Young women want a voice in consent education
Illawarra Mercury – Georgie Igoe Australia, we need to listen; to the yes and the no of what young women want. The opening line of a video posted on the eve of International Women’s Day 2022 reverberates powerfully, “Australia, we need to talk…” This is the voice of Grace Tame who is an unwavering force in her commitment to […]
Why mothers in crisis need compassionate support
Illawarra Mercury – Rachael Humphris You don’t need to have children for your stomach to drop at the thought of a baby being taken away from their mother. If a state child protection agency deems a child to be at ‘risk of significant harm’, they can remove them from the care of their mum, even if the […]
Why it’s time we listened to young people
Illawarra Mercury – Georgie Igoe The staggering exposure of sexual violence in the media, parliament and across our community is leaving many of us examining our own wounds of violence and wondering what we can do about this harm on such an endemic level. The young women that I work with in group and individual […]
Illawarra women’s advocate Sally Stevenson says Grace Tame’s Australia of the Year an award for all victims
Illawarra Mercury – Julian O’Brien Change is coming. That is the message from Illawarra Women’s Health Centre general manager Sally Stevenson on the back of Tasmanian sexual assault survivor Grace Tame being named Australian of the Year. Ms Tame was the catalyst for the #LetHerSpeak campaign and won a Supreme Court order which overturned archaic […]
Female invisibility – a challenge for 2021
Illawarra Mercury – Sally Stevenson AM Following a NSW Health directive last Tuesday I, like hundreds of others, lined up to be tested for COVID-19. As I waited in line for over six hours, I had time to consider the past year and my good fortune – a loving family, wonderful friends, a purposeful job, […]
Domestic and family violence services underfunded at a time of need in COVID-19 pandemic
Illawarra Mercury – Sally Stevenson AM The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre is nationally accredited, annually audited, and has been government funded for over 30 years. We are about to sign a new three-year contract, and every quarter we meet or exceed our key performance indicators. We are a small, highly regarded community organisation. Government services […]
Coercive control: why is this form of intimate terrorism still legal?
Illawarra Mercury – Judy Daunt The data is very clear. In 99 per cent of domestic violence-related homicides in NSW, the relationship was characterised by the male abuser’s use of coercive controlling behaviours towards the victim. Also known as “intimate terrorism”, coercive control is both a predictor of murder and an insidious and private form […]
COVID-19, women’s health and domestic and family violence: a perfect storm
Illawarra Mercury – Judy Daunt For more than 30 years the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre has provided highly regarded and trusted health and wellbeing services, free or at low cost to women in the region. Our funding from the NSW government has not increased in this time, yet we operate to ensure maximum reach and […]
