Accent of Women

May 18 is the anniversary of the Tamil genocide and the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. This year, 2019, marks 10 years. On today’s program, we look at the situation for Tamils in Sri Lanka.On today's program, Nilanthi Kanapathipillai, a Tamil activist based here in Melbourne Victoria. and Shivani Jegarajah, human rights activist and barrister in Sri Lanka.

Samsung is a vehemently anti-union company. It has avoided all attempts to be held to account for the occupational deaths in its factory, a direct result of the chemicals used in the production of microchips that go into its electronic products.A compensation claim that is currently before the courts accidentally revealed that Samsung has been running surveillance on unionists and activists as a part of their union-busting campaign.To talk about all of this, on today’s program I am joined by SHARPS volunteer doctor, Dr Jong-ok Kong.

International Workers Day – May Day, is both celebrated used as a day of continuing struggle right across the world. In some parts of the world, taking to the streets is, in itself, an act of dissent and of resistance, and workers risk their lives just doing that. Iran is one such country where workers’ organising is heavily and brutally repressed. Hana is a labour movement activist, originally from Iran and now based in melbourne, victoria. She has recently returned from Iran and on today’s show, reports on the protests during May Day there, with some comparison to International Women’s Day.

This week we listen to a panel discussion hosted by Allies Decolonising.The event, Sovereignty, Treaty and Constitutional Recognition brought together Aboriginal community members to discuss the treaty process and Aboriginal sovereignty. PanelistsLidia Thorpe is a Gunnai-Gunditjmara woman, living on Wurundjeri country in Melbourne’s north. She is a community worker, mother and grandmother. Lidia has spent decades fighting for Aboriginal rights and the environment, including fighting to successfully save a million-year-old gorge in Nowa Nowa, East Gippsland and becoming the first Aboriginal woman to serve in the Victorian Parliament.Crystal McKinnon is a Yamatji woman who lives and works on Kulin country. She has worked at many universities and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, and she is currently working at RMIT as a Vice Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow. In one of her projects at RMIT, Crystal is working with a team on an Australian Research Council Discovery Ind

March 31st is Trans Day of Visibility, so today on Accent of Women, we are going to hand over to Sally Goldner, and her show Out of The Pan. On Sunday 31 March, Out of The Pan held a special, Trans Voices of Colour, and that’s what we bring you today.

Women of Color Speak Out is a collective of five climate justice, racial justice, gender justice and intersectional movement activists that came together in 2015 in Seattle during the ShellNo campaign. Those women formed Women of Colour Speak Out, out of a desire to create a space for women of color in the climate movement which, according to them, is dominated by white, cis men. In December 2015, they spoke at a public meeting.On today’s show, we feature the speeches of Sarra Tekola, scientist, activist and policy changer. She works tirelessly on intersecting movements from Black Lives Matter and ending juvenile incarceration to fossil fuel divestment and just carbon policies. And Afrin Sopariwara

This week we speak to Abbey Mag and Awak Kongor about their contributions to the South Sudanese community in Melbourne and the ethical risks of creating for/about community.Abbey Mag is a proud Dinka Bor woman of Junub Sudan, now formally known as South Sudan. Abbey’s interest lay in the use of social media and how it can be utilised as means of telling stories and changing narrative. Awak Rech Kongor is a South Sudanese young black woman in Narrm, Melbourne Victoria. She is the founder of Procrasinated Productions, a South Sudanese, Melbourne based, film and content production company.

On today’s program, we speak with Fiori Giovanni motivational speaker, social commentator, and author of the about to be released life memoir, Defy Your Destiny. Fiori is a woman who uses her own story of survival to help others. Born in war torn Eritrea, in north east Africa, Fiori defies a destiny of being a child bride, being a child soldier, and eventually being a refugee, to make it in Australia.

On January 23, the US government sponsored a political coup in Venezuela, with right-wing politician Juan Guaidó’s self-swearing in as “interim president,” a stunt worked out in advance with the Trump administration. Washington immediately recognized Guaidó, an operative of the extreme right, US-funded Voluntad Popular party, who had been suddenly elevated to the presidency of the opposition-controlled National Assembly on the eve of the coup. The Trump administration at the same time declared the Maduro government “illegitimate.”As you can imagine, the situation is developing quickly in Venezuela, with imperialist countries circling to side with Guaido to further exploit the natural resources of the country, in the context of economic and political unrest. Accent of Women is not a news service, so we can’t provide you with up to date information about what’s happening. However, today’s program offers some analysis of the background and context for this Parliamentary coup. On the show toda

A recording of a fundraiser organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance. The panel, Decolonising Solidarity - what can i do, was part of WAR's 7 days of resistance campaign.Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to Tanya Day's family in the lead up to the Deaths in Custody trial in March. PanelistsCaroline Martin is a descendant of the Briggs family and Custodian of Boonwurrung Country, and the 2019 Creative Director of the Yirramboi Festival. Crystal Mckinnon is Yamatji woman and research fellow.Clare Land, is the author of Decolonizing solidarity: Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles.Idil Ali is a Youth Practitioner at Drummond Street Services, and supervises VoiceFest.  Charandev Singh is a human rights advocate and paralegal and educator.

