NZFVC Quick Reads: 5 July 2024

NZFVC Quick Reads: 5 July 2024

Welcome to our Quick Reads format. Each week we share selected news bites relevant to family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa. See all past NZFVC Quick reads.

E Tū Whānau song competition announces winners

The winners of the 2024 E Tū Whānau Song Competition have been announced. Each entry reflected this year’s theme, “My whānau, my future”, with some choosing to express the equality and mutual respect between wāhine and tāne. The award-winning songs, alongside a link to all the entries, can be found on the Competition’s webpage.

MSD Accessibility Fund open for grant applications

The Accessible Family and Sexual Violence Services for Disabled People Fund (the Accessibility Fund) is now accepting grant applications. Grant applications are open to support MSD-funded family violence and sexual violence providers to enhance their physical, digital, and information-based accessibility for disabled people/tāngata whaikaha Māori. Information about the fund’s focus areas and the application process can be found on the Accessibility Fund’s webpage. Applications due by 12 August 2024.

3 strikes legislation open for submissions

The Justice Select Committee is now accepting submissions on the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill would apply to 42 qualifying serious violent and sexual offences. It would require second strike sentences to be served without parole and third strike sentences to carry the maximum penalty for the offence to be served without parole. Submissions are due by 23 July 2024.

Guide to rights for transgender and non-binary people

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata | Human Rights Commission has released the resource, Trans Rights are Human Rights: A guide to your rights and protections as a transgender person. The resource is available in accessible formats. It outlines protections under human rights law in Aotearoa for transgender and non-binary people. It has information about what to do if your human rights are breached. If you think you have experienced discrimination because of your gender or experienced conversion practices, you can contact the Human Rights Commission for information, support, or to make a complaint.

Call for submissions on Law Commission Ia Tangata issues paper

Te Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission is accepting submission on their issues paper for Ia Tangata – A review of the protections in the Human Rights Act 1993 for people who are transgender, people who are non-binary and people who have an innate variation of sex characteristics. The issues paper provides some background and context to the review, identifies and explores potential options for reform, and poses 80 questions on which they are seeking feedback. Submissions can be made online and are due 5 September 2024.

UN Working group report finds escalating backlash against gender equality

The United Nations Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls recently published their report, Escalating backlash against gender equality and urgency of reaffirming substantive equality and the human rights of women and girls (2024). The official media release offers a high-level summary of the report’s findings on the current state of gender equality and what a framework for substantive, transformative equality would look like and require of States.