Support to Federal Inquiry and Expert Panel Rapid Review on Preventing Violence Against Women
The Women’s Health Services across Victoria, committed to ending violence against women, welcome the announcement of a Federal Inquiry and Expert Panel Rapid Review which we understand from reports, will investigate “how to best prevent violence against women”.[1] We express our hope and readiness to contribute to this critical endeavour, aimed at identifying and implementing the most effective strategies to prevent violence against women.
We recognise the valuable contributions of various stakeholders in the field of primary prevention and appreciate the opportunity to strengthen our collective efforts through this inquiry. Our approach is rooted in the belief that collaborative, evidence-based strategies are essential for creating a society free from violence and inequality.
Hopes and Expectations for the Expert Panel
To ensure that the Federal Inquiry and Expert Panel Rapid Review effectively address the complexities of preventing violence against women, we present the following hopes and expectations:
We hope the panel will advocate for the full delivery and funding of the "Change the Story" framework, ensuring it is integrated with well-resourced early intervention, response, and recovery/healing interventions.
We expect the panel to design and recommend interventions that are coordinated and mutually reinforcing, collectively contributing to reducing violence rates and evaluating their impact comprehensively.
We hope the panel will clearly define and classify different types of interventions (primary prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery/healing) to ensure appropriate funding and resourcing, avoiding misclassification that affects funding allocations. We expect the panel to appreciate the systemic and structural nature of primary prevention and that activities of primary prevention range from the recently launched Consent Can't Wait campaign, to the policy and investment to address gender inequality in male dominated trades, through to work to encourage fathers to take parental leave across organisations.
We expect the panel to address the gendered drivers of violence against women as well as intersecting factors of marginalisation, oppression, and discrimination, implementing targeted initiatives to address these drivers and their reinforcing factors. We hope that the expert panel will take the time to understand the breadth and extent of the evidence of gendered drivers and intersectional factors and how addressing these is systemic and structural.
We hope the panel will maintain a universal approach to primary prevention that reaches the entire population while complementing it with targeted strategies for hard-to-reach groups, tailoring initiatives to specific needs and contexts. We expect the panel to appreciate that the way that primary prevention is implemented is through place based and setting based approaches that are undertaken in partnership with community.
We expect the panel to consult, engage, and learn from primary prevention practitioners delivering gendered violence prevention activities on the ground, integrating their practical insights and experiences into the inquiry's recommendations. Further, we hope that the panel will seek out and take time to understand the evidence – particularly that which has been generated by the Women’s Health Sector in Victoria – on the impact of primary prevention.
We hope the panel will listen to and respect the voices of those with lived experience of violence, ensuring their perspectives and insights inform the inquiry's findings and recommendations.
We hope the panel will understand the need for significant and sustained funding for primary prevention initiatives. We expect the expert panel to appreciate in its work the need to ensure that funding levels are commensurate with the scale and complexity of the problem without diverting resources from response and early intervention efforts.
We expect the panel to incorporate trauma-informed approaches in all prevention and early intervention strategies, acknowledging the impact of intergenerational trauma and child abuse on violence perpetration and piloting initiatives to address this relationship.
We hope the panel will address the role of industries, such as alcohol and gambling, that exacerbate gendered violence through targeted regulatory and policy interventions, implementing legislative changes to reduce harmful social norms related to violence and gender.
We expect the panel to promote ongoing research and evaluation to adapt strategies based on emerging evidence and changing social dynamics, ensuring prevention efforts remain relevant and effective by engaging with diverse communities.
Conclusion
The primary prevention agencies in Victoria are committed to contributing their expertise and insights to the Federal Inquiry and Expert Panel Rapid Review. We believe that through a collaborative, well-resourced, and evidence-based approach, we can make significant strides in preventing violence against women and creating a safer, more equitable society for all.
We look forward to working with the inquiry and expert panel to achieve these goals and to continue advocating for effective and sustainable solutions to end violence against women.
Download the statement here: word version, pdf version
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-28/violence-against-women-prevention-australia-panel-begins/103899326
About Women's Health Services Network
The Women's Health Services Network has been a driving force progressing and shaping Victoria’s women’s health and equality space for four decades. While our services were established and funded independently of one another, collaboration has been a strong part of our history. Today, the 12 women’s health services funded through the state government’s Victorian Women’s Health Program collaborate under the title the ‘Victorian Women’s Health Services Network’. This enables us to work as a coordinated, mutually-reinforcing statewide network comprising both place-based and specialist services.