VicAVP: Report, Discuss, Respond - Encouraging outcomes for violence & its impacts within & against the Victoria GLBTi community since 1997.
// October 19th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Media discussion
Tonight on “Hide and Seek” on JOY 94.9 is the latest installment of the JOY 94.9, Victoria Police and Anti Violence Project’s Community Safety Month partnership – a wide ranging discussion about Sexual Assault.
Tune-in to JOY 94.9 if you are in Melbourne, or listen on-line via JOY 94.9’s web streaming – click here!
This program will be podcast – stay tuned for details.
// October 16th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Incidents, Media discussion, Within Victoria
Update: 11 November 2009 – Missing student Timothy Wing Keung has been located in Sydney and is returning to Melbourne today. Police investigating his disappearance have spoken personally to him and he is safe and well. The Anti Violence Project thanks the GLBT and extended community for actively networking to ensure this man’s whereabouts became known and safety was ensured.
Update: 22 October 2009 – The location of missing student Timothy Wing Keung remains unknown. Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer Acting Sergeant Gabby Tyacke and AVP head Greg Adkins joined JOY 94.9 “Conch” host today to request anyone within the GLBT community with information about Tim’s whereabouts to come forward and assist in locating his whereabouts.
Please contact Knox Police on 09 9881 7000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppers.com.au
Previously:
Distraught parents of missing student plea for help
Courtesy of The Age (Andra Jackson), October 14, 2009
Missing student Timothy Wing Keung.
The distraught mother of a Hong Kong student missing in Melbourne has begged him to get in touch.
Timothy Wing Keung, 29, was last seen at his Ferntree Gully home about 6.30am last Monday.
Mr Keung, who is studying IT security at Deakin University’s Burwood campus, left behind a number of personal items he usually carried with him.
Police are concerned for Mr Keung’s wellbeing.
His mother Sau Ying Ng said she spoke to her son regularly over the internet but when she last rang him about noon on the day he disappeared, he did not want to talk.
‘‘Tim sounded really tired. He didn’t want to talk. He just hung up the phone,’’ she said speaking in Melbourne through an interpreter and family friend Koonju Wang.
Two days later, his family in Hong Kong was contacted by police and told their son was missing.
‘‘He just walked out and didn’t bring anything with him. He didn’t bring a jacket or money. I am really worried,’’ Mrs Ng said.
She has visited the house where Mr Keung lives with two other students but found nothing amiss.
Mrs Ng appealed to her son to make contact saying, ‘‘Mum just wants to know that you are safe and well.’’
She asked her son to leave a message on the internet to reassure his family that he is safe.
Mrs Ng was accompanied to Australia by one of her two daughters Lai Wah, 26, who described her missing brother as ‘‘really helpful’’. When family friends sent their son or daughter to Australia to study, Mr Keung would look after them.
They affectionately called him ‘‘Uncle Tim’’.
Mr Keung, 29, had been in Australia a year and loved his new home.
‘‘He was really confident and studied hard,’’ his sister said.
Mr Keung is described as Asian, 176 centimetres, 60 kilograms, with straight black collar-length hair, dark-coloured eyes and of thin build.
He speaks Cantonese and reasonable English and was believed to be wearing tracksuit pants and runners.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact Knox police on 9881 7000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestoppers.com.au
Click here to link to associated article from The Age & view a picture of Timothy Keung.
Click here to reach related article from The Herald Sun.
// October 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Media discussion
AVP head Greg Adkins tonight addressed the Malvern ALP on the issues violence poses for the GLBT community, the current Stonnington violence and reporting pilot project and the need for greater community partnerships to address individual responsibility and longer-term cultural change in the Victorian community to address current trends in public violence.
“Congratulations to the Malvern branch of the ALP in seeking to develop greater partnerships between the broad community and the individuals in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, to address violence in all its forms”, Adkins said.
“Their pro-active leadership in the Stonnington community is a huge step-forward to breaking down barriers that prevent reporting of violence by victims, and flag that the Stonnington community is ready for the local council to become more involved in addressing outcomes of negative public behaviour in the local “entertainment precinct”.
“The Anti Violence Project applauds the Malvern ALP establishing a community discussion on homophobic and alcohol-fueled violence and its impacts and we were delighted to accept their kind invitation to speak.”
(more details to follow)
// October 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Incidents, Within Victoria
Update: following the posting of this report and the Gay and Lesbian Liaison police then discussing this matter on-air Thursday 15 October 2009, a caller provided information to police about the alleged perpetrators of these assaults. Armed with this information, Police are now further investigating these matters. PLEASE CONTINUE TO BE AWARE and report any information to “000” or via the AVP’s online violence reporting service (click here)
Males in the Maribyrnong area are requested to be on alert for three man acting together who have targeted individuals on-foot and individuals in motor vehicles for five months. Victims are people that these perpetrators perceive to be gay, regardless of their actual sexual orientation. The outcome is violence against the person and damage to property.
Three reports of violence in the Maribyrnong area have now been received by the AVP in addition to information about a further three and definately more incidents – and all are linked.
The violence involves the throwing of eggs at people and vehicles, in and around a local park by what appears to be the same group of men. Language used by the perpetrators is anti-gay and possibly on occassions, racially motivated.
