Melbourne will join the international dance campaign ONE BILLION RISING this Thursday 14 February - dubbed ‘V-Day’ – as part of a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. This year will be the largest day of action in the history of the campaign and will mark its 15 th anniversary.

Nena and Pasadena encouraged jokes about raping women with their reply, ‘Keep em coming guys - this is very entertaining!

The Australian Football League proudly partners with the White Ribbon Campaign to stop violence against women.

According to the White Ribbon website :

The AFL (Australian Football League) is committed to tackling the issues of violence against women. Their support of White Ribbon has been long standing with many AFL managers and players participating in White Ribbon's Ambassador Program, and their commitment to driving change is also reflected through their respect and responsibility programs.

"Their commitment to driving change is reflected through their respect and responsibility programs."

Really?

Press Release from the Royal Humane Society

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Directors of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia today conducted a case review and has decided to unanimously revoke the Certificate of Merit awarded to Mr Paul McCuskey effective immediately.

Click here to sign the petition

A petition was launched last Friday calling on the Royal Humane Society to withdraw a bravery award from a man convicted of domestic violence.

"Among his brutal acts, McCuskey punched a pregnant Jeannie Blackburn and while she was on the ground he kicked her in the stomach, while she screamed, "Stop it Paul, the baby!"." -- Herald Sun, 1st June.

City Beach Human Relations Fail

Caitlin Roper who is leading the campaign against City Beach's pornified clothing range received a phone call from City Beach HR, Anita Dorwald. She was the City Beach rep who participated in the conciliation attempt for Caitlin's Human Right's Commission complaint last year. (Read more about that here.)

Caitlin's report on the conversation is as follows:

Ms Dorwald said that if we are going to distribute flyers using their logo, they must be "factually correct" and then proceeded to quote the 'headless, gagged, bruised women' part. (see flyer here)

*Trigger warning - sexual violence*

One woman's battle against porno and violent fashion

HRC needs to take stronger action on images which contribute to harassment and excuse violence

Last month I wrote about Caitlin Roper’s campaign against pornographic t.shirts and featured an interview with the young Western Australian woman and sociologist Michael Flood on the subject.  One of Collective Shout’s most active members, Caitlin had attracted a list of heavy hitters –including Noni Hazlehurst, Steve Biddulph and Dr Joe Tucci - to a statement condemning the proliferation of porn-themed shirts and calling on retailers to choose corporate responsibility over profiting from hyper-sexualised and violent images. Caitlin also recently wrote to leading asking them not to stock these t.shirts. One reply was received, from Bernie Brookes, CEO of Myer, who wrote: “I have copied and circulated your information to our product designers, developers and buyers to assist them in the understanding of the Collective Shout’s stance.” Not exactly what you’d call a commitment, but at least he’s responded. Caitlin is justifiably frustrated. She said in an email:

As published at Melinda Tankard Reist

See this t-shirt?

Where do you think we found it?

Some niche not well known store specializing in glamourised violence against women motifs for a specialist market into that kind of thing?

For order in a surf magazine marketing women in sexually submissive poses to boys?

[Update: complaints dismissed following appeal to independent reviewer]

Complaints against Rivers '10 deadly deals' catalogue cover have been upheld by the Advertising Standard Board.

Collective Shout had exposed Rivers eroticisation of violence against women last month after supporters found the catalogue included with their local newspaper.

Our supporters began writing to Rivers  and to the ASB to voice their objection to the use of violence against women as a marketing tool.

From Melinda Tankard Reist's blog

The Age has covered our protest against Rivers for appropriating the image of a dead woman in fishnet stockings and stilettos on the front of a catalogue headed "10 deadly deals" as described on the Collective Shout website and here. I was amused to see River's spokesman describe our interpretation of the catalogue cover as "weird and draconian".

So if we weren't meant to interpret the woman as being dead - murdered even - why the heading "10 deadly deals"? Is she merely under the couch searching for her missing purse? The damn remote? Or playing hide-and-seek badly? If she tripped and fell wouldn't the heading be '10 clumsy deals'? If we've got it so wrong, why doesn't Rivers tell us what they meant to convey with the image and wording?

Here's Michelle Griffin's piece which also mentions some of our other actions against eroticised violence against women in advertising. We can't be blasé about this trivialisation of violence against women.