Women’s Health in the North Inc (the Applicant) has been granted an exemption from the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) (the Act) to allow WHIN to undertake the following conduct:
advertise for and employ women and gender-diverse people only to work at Women’s Health in the North Inc;
advertise for and employ women and gender-diverse people only of a specified race or ethnic origin, or whose first language is a specified language other than English, to work in the organisation on specific projects targeted at groups of women and gender-diverse people of that race or ethnic origin, or whose first language is that language;
restrict individual membership of the organisation to women and gender diverse people only
require that organisations that are members of the Women’s’ Health in the North Inc be represented at meetings (whether they are present to attend, speak or vote) by women and gender-diverse people only.
“Women and gender-diverse people” include people who identify as women and people whose gender identity does not align with the gender assigned at birth.
“Gender-diverse” is inclusive of trans, non-binary, agender, intersex and other gender diverse individuals.
“Women and gender-diverse people” does not include individuals for whom both their biological and gender identity is male.
In 2023, Women’s Health In the North will be proudly promoting the International Women’s Day (IWD) theme ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a Gender Equal Future’. For more messaging about this year’s ‘Cracking the Code’ theme, see this two-pager by UN Women Australia.
WHIN is adopting and aligning our theme with two credible, international organisations: UN Women Australia and International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA). Each organisation has a long history of advocating for women’s rights and gender equality internationally with the message ‘women’s rights are human rights’.
IWD was first borne out of labour movements for women’s rights at the turn of the 20th century in North America and across Europe. The social justice movement was grassroots until 1975 (International Women’s Year) when the United Nations adopted IWD on March 8 when it is still held. The IWD movement has since grown in reach and visibility globally to make IWD a central point for action, to build support for women’s rights and their full participation in the economy, politics, community and in everyday life. New research and a campaign by More Voices, More Representation highlights that 7 out of 10 women and gender-diverse people in Australia do not feel represented on IWD. This reinforces the need to align with the above international organisations.
We know that other IWD themes are promoted each year, including one by a corporate entity that has gained huge influence using search engine optimisation. There is no transparency about this organisation/site i.e. information about its origins, funding or whether it has a Board. In this context, WHIN choses to support the work of the international women’s organisations who work to promote the rights of women across the world on IWD – and throughout the year.
The 12 Women’s Health Services have together released their 2022 Victorian Election Platform, which puts forward three key actions and areas of work to improve women’s health and wellbeing in Victoria. WHSs are calling on all parties at this Victorian State Election to take action on three key pillars of policy:
Sustain, embed and expand the Gender Equality Act
Make healthcare equitable for all
Address stigma and stereotypes in our gender-segregated labour market
As an Incorporated Association, WHIN is a membership-based organisation. Membership is free and available to individuals and organisations. To find out more about becoming a member and to access our online application form, visit our membership page.
Join WHIN today and support your local women’s health service.
Starting on 25 November, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign to end gender-based violence. The campaign is book-ended by the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November and International Human Rights Day on 10 December. These days were chosen in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasise that violence against women is a human rights violation.
In 2020, WHIN is leading a social media campaign using inclusive social media tiles designed in-house, like the one shown below, to build on the ’16 Actions for 16 Days’ theme used in recent years. This theme, which incorporates gender equity, features one simple action per day that we can all take to prevent gender-based violence.
To learn more about WHIN’s ’16 Actions for 16 Days’ Campaign, please contact Kate Ravenscroft at Kater@whin.org.au for a copy of the actions. Be sure to follow WHIN on social media (especially WHIN’s Facebook and Instagram pages) to participate in the campaign.
Membership of Gender Equity Victoria (GEN VIC) is open! Now is the time to join the Victorian peak body for gender equity, women’s health and the prevention of violence against women.
Membership of GEN VIC is available to any organisation and individual in Victoria that has a commitment to advancing gender equity, holds values that align with feminist principles; and supports GEN VIC’s vision for equality, wellbeing and freedom from violence for every woman and girl in every community of Victoria.
WHIN has been a long-standing member of GEN VIC, formerly Women’s Health Association of Victoria, along with other women’s health services across Victoria. Through GEN VIC WHIN is able to advocate, influence and collaborate to improve outcomes in gender equity, women’s health and in the prevention of violence at a state-wide level.
See the GEN VIC website for a list of membership benefits including strengthening our collective voice and taking part in coordinated action: https://www.genvic.org.au/index.html
The annual Week Without Violence (WWV) is coming up on 15–21 October 2018. The WWV is a global campaign to end violence against women.
This year, almost 50 organisations in the northern metropolitan region are planning to run WWV activities, with the majority planning a Clothesline Project activity, which focuses on raising awareness about family violence. The NIFVS Coordination team held a workshop on 6 September 2018 for campaigners to come together and discuss plans for their events.
