Violence Against Women Bulletin - Autumn 2005
Information Bulletin - Autumn 2005: Volume 9, Issue 1
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Religion and Family Harmony Project - NEW WAYS TO PREVENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A groundbreaking program to prevent domestic violence among non-English speaking communities in Sydney’s west is starting to show positive results.
The Religion and Family Harmony Project, coordinated by the Regional Violence Prevention Specialist (RVPS) for Western Sydney, engages influential religious and community leaders from Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Bahá’í and Jewish faiths to promote respectful and non-violent relationships in their communities.
“Research shows that religious and community leaders have a great deal of influence in their respective communities,” said Regional Violence Prevention Specialist, Western Sydney, Rugmini Venkataman. “They are often the first people that victims of violence turn to for support. The project aims to give the community leaders an understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence, its impact and where victims can go to for help.”
Over the last three years, the Religion and Family Harmony Project has been working in partnership with organisations in Western Sydney including the Cumberland Women’s Health Centre and NSW Police’s Parramatta, Holroyd and Rosehill Local Area Commands.
The project is starting to produce a real shift in attitudes. When the project started three years ago, community leaders were reluctant to discuss domestic violence and often denied that it was a problem for their community.
“As the project has progressed, they are more likely to accept that this form of violence is an issue for their community and has a severe impact on the functioning of individuals, families and their community as a whole,” said Ms Venkataman.
One of the major outcomes of the project was a recent forum where religious leaders from established communities shared their
experiences and ideas with leaders from new and emerging communities.
“This forum will be backed up with training and alternatives to violence workshops for new and emerging communities to learn about strategies to deal with domestic violence,” said Ms Venkataman.
Other initiatives of the Religion and Family Harmony Project include:
- community consultations with specific communities
- the development of a poster and other resources with quotes from religious scriptures condemning violence and
promoting family harmony
- a booklet for religious leaders with information and a services directory.
Plans are currently underway for religious leaders to organise a Religion and Family Harmony Conference later this year.
For more information on the project, phone Rugmini Venkataman, Regional Violence Prevention Specialist, Western Sydney on (02) 9633 0717.
MANAGER’S NEWS - Welcome to the Bulletin
The past three months have been extremely busy for the Strategy. The Strategy has joined the Communities Division of the Department of Community Services. Central Office staff have moved to Ashfield, but the locations of the Regional Violence Prevention Specialists have not changed. Although the move has involved extensive administrative, technological and governance changes, the work of the Strategy has gone on unabated.
Strategy staff have continued their work in the regions including introducing a new sexual assault prevention/drink spiking campaign in North Sydney, a Religion and Harmony Forum in Western Sydney, assisting with training for police on sexual assault at the Police Academy in Goulburn, domestic violence training for community leaders from Pacific communities, and engaging with regional networks to promote International Women’s Day.
A number of emerging trends and issues have been identified by staff around the State.These will be followed up over the coming months. They include issues such as high AVO withdrawal rates, issues relating to family court orders and the lack of safe child contact change overs and the use of exclusion orders by courts to allow women to stay in their own homes if their safety is not compromised. We are developing a number of strategies to examine these policy issues over the next couple of months.
In addition, this year, the Strategy will implement new consultation processes to facilitate input and feedback from the sector about violence against women. Consultation sessions linked with the work of the Criminal Justice Sexual Offices Taskforce will be conducted at numerous locations around the State during the first half of the year.
Future consultation sessions will invite your ideas, feedback and concerns regarding such things as best practice models in responding to violence against women, gaps in service provision, issues and trends requiring monitoring and action, and alternative models and strategies to reduce and prevent violence against women. This is an exciting new initiative and we look forward to meeting and hearing from people around the state.
Our staff are deeply saddened by the tragic death of our colleague Tanya King, the Regional Violence Prevention Specialist based in Broken Hill, who was killed in a car accident on 13 May. Tanya was a brave and strong Aboriginal woman. She was dedicated to working to end violence against women and unwavering in her commitment to Aboriginal justice. All of her colleagues will miss her honesty, her humour and her down to earth attitude. She was a much loved and valued member of our team and we feel her loss. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to Tanya’s family and friends.
Gaby Marcus
NSW Violence Against Women Prevention Awards
The Violence Against Women Specialist Unit hosted the inaugural Violence Against Women Prevention Awards on 25 November 2004 to coincide with White Ribbon Day. This day marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“The standard of nominations was extremely high and were a testament to the high degree of commitment of those working to make the lives of women safer,” said Gaby Marcus, Manager of the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit.
NSW Premier, Bob Carr presented the awards. The winners of the awards were:
Service Provision
- Education Centre Against Violence, Western Sydney
- Canterbury Domestic Violence Liaison Committee, Western Sydney
- Yvonne Wilson – Griffith Women’s Refuge, Griffith
- Wendy Pomeroy - Liverpool Women’s Health Centre, Western Sydney
- Vanessa Worrall - Darlington and Alexandria Park Schools, Sydney.
Prevention Projects
- Kids Really Count Interagency, Northern Rivers
- Inner City Domestic Violence Action Group, Sydney
- Carrie’s Place Refuge and Maitland City Council, Maitland
- Cumberland Women’s Health Service, Western Sydney
- Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence Committee, Sutherland.
