Initiatives for Women in Need (Iwin) Newsletter, April 2016, Issue No.5
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INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN IN NEED (IWIN) NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2016, ISSUE NO.5 In this Issue Initiatives For Women Welcome from the In Need (IWiN) Chair Recent IWiN Newsletter Activities Gender April 2016, Issue No 5 Inequality: some facts Local Arts: Artist- Mrs Naela Chohan Book/Movie Reviews: The Diviners Gender Inequality is not a (Book), Aladdin woman’s issue, it is a human issue. (Movie) It affects us all. Gender Inequality Statistics : Australia The Cartoon Page:Gender Inequality IWiN‘s NGO Partners INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN IN NEED (IWIN) NEWSLETTER, 1 APRIL 2016, ISSUE NO 5 Day (IWD) 2016, was celebrated age; while teaching their Welcome from the at the iconic National Library of daughters not to accept any Chair Australia with a forum on this form of gender based mal- very issue, where five eminent treatment and/or domestic women leaders shared their violence. ‘Being respectful to Welcome to this issue of IWiN views and experience on gender women’ is an essential lesson for newsletter. inequality. The forum is all young boys as it is observed discussed in detail in the ‘Recent that ‘all violence against women The year 2016 has started with a IWiN Event’ section. I begins with disrespecting very positive note for IWiN. acknowledge here the support women’ (PM Turnbull, 24 Sept Together with the ACT IWiN received from the National 2015). I urge you all to start community, IWiN has embarked Library and its Bookplate Café educating your young sons into a journey of raising through their generous about respecting their mothers, awareness and voice against sponsorships, which made sisters and other women. gender inequality that still IWiN’s IWD event possible and a persists in the Australian society big success. We are constantly trying to and across the globe. improve the content and Moving forward, IWiN is narratives of our IWiN Gender inequality, which refers planning on a half-day newsletter. In this issue, we are to the unequal and unfair interactive workshop to discuss introducing two new columns – treatment to women with a the nexus between gender a cartoon page on the theme of perception that they are inferior inequality and domestic the newsletter and a page on to men, is also an important violence, in association with local arts and artists. Hope you driver of family violence. This is other organisations including would enjoy reading these new an issue that works against most academic institutes. Please keep columns. women at work or at home, an eye on your emails for further irrespective of their social or details including date, time I encourage you all to visit economic status. As IWiN’s venue and speakers. We also IWiN’s website mission is to empower intend to hold a range of IWiN (www.iwinact.org) and contact disadvantaged women, IWiN events throughout the second us if you have any concerns or finds that the issue of gender half of 2016. So, please stay just want to get involved or inequality needs to be tuned. simply wish to DONATE to help addressed seriously as it poses a our partner NGOs providing free big stumble block to the This year, Mother’s Day was education to poor and street th empowerment of today’s celebrated on the 8 of May all children in India. If you want to women. over the world. On behalf of share your story and experience IWiN, I wish all our readers and with our newsletter readers, Therefore, IWiN Committee has patrons a very Happy Mother’s please send to: decided to focus on the gender Day 2016. I strongly believe that [email protected] OR inequality issues in 2016 through today’s mothers have the [email protected] various community awareness unique power to reduce the events and policy advocacy gender inequality and family With best wishes, actions. IWiN’s first event of the violence significantly by year, International Women’s teaching their sons about Madhumita respecting women from an early INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN IN NEED (IWIN) NEWSLETTER, 2 APRIL 2016, ISSUE NO 5 Rashid and Dr Evelyne Miere on the IWiN Event: occasion of IWD. IWD 2016 International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated across the globe on the 8th of May every year. And IWD is a very special day for IWiN as women empowerment is the mission of the Prof Tahmina Rashid delivering her speech organisation. We all at IWiN feel very In her fiery speech, Prof Tahmina proud to be working for women who Rashid (from the University of play so many roles simultaneously - IWiN Patron Gai Brodtmann speaking Canberra) pointed out the high an individual, a friend, a sister, a incidence of domestic violence daughter, a spouse and a mother. Ms Gai Brodtmann was the first speaker of the event being the experienced within the South Asian patron of IWiN, followed by the migrant community and how gender Pakistan High