A recent spate of attacks against women based on gender violence has prompted spontaneous protests in Australia, with citizens looking for answers from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and asking the leader to do more and ensure that women are protected from the spike in violent behavior they are subjected to.

13-Year-Old-Boys Won’t Change Culture of Sexual Violence

One possible solution, argues criminologist Michael Salter, is a concentrated effort by the government, which should seek and mount a national campaign to ensure that it has a robust strategy in addressing the festering issue which has spilt over to open public discontent.

One of the specific problems Salter outlines is that the onus is often put on boys and men, with the most common strategy being simply telling the demographic to “change.” Yet, this is a poor strategy as it elicits feeble responses. Instead, the root cause has to be addressed. Boys and men are exposed to alcohol, pornography, and gambling, which have been tied to increased rates of violence.

“Why is it the responsibility of a 13-year-old-boy to change the culture around sexual violence,” Salter asked rhetorically, arguing that the burden should rest with the state and the government instead.

Gambling Is “In the Mix”

His opinion is somewhat shared by Women’s Community Shelter chief executive Annabelle Daniel, who also serves as chair of Domestic Violence NSW, who spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Natassia Chrysanthos who did the original reporting on the piece.

Daniel spoke about the prompts that lead to increased violence on the part of men, arguing that alcohol, financial stress, drinking, and gambling all have a toll on a man’s psyche and could prompt men to violence against their spouses, usually women.

These warnings should be heeded by the Albanese government which has found its hands full with addressing both gambling and now the increase in violence against women.

The fact that both are somewhat related presents a fresh challenge and opportunity for the government, which has been working hard on enacting several significant regulatory safeguards at least insofar as gambling is concerned.

Australia has moved forward with a ban on credit cards and local regulators are also now holding gambling companies to higher standards. Yet, the prevalence of gambling remains a major issue in Australia as 2 in 5 adults in the Down Under gamble weekly, making it one of the world’s biggest gambling nations.

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Virgin Bet has introduced its inaugural Women’s Day event – a celebration that will provide appreciation to the women in racing and nurture an inclusive environment.

The social event will take place at the Virgin Bet Raceday on March 9 at Ayr Racecourse, allowing the operator to extensively promote its message. The Women’s Day event is notably a part of the gambling company’s A Good Bet initiative, showcasing the operator’s commitment to promoting inclusivity.

The new event will see Virgin Bet empower women in racing. The operator will therefore offer a variety of exclusive experiences to players, such as providing female visitors with the opportunity to pick the Best Turned Out Award before each race and present the trophies to the eventual victors.

In addition, Virgin Bet will team up with WalkSafe, an app developed to help women feel safe when walking alone. The operator will also make a donation to Ayr Racecourse’s charity partner, Ayrshire Cancer Support.

Virgin Bet Wants to Celebrate the Uncelebrated

In addition to other activations, Virgin Bet has also teamed up with presenter Natalie Pike who agreed to host the Women’s Day events. Commenting on the matter, Pike said that she is excited to be a part of this project and hopes to inspire “the next generation of incredible women working in horse racing.”

Sport is for everyone, and activations such as this are crucial to ensuring inclusivity and safety for women at events, and ultimately heroing the brilliant people who work in the sport.

Natalie Pike

Virgin Bet’s marketing director, Ric Leask, also commented on the initiative, saying that his team wants to provide exposure and support to the many women in the horse racing industry. According to Leask, these women are, sadly, often uncelebrated and un-thanked.

Leask concluded: “At Virgin Bet, as part of our “A Good Bet” brand campaign, we want to make sport more accessible and to highlight brilliance, no matter who the subject, and this initiative is doing exactly that.”

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Currently, Gordon Moody’s gambling addiction treatment center located in Wolverhampton is the sole location for the UK when it comes to treatment only for women. Besides being the only one in the UK, the charity’s unique treatment center is likely the single such location in the whole world, considering that men predominantly join gambling addiction treatment centers.

This creates an uneven ground for the treatment of gambling addiction among women while at the same time, more research on the matter is required. Now, a new report released by The Guardian suggests that while some women may reach out for help and disclose their addiction, they can sometimes receive antidepressants rather than effective treatment, a method that may exacerbate their issue.

Sarah Forshaw, Gordon Moody’s head of service development, who was interviewed by the publication, revealed that it is not uncommon for women to visit the gambling addiction treatment center and confirm that their previous attempts to treat gambling addiction were unsuccessful because they were misunderstood. Moreover, she warned that the addiction of many women may go on untreated. “Gambling addiction is still massively misunderstood and hidden, and women seem to be even more hidden within that,” added Forshaw.

“We’ve had a lot of women pluck up the courage to go to a doctor and talk about addiction and then be prescribed antidepressants, for example. Their addiction is almost swept under the carpet.“

Sarah Forshaw, head of service development at Gordon Moody

Additional Research into Women’s Addiction to Gambling Is Needed

According to Dr Rosalind Baker-Frampton, Gordon Moody’s evaluation and research lead, the development of the program available for women at the gambling treatment center started from zero. She explained that discussions with women who visited the center helped in the shaping of the program. Additionally, Baker-Frampton spoke about the insufficient research into women’s gambling addictions.

