Zonta Club of Bunbury Inc.

19/06/2026

"Slow femicide."

New research by leading domestic violence expert Professor Heather Douglas from the The University of Melbourne is calling for Australia to investigate su***des linked to domestic abuse and coercive control - and hold perpetrators accountable.

Some of the findings are confronting:
➡️ Australia records women killed by current or former partners, but women who die by su***de after years of abuse are often missing from official domestic violence statistics.
➡️ Research shows that when coroners investigate women's su***des, between 25% and 50% have a history of domestic and family violence.
➡️ Around 15 Australian women die by su***de every week.
➡️ In California, "Joanna's Law" requires police to thoroughly investigate su***des where there is a history of domestic violence.
➡️ In the UK, coercive control laws have led to abusive partners being charged after women died by su***de.
➡️ Experts warn that some domestic violence homicides are staged to look like su***des, meaning crucial evidence can be lost if investigations stop too soon.

Professor Heather Douglas from the University of Melbourne says Australia is falling behind other countries and needs stronger investigations, accountability for perpetrators, and better recognition of domestic violence-related su***des.

Violence doesn't only kill through physical assault. Coercive control, intimidation, isolation, financial abuse and psychological abuse can have fatal consequences too.

As she notes: "There should be some accountability to the perpetrator who carried out that violence."

Read the article from The Age here (paywalled): https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/slow-femicide-call-to-hold-abusive-partners-to-account-for-su***des-20260607-p604lx.html

Based on reporting in The Age and research published in the International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/

Need help? Support is available:
🚨In immediate danger? Call 000
📱 Lifeline (24/7): 13 11 14
📱DVConnect (24/7): 1800 811 811
📱1800RESPECT (24/7): 1800 737 732
📱13YARN (24/7): 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

⚖️Free DFV legal help – WLSQ’s Statewide Helpline: 1800 957 957 (Mon–Fri 9 AM–4:30 PM) find factsheets and resources on our website – www.wlsq.org.au

18/06/2026

‼️ Goomalling Community Test Alert ‼️

📅 Friday 19 June 2026
⏰ 12:00noon (AWST)

AusAlert national warning system testing is taking place Australia wide in July, but the Goomalling region in WA is one of the early test sites, with testing scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 19 June 2026.

If you are in the test area and do not want to receive the alert to your phone or device:
🟠 One hour before the test or alert: turn the device off OR switch it to aeroplane mode
🟠 During and after the test: keep your device off or on aeroplane mode for 24 hours

Learn more about AusAlert community testing ➡️ https://www.ausalert.gov.au/alerts-explained/community-testing

17/06/2026

Will you make a pledge and join the world record attempt On the 1st July?

17/06/2026

Two more "Thank you" posts.....
To our new President Jo who is no longer a hidden gem! We thank Jo for sharing her bio with us at her first meeting at the 'helm'. What Jo has achieved in her life is astounding. We look forward to the forthcoming chapter.
To outgoing Area Director Kimberley, who has spent most of the past six years on the District Board as secretary until 2024 and as Area Director from 2024-2026. We look forward to working with her in her 2026-2028 district roles. Kimberley received a ROSE (Recognition of Service Excellence) award as a small token of our appreciation.
Well done to both Zontians!

17/06/2026

Thanks to new member Glenise, who told us all about herself and wow, we have gained a real gem here! Unfortunately the photo was not good enough to post.
However, we do have photos of a challenge from Dot, who had us up and about, looking and "finding someone who....."! Thanks Dot, the room was abuzz with talking and laughing and we got to know more about each other.
It was a lot of fun!

17/06/2026

At last night's club meeting we celebrated Amanda's 15-year Zonta membership milestone. When Area Director Kimberley presented Amanda's citation, we were all reminded of Amanda's outstanding contributions to our club during this time, including just finishing her term as our club president.
Thank you for your commitment and your friendship, Amanda! 🥰

16/06/2026

We all have a right to feel safe and respected. We all have a right to live our lives free from violence.

