“We need to break the silences that surround violence against women. We need men and women in our communities to have those difficult conversations and to start to redress gender and other social inequalities. We need our communities to recognise that it’s everyone’s responsibility to address violence against women – this Toolkit is a great starting point.” – Julie Oberin, Chair of Australian Women Against Violence Alliance
A joint project with the National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC) and the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (CDFVR), CQ University led to the development of a toolkit focusing on preventing violence before it occurs by working to change its underlying causes. The Toolkit is intended to empower rural women to lead their community in the implementation of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children The Minister for the Status of Women, Julie Collins, formally launched Stopping Violence Against Women Before it Happens: A Practical Toolkit for Communities at the Country Women’s Association of Australia’s National Conference in Hobart on 28 August 2012. Read Minister Collins’ Media Release.
The 15 easy-to-understand factsheets support the National Plan and explain the concept of primary prevention of violence against women, setting the focus on the community as the driving force for changing societal attitudes. The development of the Toolkit was inspired by two community consultations held at Emerald, in central Queensland, and Broken Hill, in western New South Wales. Read the consultation blogs for more detail. Start using the Toolkit in your communities!
Read the Project Partners’ Media Release
“We know from the conversations in Emerald and Broken Hill, and the work we do across Queensland, that there is great strength and commitment in rural and remote communities to change the conditions that foster violence against women. The Toolkit includes practical ideas that can be adapted and used in any community towards achieving that goal.” – Heather Nancarrow, Director of the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (CDFVR), CQUniversity.
“Women from regional, rural and remote communities drove the development of this toolkit. It recognises the specific needs and complexities of addressing violence in those communities, but this is first and foremost a community resource. To succeed in ending violence against women we need to engage communities like Emerald and Broken Hill all over Australia.”– Darriea Turley, President, National Rural Women’s Coalition
Click to download: Stopping Violence Against Women Before it Happens: A Practical Toolkit for Communities
Hard copies can be ordered for $35 here