Justice system smeared our mother, say Sally Challen’s sons

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Admin

Family had to live with ‘false narrative’ of killing before courts finally quashed domestic abuse victim’s murder conviction

Sally Challen was subjected to a false narrative by a criminal justice system that painted her as “a controlling and jealous lover who planned to kill her husband”, her son has said.

In doing so it failed to recognise the decades of abuse and coercive control she had suffered at his hands, David Challen writes in an article for today’s Observer that is heavily critical of how abused women continue to be viewed by the courts, a concern that women’s rights campaigners said they shared.

‘He thought he’d ruin me’: Indian acid attack survivor and model speaks out | Ruchi Kumar

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Admin

Reshma Qureshi’s makeup tip videos put a spotlight on violence against women, but survivors still face an uphill struggle for justice

When catwalk model Reshma Qureshi offers makeup tips, her online tutorials end with the message that an eyeliner or lipstick is just as easy to buy in India as a pot of over-the-counter acid.

The point, coming from a woman who was left disfigured and partially sighted by an acid attack, has already proved so powerful that it has helped lead first to an international petition, and then to the supreme court of India ordering states to enforce the ban on sales of the chemical.

Labor pledges $60m to help victims of domestic violence rebuild their lives

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Admin

Bill Shorten says money raised from banking fairness fund will provide tailored support packages for families

“Instead of asking ‘why did she stay’, we need to ask ‘where could she go’.”

Reframing the question of what options victims of family and domestic violence have in deciding to leave is behind Labor’s latest policy announcement which would see $60m committed to a program which helps tailor support packages for families needing to rebuild their lives.

‘We are afraid’: Brazilian women alarmed at relaxation of gun laws

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Admin

Bolsonaro’s move allowing more people to own firearms is causing unease in a society where domestic violence is rife

A pledge to make it easier for “good citizens” to buy guns for self-defence helped sweep Jair Bolsonaro to power. But there is alarm that the Brazilian president’s decree loosening firearms laws will make pervasive violence against women even worse – and more deadly.

“I believe this is a very negative measure that will lead more women to be threatened by violence,” said Maria da Penha, the women’s rights activist whose case changed Brazil’s domestic violence laws. “This decree should be reviewed.”