15/06/2026

This International Men’s Health Week, we highlight the importance of men and boys prioritising their health and wellbeing.

This year’s theme, ‘See a GP’, is a reminder to take simple, proactive steps, checking in, seeking support, and having honest conversations.

At White Ribbon Australia, we know prevention is about building healthier futures, supporting men and boys to feel connected, ask for help, show vulnerability, and form respectful relationships.

Together, we can create communities where men and boys thrive and contribute to positive change.

Healthier men, safer communities.

15/06/2026

Plastic Free July is coming up!
What do you have planned?

Planning an event for Plastic Free July? Or want to find what’s going on in your community?

Check out our events map: plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/find-events-near-you

From plastic free picnics to film screenings, and from quiz nights to workshops, it’s a great way to get even more people along to your event, or to find out what’s happening near you.

15/06/2026

There's a really important message here! 😞

On bronze statues of women all over the world, there is one spot worn smooth and shining gold while the rest darkens with age -- the breasts.

Decades of hands reaching out, again and again, have polished the metal bright. In Germany, the women's rights organization Terre des Femmes looked at that phenomenon and saw something most people walk past without registering: a public record of unwanted touching, etched into the statues themselves. In April, for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, they built a campaign around it called "Unsilence the Violence" -- installing placards behind three well-known statues with a single line: "Sexual harassment leaves its mark."

The three they chose -- the "Enchanting Juliet" in Munich's Marienplatz, "Frau Rhein" at Berlin's Neptune Fountain, and "The Youth" in Bremen's Hoetgerhof -- each carry the same worn, gleaming marks, and the point is the parallel. Two in three women in Germany experience sexual harassment in their everyday lives, the organization noted -- and the numbers elsewhere are no better. A 2018 nationally representative survey by the U.S. nonprofit Stop Street Harassment found that 81% of American women have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime, with 51% reporting they had been touched or groped without consent.

Yet the assaults are too often trivialized, dismissed, or simply looked past -- by perpetrators, by bystanders, by society. "The marks it leaves behind are visible on the statues, but not on the victims," said Marielle Wilsdorf of Scholz & Friends, the agency behind the campaign. "It's not a trivial matter, it's a criminal offence." At each site, a QR code let the statue speak -- short audio recordings giving voice to the women these figures stand in for, alongside information on counseling and where to find help.

The installations stood for only three days before permit issues took them down, but the images traveled far past Germany. What makes the campaign land isn't the statistic -- it's that the evidence was always there, hiding in plain sight, on monuments people pass every day. The marks on a statue are easy to see once someone points at them. The marks on the women walking past those statues are not. That was always the point: the harm doesn't disappear because it leaves no visible trace. It just goes unwitnessed.

----

To explore the far too common problem of sexual harassment in middle schools and explore what parents and schools can do to address this serious problem and help foster safe and harassment-free schools for our girls, visit our blog post "Talking About Sexual Harassment and Boundaries with Tweens" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=28874

For several books for tweens that explore peer-based sexual harassment, we recommend "Maybe He Just Likes You" (https://www.amightygirl.com/maybe-he-just-likes-you), "That's What Friends Do" (https://www.amightygirl.com/that-s-what-friends-do), and "How to Be a Girl in the World" (https://www.amightygirl.com/how-to-be-a-girl-in-the-world), all for ages 10 and up

To start teaching children -- girls and boys alike -- from a young age about the need to respect others and their personal boundaries, we recommend "Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect" for ages 4 to 7 at https://www.amightygirl.com/body-boundaries

For two books to help tweens and teens feel confident when standing up for themselves and others, check out “Stand Up For Yourself and Your Friends” for age 7 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/stand-up-for-yourself-and-your-friends) and “Express Yourself: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are” for age 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/express-yourself-guide)

Thanks to the Female Quotient for sharing this image.