The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for Australia

Dec. 13, 2024, 10:34 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-1

"In a historical first three men have faced court charged with arranging a forced marriage between two teenagers, one aged between 13 and 15 years and the other aged 17. It is alleged the two children in Western Australia wanted to date each other but were told by relatives that for cultural reasons, they would have to be married first. Three men - one related to the girl and the other two to the boy - faced Perth's Magistrates Court on Friday accused of forcing a person into a marriage after allegedly facilitating a religious wedding ceremony for the pair last year. Forced marriage has been illegal in Australia since...more
Dec. 13, 2024, 10:34 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MARR-LAW-1

"Forced marriage has been illegal in Australia since 2013" (para 4). "If found guilty the men face a maximum penalty of nine years in jail" (para 7). "Forced marriage can apply to legally recognised marriage, cultural or religious ceremonies that occur in Australia or where a person is taken overseas to be married" (para 12).
Dec. 13, 2024, 10:34 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: AOM-LAW-1

"The legal marriage age in Australia is 18 but a child aged upwards from 16 can marry with a court's consent" (para 6).
Dec. 13, 2024, 10:27 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: SUICIDE-DATA-1

"'Sexual misconduct remains a systemic issue for the ADF,'' the report reads. 'This has been the case for decades, and it will continue unless the ADF commits to deep, systemic reform.' Ex-serving women died by suicide at twice the rate of the general female population" (para 11-13).
Dec. 13, 2024, 10:27 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: EWCMS-PRACTICE-3

"Defence force personnel convicted of sexual crimes under the military justice system remained in service, with the ADF not knowing how many of its members had been convicted in civilian courts - even if the offending was against another defence member. The inquiry found when members were convicted of sexual offences under the military justice system, they were not transferred to civilian court records" (para 4-5). "Some victims did not report sexual violence out of fear of damaging their career advancement prospects or being ostracised, the inquiry found. Even when reports of sexual assault were substantiated, 'systemic weaknesses' might expose victims to ongoing risk, including being posted to the same...more
Dec. 13, 2024, 10:27 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: EWCMS-DATA-2

"Defence estimates about 60 per cent of sexual assaults go unreported, with almost 800 recorded during the past five years" (para 19).
Dec. 6, 2024, 8:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MURDER-DATA-1

"One woman in Australia dies at the hands of a former or current partner every 10 days, and police deal with an average of 5000 domestic violence incidents each week" (para 20).
Dec. 6, 2024, 8:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: GP-DATA-3, GP-DATA-4

"Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said the reforms are fundamental in reducing violence against women across society" (para 15).
Dec. 6, 2024, 8:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: DV-LAW-1

"Workers being able to access their full pay rate while on domestic and family violence leave is being touted as a game-changer. The new laws come into effect on Wednesday and give full-time, part-time and casual workers up to 10 days of paid leave. The new arrangements will cover at least seven million workers, expanding the five days of unpaid domestic violence leave they're currently entitled to" (para 1-3).
Dec. 6, 2024, 8:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: DV-DATA-1

"One woman in Australia dies at the hands of a former or current partner every 10 days, and police deal with an average of 5000 domestic violence incidents each week. It's estimated one in five women have taken time off due to violence from a previous partner, and one in 11 due to a current one" (para 20-21).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-9

"The median cost of weddings was between $12,000 and $80,000, and the value of the dowry paid by the victims was between $42,000 and $195,000" (para 2).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: TRAFF-PRACTICE-2

"This was in addition to tuition fees and visa processing fees paid by the women, who often came to Australia from India and lacked access to legal redress if, for example, sponsorship of their visa was withdrawn after dowry was provided, or threats were made to ensure the maintenance of visa support" (para 3). "In one recent case, a woman had been sent back to India by her husband and told to have an abortion after he learnt she was pregnant. He demanded a large sum of money for her to return to Australia. 'She got to India, where she got a call from his father in a nearby village...more
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1