Meriki Onus, is from the Gunai and Gunditjmara nations and one of the co-founders of Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance (WAR).Meriki discusses the Invasion Day Rally and the legacy of Aboriginal activism. Check out WAR's website - Invasion Day,  for information about events, resources and how to donate/support. 

International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year. This year’s theme is ‘Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’. To mark this important date, Marisa Sposaro spoke to Jiselle Hanna about meaningful inclusion, self-determination and the accessibility of activist spaces. Marisa Sposaro, is a broadcaster at Community Radio 3CR, and produces a radio show called Doin Time about prisoner rights and advocacy.

Ayan Shirwa sits in on a debriefing session organized by Naarm Imagining Abolition.Naarm Imagining Abolition was organized by Meriki Onus and Idil Ali to address the inequity of capital. Through a series of fundraisers they were able to send a group of young people to Brisbane for the Imagining Abolition Conference organised by Sisters Inside.

Can you say whatever you want on social media? On today's program I chat to Tarneen Onus about the cost of speaking out against instituional racism. Later in the show Areej Nur sits down with me to make sense of our rights and responsibilities on Facebook.Areej Nur is a radio producer and educator Tarneen Onus is a Yigar Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Bindal and Torres Strait Islander. She has been a sexual health and consent educator, social worker, activist and rally organizer. Interview by Ayan ShirwaSound by Purple Planet Music.

For Us By UsThis episode is a recording of a keynote speech by Antoinette Braybrook, who's an Aboriginal woman and the CEO of Djirra. Antoinette spoke at the Tranforming Democracy conference organized by the Federation of Community Legal Centres. Antoinette discusses why Aboriginal led organizations are better placed to address complex and multilayered issues like family violence. Content warning :This episode contains descriptions of torture, sexual violence, rape, phsyical violence and mental health that may be distressing to some listeners. Numbers to contact:Djirra  03 9244 3333 or free call 1800 105 303 Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au djirra.org.au

On today’s episode of Accent of Women, we look at the leading causes of gender inequality in the Australian workplace and why female dominated sectors are underpaid.We speak to Kara Keyes, the Australian Council of Trade Union’s Campaign Director, and Achut, who is an early childhood educator in Victoria.If you want to know more information about the Change the Rules Campaign, go to  https://changetherules.org.au/Music: http://www.purple-planet.com

This week on Accent of Women we speak with Corallanne Pohlman, a proud Murri woman from Far North Queensland. Corallanne is a Youth Justice Worker in custodial settings whose late ADHD diagnosis as a young adult led her to question the effectiveness of the current education system for Aboriginal children.Corallanne looks at the way the current schooling system impacts Aboriginal children and reimagines a radical approach to education. 

On today’s episode of Accent, we ask the old adage: can sticks and stones break our bones?We look at the impact biased reporting has had on African youth in Australia. We also speak to Amy Maquire, a Darumbal/South Sea journalist and researcher about anti-blackness and lessons African communities can learn from First Nation people. 

Is Newstart a new beginning?On today’s episode of Accent, we ask, does Newstart allowance provide for a basic living wage - or should the payment be raised to meet the changing living standards.To help us understand the challenges faced by job seekers on Newstart allowance, we spoke to Gemma Mahadeo, a Melbourne-based writer and musician. Gemma's family emigrated from England to Australia in 1987.  She's a committee member for the Women's Melbourne Network, and has performed her work with the disability troupe 'Quippings'. She identifies as a queer migrant of colour, with a chronic mental health condition.We also speak to Lara Watson, the Indigenous Officer of the Australian Council of Trades Union about the failure of the Community Development Program. Lara is part of the roll out of the Wage Justice Campaign for CDP Workers through the First Nations Workers Alliance.

The Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ Federation has a newly elected President – Ou Tep Phallin who was formerly herself a beer promotions worker.  Listeners might recall the major campaign run back in 2016, in defence of women in teh beer promotions industry in Cambodia – this is where women are required to encourage tourists in night clubs to keep drinking, and are compelled to drink themselves, putting them in very dangerous situations.