Ms Reem Alsalem has used her first visit to Australia to deliver the keynote address at a national conference on surrogacy in Melbourne, where she examined what she described as the "myths" that allow the surrogacy industry to "flourish." View the full address, below. Melbourne was host to 'In the Name of the Child' on … Continue reading UN Special Rapporteur sets out concerns at national surrogacy conference
Tag: UN SRVAWG
Moving the surrogacy review deadline: The ALRC’s silence
The Australian Law Reform Commission told stakeholders in late July that its review of surrogacy laws was nearly complete. But only a few days earlier, the Attorney-General had agreed to give it six more weeks, and neither will say why. This is not the first time direct questions to the ALRC about how this review … Continue reading Moving the surrogacy review deadline: The ALRC’s silence
A decade of failure on women, absent from Australia’s draft UN report
Australia will soon report to the UN on how it has upheld women's rights over the past decade. We tested that account as it currently stands against the data, the courts and the FOI record. Over the ten years since Australia's last periodic report to the UN on its compliance with the International Covenant on … Continue reading A decade of failure on women, absent from Australia’s draft UN report
“Australia not to provide a submission”: Inside DFAT’s management of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
More than a year of FOI requests and appeals has produced a broadly consistent picture of how the Australian Government manages its relationship with the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem. This article draws on decisions and document releases from both DEWR and DFAT to set out the main features … Continue reading “Australia not to provide a submission”: Inside DFAT’s management of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Older women: Present in the data, absent from the response
Older women are named in every framework — elder abuse plans, aged care policy, and national plans on violence against women — but none of those frameworks treats them as a distinct group with distinct needs. Last week, AAWAA took part in an expert online consultation convened by Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on … Continue reading Older women: Present in the data, absent from the response
Older women: The forgotten cohort in Australia’s male violence response
Australia has a detailed framework for addressing violence against women, but older women are largely absent from it. AAWAA has just submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, documenting Australia's failure to protect older women across five interconnected domains. The submission draws on CEDAW General Recommendation No. 27, which … Continue reading Older women: The forgotten cohort in Australia’s male violence response
Violence against mothers: The problem policy refuses to name
One in five young people report using violence against family members. Mothers are the primary targets. Most perpetrators are boys. Violence against mothers remains dangerously under-recognised in Australian policy, despite overwhelming evidence of its scope. Our submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls lays bare the problem: thousands of mothers … Continue reading Violence against mothers: The problem policy refuses to name
DFAT reinterprets CEDAW, campaigns against UN expert who “doesn’t conform with our views”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been campaigning against the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, over her interpretation of women's sex-based rights under CEDAW. Remarks by former Ambassador for Gender Equality Stephanie Campbell, contained in a departmental transcript released under FOI (reference LEX 1781, unpublished) reveal … Continue reading DFAT reinterprets CEDAW, campaigns against UN expert who “doesn’t conform with our views”
Senator Wong invited to represent concerns about sexual orientation, women, and children to the UN
The Affiliation of Australian Women's Action Alliances (AAWAA) has written to Senator Penny Wong in relation to several matters that are pertinent to Australia’s relationship with and obligations to the United Nations and that have caused us concern. We have asked Senator Wong to consider these concerns and to work to address them at the UN level. … Continue reading Senator Wong invited to represent concerns about sexual orientation, women, and children to the UN