"Ela Stewart, of InTouch Multicultural Service Against Family Violence, said the organisation had supported clients whose family members were threatened with violence if money was not handed over" (para 17).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: SUICIDE-PRACTICE-1, MURDER-PRACTICE-2

"A 2018 Senate inquiry into dowry abuse heard it had resulted in violence, extortion and a spate of suicides and murders" (para 19).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MISA-PRACTICE-1

"Lead researcher Tinashe Dune treats victims of dowry abuse as a clinical psychologist and said the women often have complex post-traumatic stress disorders due to long-term, entrenched forms of abuse. But it often flies under the radar, as Victoria is the only state that has made dowry abuse a family violence offence" (para 5). "Melbourne psychiatrist Professor Manjula O’Connor said she had treated hundreds of women suffering serious mental health issues after being victims of dowry abuse in Australia. In one recent case, a woman had been sent back to India by her husband and told to have an abortion after he learnt she was pregnant. He demanded a large...more
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-5

"Gold, cash, property, cars and women’s salaries are being demanded by the families of some grooms in the South Asian-Australian community, despite dowries being banned in India. Demands for gifts 'were continuous and abusive, including instances of sexual extortion', research on Australia’s community of Indian and South Asian people has found. The median cost of weddings was between $12,000 and $80,000, and the value of the dowry paid by the victims was between $42,000 and $195,000. This was in addition to tuition fees and visa processing fees paid by the women, who often came to Australia from India and lacked access to legal redress if, for example, sponsorship of their...more
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: MARR-LAW-4

"But under federal law, there are no mechanisms to address dowry abuse. 'The Family Law Act (1975) does not enable victims of dowry abuse to recover the dowry provided by the victim or her family in the event of divorce proceedings,' it said" (para 13).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1

"Gold, cash, property, cars and women’s salaries are being demanded by the families of some grooms in the South Asian-Australian community, despite dowries being banned in India. Demands for gifts 'were continuous and abusive, including instances of sexual extortion', research on Australia’s community of Indian and South Asian people has found" (para 1-2). "A 2018 Senate inquiry into dowry abuse heard it had resulted in violence, extortion and a spate of suicides and murders" (para 19).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: DV-LAW-1

"Victoria is the only state that has made dowry abuse a family violence offence" (para 5).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1

"'The Family Law Act (1975) does not enable victims of dowry abuse to recover the dowry provided by the victim or her family in the event of divorce proceedings'" (para 13). "Sydney woman Sita*, who has been supported by Randhawa’s organisation, said her whole family remained distressed by the dowry abuse she had experienced. She was betrothed in her teens and her fiance came to Australia to marry her, at which time her family was required to pay $20,000 for her sister-in-law’s wedding and pay for improvements to her in-laws’ family home. Sita had to give him gold worth $2500. 'He started openly cheating on me when I was six...more
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: AOM-PRACTICE-1

"Sydney woman Sita*, who has been supported by Randhawa’s organisation, said her whole family remained distressed by the dowry abuse she had experienced. She was betrothed in her teens and her fiance came to Australia to marry her" (para 20-21).
Oct. 22, 2024, 11 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: ABO-PRACTICE-1

"In one recent case, a woman had been sent back to India by her husband and told to have an abortion after he learnt she was pregnant. He demanded a large sum of money for her to return to Australia. 'She got to India, where she got a call from his father in a nearby village to say if you give me 10 million rupees (about $183,000) my son will sponsor you back again – because he had withdrawn the sponsorship in the meantime,' O’Connor, a dowry abuse expert, said. 'She had already aborted the baby and was suffering from so much grief and distress'" (para 8-10).
Oct. 18, 2024, 10:24 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1

