Imagine being taken from your mother when you are two years old (or for parents reading this, having your child taken from you at age 2)… being “re-homed” in a Government or religious institution where you learn the skills to be a house servant.  This will become your occupation from age 9, except that it’s no ordinary job: in your role as a domestic servant you will be raped and beaten by the master of the house; ignored by the mistress of the house; and treated as a second class citizen by the children of the house. Read More

Violence against women might seem like an unusual topic to follow on from last week's theme of women on boards… however it's important in the context of our attitudes towards women and authority.  So let me ask this: are you on Facebook?  Did you know that 60% of Facebook’s one billion users are women?  Do you remember the campaign last year for gender balance on the Facebook board - and the response by Zuckerman et al that suggested Facebook knows enough about women to ensure their interests are served.  Really?  Given this appalling campaign of violence that was allowed to continue unfettered after repeated requests by the victim of the online attack to shut it down... I just can't believe that.
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I've received this shoutout from Australian Womensport & Recreation Association and I thought for such a worthwhile cause, there must be someone out there reading this blog who can help....  So here it is:  In order to create a stronger, healthier Australian culture through the active participation of women and girls in sport, physical activity and active recreation AWRA needs an Executive Officer.  They're seeking like-minded people and organisations who also have a vision to create a stronger and healthier Australia. If you have any ideas on how to make an Executive Officer real ... please make contact as soon as you can. For us, no idea is outrageous, and every idea opens another opportunity, so please contact us with your ideas, thoughts and of course, we won’t say no to cash!!! Read More

In the top drawer of my desk lay note cards on which my hand written messages are scrawled to people who touch my heart.  Printed neatly on the front are the words I live my life by:  “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” (Mahatma Gandhi 1869 - 1948) 

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It’s been a horrible week.  The worst.  And I’m the kind of person who really doesn’t sweat the small stuff.  One of the first string of words my son uttered as a baby was “not to worry” (amazing what you learn from what your kids repeat!) and I’ve often been known to say “well, as long as no one died…”  No such luck this week, after one of my beloved beagles was killed in an accident on the farm. My husband reckons I must have been a dog in my past life, because he’s never seen animals connect so much with a human as my beagles do with me. They are my joy and a raison d’etre, so it truly feels like I’ve lost a limb this week and the last thing I feel like doing is getting on with things.  But of course, I must. Read More

On Tuesday evening I attended a welcome reception for the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Rashida Manjoo (thanks to UN Women Australia for the invitation, and to Allens Arthur Robinson for hosting this important event). It was – to say the least – depressing.  To hear Rasheeda's research findings that femicide is on the increase around the world in developed as well as developing countries.  And to be reminded that it’s here, in Australia, too.  In Australia, 1 in 3 women are in (or have been in) abusive relationships and 1 woman is killed every week by an intimate partner.  Did you know? Read More

I came across this fantastic TED talk by Dr Noel Bairey Merz on the single biggest health threat women face: heart disease.  Did you know that one out of two women will be impacted by cardio vascular disease in their lifetime and that since 1984 up to four times more women than men have died from heart disease in the USA and around the world? Read More

Did you catch this week's Four Corners program on the forced adoption practices in Australia? (If you missed it, you can watch it on iView here - it's absolutely brilliant journalism by the FourCorners team.)  The program covered the policies and practices relating to forced adoption in Australia and the tragic human impact of five decades of soul-destroying interventions of government and adoption agencies (read here: the churches).  I admit to having a very sleepless night after watching it. Read More

According to a new article on MamaMia, women are just not getting a fair go when it comes to media coverage of women's sports.  Did you know that: Read More

This is a sponsored post from Fruit At Work - enjoy a 2 week trial at 50% discount for fresh fruit, delivered direct to your office

With all those Apples and Blackberries dominating desks, you would think the Australian workplace is brimming with health.  But in a wakeup call to employers, Fruit at Work’s latest National Workplace Health Survey revealed over 85% of Australian workers believe their workplace is unhealthy.  “If we were consuming anything like the quantity of Apples and Blackberries we are using, our workplace would be a whole lot healthier and more productive,” commented Wendy Visontay, Founder of leading workplace fruit supplier Fruit at Work, which delivers fruit to over 4,000 workplaces a week nationally. “We were astounded that almost a third of workers questioned ate no fruit at all and 60% failed to identify how much fruit a day they should be eating for good health”.  Read More