“Violence against women has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a violation of human rights and a public health epidemic” (Cullen et al. 2018, p. 3). The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported that 40% of women experience domestic violence in their lifetime, physical and sexual abuse being main acts of violence. (ABS 2012)
Children, teenagers and adult women have all been victims of violence with age not being a barrier. Police deal with domestic violence every two minutes (The National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2016), women seeking support usually reach out to family and friends (ABS 2017), and only 18% of women harassed in the workplace sought advice and support (AHRC 2018)
The future of the safety of women has to be helped, and that’s what my project aims to do. At least help as many people as possible that are suffering and continuing to make the future safer.
Resources
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012, Measuring the Prevalence of Violence 2012, cat, no. 4906.0, viewed 2nd of May 2019. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4906.0Chapter2002012
The National Domestic Violence Hotline, ‘Get the Facts and Figures’, The national Domestic Violence Hotline, viewed 2nd of May 2019. https://www.thehotline.org/resources/statistics/
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Personal Safety Survey, Australia Bureau of Statistics, cat, no.4906.0, viewed 2nd of May 2019. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4906.0
Australian Human Rights Commission 2018, Everyone’s business: Fourth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces 2018, Australian Human Rights Commission, viewed 2nd of May. 2019https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/AHRC_WORKPLACE_SH_2018.pdf
becfuller.wordpress.com 
Reblogged this on Future Cultures.
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Hey Bec, your digital artefact is definitely addressing a topic that is of concern in our day to day life as well as our future which is a saddening thought. Upon discussion of your project it reminded me of the ‘Innovators In Heels’ initiative which is also a Wollongong based community for women which also hosts local events, encourages women to post and is a generally safe online space. When discussing your topic, it also reminded me of fandom culture and how community spaces created online can provide individuals with a sense of self and can encourage conversation. What intrigues me is do some women fear posting in these groups because they’re associated with their personal Facebook accounts which provides a direct insight to their personal lives? Would women feel safer to discuss sensitive issues behind a username rather than their first and last names? I find myself not posting in such groups because of the lacking anonymity. To spread the importance of your group on campus I think a focus group would be a great start which you can post about directly on your Facebook page to avoid any interference from outside parties, and possibly an online anonymous survey for those who prefer not to attend if they’re concerned to participate in a public discussion. Also, the visuals displayed on your website are beautiful, clean and captivating. I think the simplicity of the website will it make it easy to navigate for your viewers, so I’ll be excited to see it once it is published. I’m excited to see your work progress and hear your thoughts in regard to online anonymity. Good luck!
P.S. Here is a link to the ‘Innovators In Heels’ page which currently consists of 1,896 members – https://www.facebook.com/groups/479640569139710/about/
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[…] BETA TWO […]
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[…] BETA TWO […]
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Hello, Rebecca!
Your starting point is amazing, actually, admirable. I think the topic you have chosen is so important and relevant to literally everyone! Women may find this is relevant to themselves, and men may want to introduce your community to those they love.
I like the way you put the eyeball catching quote and statistic from the authorities in the description, especially, they are organized before your Beta presentation. At first glance, I get a clear idea about what you are aiming to do with your DA.
I think the admission with limitation is a great way to guarantee community member stay in a safe condition at the beginning. Just like the other girl said in the comment area, I find there is some similarity about the fan community and your project. It would be a great idea to look at how they start their group and how they protect themselves from being recognized by real-world friends. I’m not sure Facebook is the right platform in the future since you have to sign in with your real name. As a female, I let myself imagine what space I can feel safe and protected enough to say whatever I want; the answer for me is in an anonymous community. So, personally speaking, how to stay anonymity might be an essential concept to think.
I think the way you use the website to inform the public about things about women safety can work well with the private and closed community. I am looking forward to seeing that! I think you can cover topics like how to protect your self when an emergency happens, how to use self-defense techniques to fight back, and what app you should have just in case.
As a digital artifact for Future Cultures, I think you should write a post about Safe Space in the short, medium, and long term. You can use other girl protecting each other group as reference.
Here is some relevant blog you may find helpful.
https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/16-actions-girls-womens-safety-emergencies/
https://iwda.org.au/7-ways-to-fight-gender-based-violence/
(one more thing, you may want to check the time for the next time)
Overall, you have a really great idea and good luck!
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Hey Bec, from my perspective this is a brilliant idea, however from what I know, these groups have already been established. I understand the need for safe spaces for women that are easily accessible (Facebook), but what If they needed to ask a sensitive question and don’t want to be connected to their personal name? I guess Reddit would be the next viable social media. See here for what I mean: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/38ev12/what_is_a_throwaway_account_and_why_do_people/ You cannot rely on people to be 100% discreet, honest and have respect for each others privacy no matter who they are. You have great intentions, especially how only a couple of days ago there was a discovery of a forum revealing someone reviewing public places in Melbourne CBD and how easy it is to see women and rating how ‘vulnerable’ they are: https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/creepy-guide-on-how-to-target-women-in-melbourne-surfaces-online/11165648 Imagine if someone did infiltrate, posing as a woman as their profile on Facebook, finds the posts in your community group and exposes it to their filthy group…? You can always have a red hot go at moderating who’s in etc, but maybe instead of your members explicitly saying stuff, what if they just asked generalised questions and asked for friends that leads onto being in a messaging stage. That way you have another layer of security with your members.
A, very much in the future stage, would be creating an app. I guess, similar to ‘Find my Friends’ on iPhone’s and the SafeZone app for our Uni. But instead it’ll be semi-public; open to people who can prove their identity via documentations, social media connections and a police check. Something I’m sure you’ll be great at conceptualising given your initial intentions. Hope this helps!
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