The AVP are investigating a possible connection between these incidents and recent local newspaper publicity which has:
(1) identified the location where men socially meet each other, and flagged to the perpetrators when to find gay men to act out against them, and
(2) relayed to the perpetrators that they may escape consequences of their violent actions towards others.
The AVP has requested the Victoria Police Gay & Lesbian Reference Group address these reports urgently at their next meeting.
// October 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Within Australia
Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) produced this great Anti-Homophobia TV commercial in partnership with Griffith Film School in support of the International Day Against Homophobia, 17th May, 2009 and we share it with you here.
// October 2nd, 2009 // 3 Comments » // AVP news, Within Victoria
A huge team of presenters and guests contributed to the JOY 94.9 “Generation Next” program’s Community Safety Month activities on Tuesday 6 October. This great show was the latest of the many radio programs shaping up to challenge and promote community discussion during Community Safety Month in Victoria – part of the three-way partnership between JOY 94.9, the Anti Violence Project and Victoria Police.
Hosts Micah, Kyle and Petro anchored the “Generation Next” show and were joined by Aden and Amber, two participants on the Q&A Victoria, Young Emerging Leaders program, Mark Camilleri from Family Planning Victoria’s Action Centre and the YAK group, as well as Region One Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer, Gabby Tyacke and AVP head Greg Adkins. A podcast will be available online soon so check back here for details.
The Community Safety Month partnership launch took place on 1 October with a four-hour live broadcast from the Victoria Police Media Centre during which Chief Commissioner Simon Overland announced he would be marching in the next Pride March, shoulder to shoulder with his police officers, building on the strong relationship built by his predecessor, former Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, further growing the strong and trusting relationships between Victoria Police and the GLBT community. Listen to Chief Commissioner Overland’s interview here.
A prequel to Community Safety Month took place with the “Been there Done That” show on JOY 94.9 on Wednesday 30 September at 11am – stay tuned for the podcast details so you can listen in.
Additionally, the “Hide & Seek” program with Dean and James overnight on the 5 and 6 October showcased their Community Safety Month program going to air live at 11pm on 19 October (covering sexual assault amongst other issues). Tune in to JOY 94.9 for the next show in the Community Safety Month schedule http://joy.org.au/listenlive
Bookmark this page for further information about the many other programs taking place in October within the Victoria Police, JOY 94.9 and Anti Violence Project partnership.
// October 2nd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Within Victoria
GLHV have suggested we keep an eye on their website www.glhv.org.au for details of the launch date for their new anti-homophobia poster resource “So Gay, So What!”. They have also passed a big THANK YOU to all the models who kindly offered their services.
UPDATE (13 October 2009): Anne Mitchell from GLHV is hoping the new posters come in today from the printers… you can email GLHV at info@glhv.org.au and they’ll send them out to you!
// September 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news
Stonnington Leader journalist Kate Bruce-Rosser reports on the AVP campaign to encourage reporting of violence in a localised pilot involving gay venues in South Yarra/Prahran (Market Hotel’s John Wain and AVP head Greg Adkins pictured).
// September 24th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // AVP news, Media discussion, Within Victoria
The GLBT community and state government have joined forces support Sentencing Act changes aimed to tackle crimes motivated by hatred or prejudice. Now the discussion commences about long-term follow-up action and funding for the Anti Violence Project.
Attorney General Rob Hulls views this as “where the motivation for a crime was hatred or prejudice, or victims are targeted by offenders because of the offender’s prejudice, or their conduct indicated that prejudice was the motivation, the courts will specifically take that into account when sentencing.”
Follow this discussion currently running in the two GLBT weekly print publications:-
Victoria Targets Gay Hate Crimes, reported by Rachel Cook in the MCV.
GLBT community has also questioned how effective the measure will be without it being underpinned by increased levels of reporting of violence, and government committment to follow-up action. Read Andie Noonan’s article Hate Crime Laws May Not Work in Southern Star.
Numerous reports and research papers have backed up calls over recent years for the AVP to be funded to provide long-term and generational change through an expansion in their currently volunteer-driven work addressing violence within and against Victoria’s GLBT community.
// September 15th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // AVP news, Incidents, Within Victoria
AVP head Greg Adkins and Stonnington Council staff today met to renew the relationship between Stonnington and the GLBT community. Manager of the Police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, Scott Davis, was also in attendance.
The AVP had requested this meeting following documentation of violence against the GLBT community in the Chapel Street precinct of the South Yarra/Prahran area. Initial GLBT community concerns stemmed from a delay in information of the Stonnington Assaults making its way through Council processes. Council staff then initiated today’s meeting. The AVP will now present at the local Liquor Accord agenda meeting in October with a view to them meeting with the full Accord committee a week later.
AVP head Greg Adkins said that he looked forward to introducing the Accord to a trial project commencing later this week in partnership with local gay venues. “Heaven’s Door” owner Brian Frewin and the “Market” manager John Wain are part of a trial which will look at providing training for security staff to encourage and support patrons to report violence to police and then, when safe, to the Anti Violence Project via their online violence reporting process.
“The AVP is trialling signage for the venues supporting the reporting of violence and identifying the GLBT training that staff have undertaken. We hope to extend this into the current Brunswick hot-spot also as part of the trial,
“We will then encourage local government to come on board to take the initiative further to its next stage.”
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