International Women's Day (IWD) is held annually on March 8 and was first declared in 1910 with the first IWD event held in 1911. The International Women's Day Centenary should make the women of past proud, the women of current inspired, and the women of the future envisioned. Women have made great strides in equality yet there is still a great deal to be achieved on many fronts and the 2011 IWD Centenary provides a unique and global opportunity to reignite, inspire and channel women's equality for the future.
Happy, Healthy Women, Not Just Survivors is a joint advocacy initiative between the Australian Women's Coalition (AWC), the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) and the Victorian Medical Women's Society (VMWS).
Sexual violence is a common experience for women in Australia, with 1 in 3 reporting sexual violence over their lifetimes and 1 in 10 reporting penetrative or attempted penetrative sexual abuse. Significant health consequences result over a lifetime, and with domestic violence, sexual violence is responsible for the greatest burden of disease for women aged 18-45 years. In spite of this, women who experience sexual violence are reluctant to access healthcare services. There is a critical dissonance between survivors' needs and service provision. A consultation report that advocates a long-term model of care for survivors of sexual violence has now been released nationally.
AFMW/VMWS invite you to fill in a simple 2 page survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VDDGRPZ to assist in the development of an integrated holistic model of longterm care for survivors of sexual assault in Australia. The findings will be used to assist other countries to develop similar services. We are inviting medical women from around the world to participate via MWIA websites and facebook sites. It is a simple 2 page document for medical practitioners. Thank you for your participation.
- $15,000 in leadership scholarships for medical women - leadership skills training conducted at the 2008 Medical Women's International Association Western Pacific Regional Congress - the development of the AFMW Leadership Skills Database - complete redevelopment of the AFMW website - the development of an online Leadership Portal - the establishment of a quarterly AFMW e-newsletter (see top left for a link to our most recent newsletter) - website skills training - the creation of an AFMW test website and website instruction manual for medical women to practice and develop their website skills
The AFMW Bridging Leadership Barriers Project final report details the outcomes of the project, including: - improved communication networks among AFMW and its members through effective use of internet technology - enhanced opportunities for women in remote areas to communicate with their peers and participate in internet-based training - enhanced access to medical expertise (via the Leadership Skills Database) to assist AFMW to inform and drive health-policy development and service development
The following is intended to act as a general guide to anti-discrimination law in Australia. It does not constitute legal opinion. This paper provides an overview of sex discrimination legislation in Australia in relation to: - Bodies covered by the legislation; and - Grounds of discrimination.
Women in medicine continue to experience professional barriers in their medical careers, because of their practice styles and life courses, that differ to those faced by their male colleagues. This discussion paper was funded by the Australian Government Office of the Status of Women under the Women’s Development Program Project Grants 2003-04 to look at the current status of women in medicine. As part of this study, we will be proposing ways of incorporating the diversity of medical men and women within medical practice and outlining discriminatory practices that are still occurring.
Publications
International Women's Day
The AFMW 
