often go unchallenged in society, and their power and privilege goes unexamined.”

“[Gender violence issues] affect women at every level, but I am here to say that the very fact of just calling these issues ‘women’s issues’ is in itself part of the problem.”

The guest speaker, who is an educator, author, filmmaker, and cultural theorist with a PhD from UCLA, Jackson Katz offered powerful examples to support his argument that language reinforces social norms that place women in jeopardy today.

“The first problem with using the term ‘women’s issues’ when talking about gender violence is it gives men an excuse to not pay attention. A lot of men hear ‘women’s issues’ and they tend to tune it out and think, ‘Hey, I’m a guy,’ and they literally don’t get past the first sentence.”

Another way that people discuss gender violence is through the use of the passive voice.

“We talk about how many women were raped last year, not about how many men raped women. We talk about how many girls in a school district were harassed last year, not about how many boys harassed girls. We talk about how many teenage girls in the state of Vermont got pregnant last year, rather than how many men and boys impregnated teenage girls.

“So you can see how the use of the passive voice has a political effect. [It] shifts the focus off of men and boys and onto girls and women. Even the term ‘violence against women’ is problematic. It’s a passive construction; there’s no active agent in the sentence. It’s a bad thing that happens to women, but when you look at that term ‘violence against women,’ nobody is doing it to them. It just happens to them…Men aren’t even a part of it!”

Next, Katz used a whiteboard on the platform at Mead Chapel (giving credit to author Julia Penelope for the exercise that followed) and wrote:

John beat Mary
Mary was beaten by John.
Mary was beaten.
Mary was battered.
Mary is a battered woman.

The first sentence, Katz explained, “is a good English sentence: a subject, a verb, and an object.” The second sentence is the first sentence written in the passive voice, and according to Katz “a whole lot has happened. The focus has shifted from John to Mary. John is now at the end of the sentence, which means that John is very close to dropping off the map of our psychic plane. So it’s not just bad writing to use the passive voice, it’s also political. And the political effect has been to shift the focus from John to Mary.”

In the third sentence John is gone. In the fourth, the term “battered” is substituted for “beaten,” and in the final sentence of the sequence “you can see that Mary has a new identity. She is now a battered woman and John is no longer part of the conversation.”

How language holds victims accountable, rather than their perpetrators, is demonstrated by the way the word “accuser” has supplanted the term “alleged victim.”

“This,” Katz stated, “is a very big shift in the conversation about sexual violence. People who come forward to allege that they have been sexually assaulted are now referred to routinely as ‘accusers.’ There’s a lot going on here with the use of this word. The public is generally positioned to identify sympathetically with the victims of sexual assault or other forms of abuse. So when you hear about a sexual assault you think, ‘That’s horrible. That’s too bad. Or that could have been me or someone I care about.’”

But using the term ‘accuser’ reverses the process, because it turns the victim into an accuser. “So we as a public are now positioned to identify sympathetically with him as the victim of her accusation, rather than with her as the victim of his alleged perpetration. This is subtle but deep, isn’t it? It’s another instance where victims are being told to sit down, shut up, and don’t come forward because if you come forward you are going to be an accuser, and then people are going to be questioning your motives…it’s just another way that we in society keep people from coming forward.”

The intensity of Katz’s one-hour presentation—one “aha moment” after another about society’s skewed language for the treatment of women—had his audience exhausted but inspired. But the creator of the Mentors in Violence Program, a gender-violence prevention system implemented by professional sports teams, NASCAR, and the U.S. Marine Corps, wasn’t finished yet.

Katz took four or five questions from the audience, answered each one thoroughly, and then screened a clip from his film “Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity,” and a segment from Byron Hurt’s documentary “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.” Katz spoke pointedly about the obligation men have to model the respectful treatment of women. And he closed with a quote from Frederick Douglass, the 19th century orator and activist, who said, “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.”

Written by Robert Keren and published at http://sites.middlebury.edu/middmag/2012/03/15/gender-violence/

Cassie Jaye talks about how making a film changed her stanceCassie Jaye in a scene from The Red Pill
Image © 2016 Cassie Jaye
The Red Pill is a film that’s sparked controversy all around the world, nowhere more so than in Australia, where screenings have been cancelled after petitioning.

Director Cassie Jaye says she set out to make a documentary to expose the Men’s Rights movement in America as a bunch of misogynists.

But the film she ended up making describes a journey she takes into the world of Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs), and a change of heart she has towards them – to the point where she concludes that she can no longer call herself a feminist.

Cassie says that she has made a fair and balanced film, highlighting areas in which men in the US are statistically disadvantaged, such as suicide rates, deaths in the workplace, college graduation and custody battles.

But critics say that she’s been bought out by MRAs who helped fund the finished film, and has airbrushed over issues of domestic violence, institutionalised sexism and rape culture.

“Cassie, you’ve gotta do some research, mate,” writer Van Badham tells The Project. “It is really hard to be a woman and you can be talented and you can even be rich and you can have many, many privileges and yet you can still find yourself in a situation where your gender is the reason that you can’t advance or actualise or enjoy equality or feel safe.”

from https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/top-stories-june-2017/the-men-s-rights-doco-that-s-dividing-the-country

Watch the story starting at 21:50 here: https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/2017/6/8-5464011627001