"[South Australia] Best MP Connie Bonaros described stealthing as a 'repugnant and disgusting act of betrayal', and said her private member's bill would ensure it was dealt with appropriately by police and the courts. 'It should have been criminalised years ago,' Ms Bonaros said in a statement. 'Such grotesque acts of indecency deserve to be treated in the same manner as rape and a crime punishable by terms of imprisonment'... Ms Bonaros said it was 'more common than most people believe'. 'Under the new legislation, the removal of a condom during sex without the consent of the other person will now be a crime punishable by up to life imprisonment,'...more
Oct. 18, 2024, 10:24 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1

"Non-consensually removing a condom during sex — an act known as 'stealthing' — is set to be criminalised in South Australia, with those found guilty facing penalties of up to life imprisonment. A bill to outlaw the practice, reportedly committed against one in three women, yesterday passed SA parliament's upper house, and is now set to pass the lower house with government support" (1-2).
Oct. 18, 2024, 10:24 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Non-consensually removing a condom during sex — an act known as 'stealthing' — is set to be criminalised in South Australia, with those found guilty facing penalties of up to life imprisonment...'[This bill will] explicitly make sure that stealthing is covered by our criminal law and people that engage in it can be charged with sexual offences,' [Attorney-General Kyam Maher] said" (1, 11).
Oct. 18, 2024, 10:24 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: LRW-LAW-1

"Non-consensually removing a condom during sex — an act known as 'stealthing' — is set to be criminalised in South Australia, with those found guilty facing penalties of up to life imprisonment. A bill to outlaw the practice, reportedly committed against one in three women, yesterday passed SA parliament's upper house, and is now set to pass the lower house with government support. SA Best MP Connie Bonaros described stealthing as a 'repugnant and disgusting act of betrayal', and said her private member's bill would ensure it was dealt with appropriately by police and the courts... 'Under the new legislation, the removal of a condom during sex without the consent...more
Oct. 18, 2024, 10:24 a.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: LRW-DATA-1

"Non-consensually removing a condom during sex — an act known as 'stealthing' — is set to be criminalised in South Australia, with those found guilty facing penalties of up to life imprisonment. A bill to outlaw the practice, reportedly committed against one in three women, yesterday passed SA parliament's upper house, and is now set to pass the lower house with government support... A Monash University study in 2018 found that, of more than 2,000 people surveyed, one in three women, and one in five men who have sex with men, had been victims of stealthing. Ms Bonaros said it was 'more common than most people believe' " (1-2, 6-7).more
Oct. 15, 2024, 12:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: LRCM-DATA-2

"A mum-of-five who used donor sperm to have her children is worried about 'accidental incest' after discovering her kids have at least 43 half-siblings...Ms Ashton was hit with another surprise when her oldest son did an ancestry DNA test and matched with another donor sibling who was not on the Queensland clinic's list. Ms Ashton said the term 'accidental incest' - sexual activity or marriage between persons who are unaware of a family relationship - makes her 'sick to the pit of her stomach'. 'How many more kids aren't on our list?,' Ms Ashton said. 'I had blindly trusted that the clinic would have thought out these things and that...more
Oct. 15, 2024, 12:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: WAM-PRACTICE-1

"A mum-of-five who used donor sperm to have her children is worried about 'accidental incest' after discovering her kids have at least 43 half-siblings...Her story will air on Tuesday night's episode of SBS's 'Inconceivable: The Secret Business of Breeding Humans'. The one-hour documentary, based on journalist Sarah Dingle's search for her biological father, reveals the 'deeply unethical and pathologically secretive business' of the fertility industry in Australia" (1, 31-32).
Oct. 15, 2024, 12:28 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1

"A mum-of-five who used donor sperm to have her children is worried about 'accidental incest' after discovering her kids have at least 43 half-siblings. Shannon Ashton and her partner first visited the Queensland Fertility Group in 2002 for specialist help after discovering she had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The same-sex couple decided to use an anonymous sperm donor, registered with the Queensland clinic, to try and have a baby. A year later were blessed with a boy named Zac. The couple decided on Donor 188, described as a 'typical Aussie, sporty bloke' on the database, and used his sperm again to conceive their next four children, most recently welcoming a...more