Brisbane Line

Howdy info seekers! Thanks for listening on this fine Thursday edition of Brisbane Line. Here's a run-down of the stories we ran.

Story #1 - More Support Services for Sexual Abuse in Regional Victoria:

A new research from LaTrobe University highlights the struggles rural and regional victim survivors face.

The study, conducted along with the Centre Against Sexual Violence Central Victoria, shows how rural and regional women are revictimised, and why the numbers in these areas are higher.

The Wire's Eduardo Jordan spoke with Dr Emily Corbett Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Melbourne University and Kate Wright CEO of the Centre Against Sexual Violence Central Victoria.

Brisbane Line Discussion - Insights on the Alliance of Sahel States:

Last year, the West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger established the Alliance of Sahel States, a new mutual defence pact in response to political disputes with regional organisation, the Economic Community of West African States.

These three countries are located in the Sahel region of West Africa nearing the Sahara Desert. For over a decade the region has seen much political as well as security instability… and as a consequence the Sahel countries’ elected governments were toppled in military coups. In early 2024, the three juntas led-states declared their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

To learn exactly why these states decided to leave and what potential ramifications does this new alliance hold for the region, 4ZZZ's Toni Pankaluic spoke with Dr Muhammad Dan Suleiman, International Relations Academic at Curtin University and a West Africa security analyst.

For a deep dive...