Commissioner to inequality has contributed to that. Australia, Her Excellency Mrs Naela Chohan. IWD cake was baked by Sandra Javanovic IWiN celebrated IWD 2016 on The last speaker was Dr Evelyne Sunday 6 March at the iconic Miere, who talked about the nature National Library of Australia with a of gender inequality in the western session on "Gender Inequality" H E Mrs Naela Chohan speaking society including the Australian one. where five very successful and respected women leaders shared While Ms Brodtmann forcused on their works, experiences and the nexus between domestic thoughts with the audience. violence and gender inequality, Mrs Chohan emphasised on the impacts of gender inequality through her series of powerful paintings , particularly for the women coming The event was well attended by the from a south Asian ancestry ACT community leaders and an interested audience including a good number of youths. Thanks to everyone for attending the IWD IWiN members with the speakers event to make it a big success. We were fortunate to be in the company of Ms Gai Brodtmann, MP for Canberra and Shadow Mrs Giulia Jones MLA speaking Parliamentary Secretary For Defence (Aust Labour Party); Her Excellency Mrs Giulia spoke on fighting against Naela Chohan, High Commissioner Of gender bias at work with the Pakistan to Australia; Mrs Giulia example of her own fight for Jones, MLA and Shadow Minister for breastfeeding mothers at the ACT Women, Liberal Party; Prof Tahmina Parliament (during the seating time). INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN IN NEED (IWIN) NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2016, ISSUE NO.5 Let’s meet our local Artist: H E Mrs NAELA CHOHAN IWiN Chair Dr Madhumita Iyengar attended the exhibition to support the cause. Silent Screams Ignorance On the 13th of May 2016, Canberra hosted an exhibition of vibrant paintings , ‘Arise Woman’ by Her Excellency Mrs Naela Chohan, Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia. It was an emotional plea Betrayal of love against domestic violence in support of Mrs. Rosie Batty’s (the 2015 Australian of the Year) ongoing fights against this social evil. Mrs Chohan’s powerful painting “Betrayal Of Love”, where an woman was portrayed as confined (in a sitting position)within the four walls of her home, was unveiled at the exhibition and auctioned to raise fund for the Luke Batty Foundation. Artist Mrs Naela Chohan Mrs Naela Chohan is a strong advocate of Women's Rights through the medium of visual arts, and exhibitions of her art have taken place on four continents. Her most notable work is Souffrance, which has been kept on permanent display at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris since 2002. Her work Enlightenment(1999) is on permanent display at the Museum of Islamic Heritage, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mrs Chohan with Rosie Batty, Dr Iyengar, Dr Miere and Ambassador Nineta Barbulescu at the unveiling of the painting “Betrayal of Love” Other major displays and exhibitions of her work took place in Paris(2002), Buenos -Aires (2011), and in It was truly an exhibition of 'arts from heart' – Ottawa2008),Canada. beautiful paintings of Mrs Chohan reflecting her deep feelings for those women who silently suffer from This page has included her two brilliant paintings on abuse, recluse and injustice for just ‘being women’. oppressed women, ‘ignorance’ and ‘silent screams’. INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN IN NEED (IWIN) NEWSLETTER, 4 APRIL 2016, ISSUE NO 5 Gender Inequality: some facts Note that the current national gender pay gap for Australia is 17.3% (November 2015), Ms Shubhra Roy, Secretary, IWiN while the Australian data from Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) gender Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or pay gap for non-public sector employers perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It with 100 or more staff is 24.0% (WGEA arises from differences in socially 2015) constructed gender roles. One of the important visible indicators of gender inequality is the pay-gap between men and women employees at work. Irrespective of the level of economic development, across the globe women continue to earn less than men, are less likely to advance their careers as far as men, and are more likely to spend their final years in poverty. At the same time, men find it more difficult to access flexible working arrangements than women. According to a report by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA 2014), “the average Australian woman has to work an extra 66 days a year to earn the same pay as the average man” (note 3, p 4, Gender Pay Gap Statistics 2014). International gender inequality statistics Though Australia has made significant progress in reducing gender inequality in recent decades, it is important to consider Australia’s position within a global context (Chart 1). Of the 22 countries listed by the OECD (2013/2014): There is a gender pay gap favouring men in every country.