She said that while most research focuses on men, the same methodology cannot be applied to women since they have “different life experiences.” What’s concerning according to Baker-Frampton is that women, unlike men, can hide their addiction much longer. “Normally women have been gambling for an average of around seven years before they come to us. Our data shows 66% have children and 87% have some kind of mental health difficulty as well,” explained Baker-Frampton.

So far, the gambling addiction treatment center has collected data from more than 500 women. This data is going to be vital for further research into treatment specialized for women and Gordon Moody is actively seeking opportunities to join forces with researchers and universities that can play a vital role in this process.

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In April this year, Sajad Hussain, a 45-year-old resident of Winterbourne Road, Haydon End, Swindon, pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud. At the time, police authorities revealed that the man was behind a years-long fraudulent practice that brought him some £200,000 ($251,500). For seven years until 2020, Hussain exploited women, asking them for money which he then used to fuel a gambling addiction.

In 2018, Hussain married, but this didn’t stop him from continuing the shocking scam. Overall, he scammed three victims out of thousands of pounds by using a fake name, background as well as a plethora of different excuses and reasons why he would need money. To meet with his victims, Hussain used different online dating websites such as Badoo and Plenty of Fish.

The scammer was active between 2013 and 2020. During that time, he extorted three different victims and while his name and other background details would vary, it was the same story every time. Initially, Hussain would meet his victims on a date and flirt with them, paying for entertaining activities. Once their relationship matured, Hussain started to ask for money for different reasons, effectively extorting the women through his status as their partner.

Given that ultimately the scammer got hundreds of thousands of pounds, it was only a matter of time before he was arrested. After pleading guilty, now Hussain was sentenced and is heading to prison, a report released by the Swindon Advertiser reveals. The 45-year-old man was sentenced by Swindon Crown Court to five years and four months by Judge Jason Taylor KC.

Using Humans as Piggy Banks

Upon announcing the sentencing, Judge Taylor explained that Hussain concealed his identity in an effort to trick women to receive money. He acknowledged that the man also used sob stories to provoke sympathy. However, the Judge noted that in reality, Hussain was a ruthless and cold-hearted person that scarred emotionally those women.

“You spun a web of lies to ingratiate yourself into these women’s lives and, once securely embedded, pulled on every emotional lever you could to extract money from them. To you, they were human piggy banks.“

Judge Jason Taylor KC

Addressing the emotional method used by Hussain, Judge Taylor called Hussain selfish and said that he used women like human piggy banks. Finally, the Judge noted: “You expressed regret and embarrassment but did not show genuine remorse.”

To fund his gambling habit, Hussain obtained above $250,000 from his victims. Between December 2013 and December 2014, from his first victim, he took some £15,500 ($19,500). Then, between June 2014 and June 2020, from his second victim, he obtained £140,000 ($176,000). From the third woman, between October 2015 and July 2017, Hussain was able to extort some £48,500 ($61,000).

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Two women from Moreno Valley, California, have been given life imprisonment without parole for the murder of 84-year-old Afaf Assad at Pechanga Resort Casino in 2019. 

Victim’s Family Seeks Justice as Women Receive Life Sentence for Elderly Murder

Kimesha Monae Williams, aged 39, and Candace Tai Townsel, aged 42, were convicted in February this year of murder, robbery, and elder abuse. The murder was aggravated by the crimes of theft and mistreatment of the old woman, resulting in a life sentence for both women. The sentences for robbery and elder abuse were stayed as part of the single act that led to the murder of Assad.

The Mercury News reported that during the sentencing at Southwest Justice Center in French Valley on April 21, 2023, Mary Assad, the victim’s daughter, delivered an impact statement, saying that this had been a painful journey through the court justice system. She said that she could not believe her mother was the victim of such a violent crime. The family was seeking a reckoning for the heinous act committed by the two women, but not vengeance.

Kimesha Monae Williams, in a statement read to the court by her attorney, expressed her condolences and stated that she had not killed anyone. She added that the court found her guilty of the charges, but the truth was known to God. Townsel did not make any statement.

The statement made by Williams did not move Superior Court Judge Timothy F. Freer. The judge said that the idea that neither Williams nor Townsel were responsible for the death of a human being was laughable. 

Calls for Greater Security Measures After Elderly Murder at Pechanga Resort Casino

Judge Freer further mentioned that the victim, who had lived a long life, did not deserve to be violently murdered in a casino. He added that she was left on a bathroom floor with her head exploding. Several family members and friends of the victim wiped tears and sobbed as Freer pronounced the life sentence without parole.

The Riverside County District Attorney, Mike Hestrin, did not seek the death penalty. This case has attracted significant attention in California, and the sentences are expected to send a strong message to criminals who target the elderly. 

The incident at the Pechanga Resort Casino has raised concerns regarding the safety of senior citizens who visit such places. There have been calls for greater security measures and more robust screening processes for visitors to prevent future occurrences.

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