Join

us for a night of jazz at The Ellington

August 2, 2011 Although Australia has laws prohibiting domestic violence, many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region do not afford their citizens even basic legislative protections, a new report from UN Women says. While physically abusing your partner is illegal in 19 countries in the region, sexual assault within marriage is illegal in just eight. In the last 25 years in Australia, the rate of female imprisonment has risen by 209 per cent, compared with just 75 per cent for men. In the last 14 years the number of women in Australian parliaments has risen just seven per cent to 28 per cent, lagging behind countries like the Republic of Macedonia, Andorra and northern European nations. These are just some of hundreds of findings in Progress of the Worlds Women: In Pursuit of Justice. To help raise much-needed money for the Pacific Facility Fund, which helps train staff and provides funding for small organisations working to end violence against women in the region, Perth singer Nicola Milan has agreed to lend her incredible talents to support UN Women Australia for a night of jazz at The Ellington Jazz Club. Accompanying Milan will be Ben "Piano King" Clarke on keys, Rohan Nelson on bass and Naomi Tan on drums. She said the night would include a mix of all-time jazz hits from Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald as well as some Latin jazz, blues and folk fusion. Milan said she was keen to be involved with a cause that would help advance women not just in Australia but across the Asia-Pacific region. I have always been passionate about gender equality, especially in underdeveloped countries and places where culture may play a large role in the subjugation of women and their rights, Milan said. I also believe that targeting issues at a policy level can be an effective way to ensure positive change, which is what UN Women is all about. Young UN Women Australia Perth Committee chair Anna Johnson said the evening was a great opportunity to meet the new 2011-12 Perth Committee in an informal setting. While Committee members spend a lot of their time working on policy or projects, the jazz night will be a really good chance for our members to put names to faces and to meet each other in a relaxed environment, she said. Nicola Milan performs at The Ellington Jazz Club on Wednesday August 11, 2011. The event runs from 6pm to 7.30pm. Tickets are available at: http://www.ellingtonjazz.com.au/index.php/schedule/month/08/show/1431 or by calling The Ellington on 9228 1088. Table general admission is $25 and bar general admission $15. Copies of Progress of the Worlds Women: In Pursuit of Justice are available at http://progress.unwomen.org/ For more information on Nicola Milan please visit www.nicolamilan.com For more information please contact Athanae Lucev: 0439 962 284