Access to the legal system for migrant and refugee women
NSW is looking to improve access to the legal system for migrant and refugee women with the reconvening of the Quarter Way to Equal Taskforce.
The NSW Attorney General’s Department reconvened the Taskforce in January 2005. Membership consists of a range of legal services and representative bodies, community organisations, and criminal justice and other agencies responsible for access issues.
The Taskforce is working on identifying continuing gaps in access to the legal system. It is considering and implementing processes aimed at improving access for migrant and refugee women including providing interpreters, cultural diversity training for workers and providing accessible information about legal services.
A key issue for the Taskforce to consider is the needs of new and emerging migrant and refugee communities (eg. from places like the Middle East and Africa), learning about their particular requirements for legal services, how they access information, how to produce information in appropriate languages and formats, and how to best make that information available.
The Taskforce will also consider advice arising from the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women 2002 review of progress on the implementation of recommendations of the Quarter Way to Equal report (1994). Produced by the Women’s Legal Resource Centre Inc (WLRC), the Quarter Way to Equal report outlined 53 recommendations to improve migrant and refugee women’s access to the legal system.
“Significantly, the original WLRC report found that domestic violence is one of the major areas where migrant and refugee women have difficulty, when trying to access services and support,” said the review report’s author, Rugmini Venkatraman from the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit.
“The review found that almost half of the original recommendations have been implemented but there are still gaps in service provision to migrant and refugee women,” said Ms Venkatraman.
The Taskforce will run for 18 months.
Further recommendations for consideration by agencies and organisations will be made by the Taskforce at the end of its term.
Community signs say ‘No’ to domestic violence
New signs on the entrances to the townships of Maclean, Yamba and Iluka are giving local residents a strong antidomestic violence message.
The brainchild of the Lower Clarence Domestic Violence Liaison Committee and Maclean Shire Council, the signs remind passers-by that “This community does not accept domestic violence”.
The Lower Clarence Domestic Violence Committee aims to promote the idea that domestic violence is the responsibility of the entire community said Committee Member, Di Fernando.
“We need to work together to find solutions to stop the violence and abuse and build a culture that is free from violence,” she said.
The Committee meets regularly to plan strategies and actions to raise community awareness about domestic violence and promote support services for women and their families who are experiencing violence and abuse.
Formed in 2002, the Committee comprises representatives from Iluka Women’s Support Service, Clarence Valley Community Program (Families First), Grafton Women’s Refuge, Police, Maclean Court, Community Health, Anglicare, Discovery Ministry and Lower Clarence Court Support and the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women.
For further information about the Lower Clarence Domestic Violence Committee, phone Mary Willison (02) 6620 2132 or Di Fernando on (02) 6642 4955.
VAW transfer to DoCS
DoCS’ Communities Division comprises a range of wholeof- government programs including Community Solutions, Families First, Better Futures, Aboriginal Child, Youth and Family Strategy and the Area Assistance Scheme.
Communities Division is part of DoCS. We also report to the Human Services Chief Executive Officers Committee on our whole-ofgovernment policy work.
Linking the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women with a unit specialising in multi-agency strategies and programs makes a good deal of sense and can only serve to increase the focus and effort on improving women’s safety.
Only a coordinated multi-agency approach can achieve this, as is recognised in the partnership arrangement which will remain a fundamental part of the Strategy.
From primary prevention through to the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators our service system needs to be coordinated and cohesive in its response to all forms of violence against women.
The Strategy has had many successes in encouraging collaborative and integrated service responses as well as promoting innovative education and prevention campaigns.
Community Solutions in Communities Division has also had success in coordinating programs to improve the interagency response to family and domestic violence, with a focus on the safety of women and children.
The transfer is an opportunity to collaborate more effectively with other whole-of-government initiatives to enhance and complement work with women, children, families, and communities.
I want to emphasise the Strategy will maintain its focus on enhancing criminal justice response to violence against women through a number of initiatives including:
- membership on the AGD Criminal Justice Sexual Offences Taskforce, playing lead role in conducting community consultations
- developing Standards for Perpetrator Programs
- membership on the Apprehended Violence Legal Issues Coordinating Committee, the Domestic Violence Integrated Court Model, Police Adult Sexual Assault Interagency, ODPP Sexual Assault Review Committee, and Quarterway to Equal Taskforce
- training for police and police prosecutors on sexual assault and drink spiking.
I am pleased to have the Strategy as part of Communities Division because I am confident we can significantly improve our response to violence against women across the service system as a whole and I look forward to your continued support of the Strategy.
Sonja Stewart Executive Director DoCS’ Communities Division
AGD Criminal Justice Sexual Offences Taskforce
At the end of 2004, the Attorney General announced the formation of a high-level Taskforce to respond to the need to improve the legal system’s response to sexual assault.
Comprising key legal stakeholders, peak organisations representing women, academics and policy makers, the Criminal Justice Sexual Offences Taskforce is reviewing current legislation, procedures and practices for prosecuting cases and supporting victims.
The Taskforce will look into different approaches of handling sexual assault matters, including convening specialist courts. It will draw from a wide range of sources including the recently released NSW Police’s Adult Sexual Assault Interagency report, A Fair Chance: Proposals for Sexual Assault Law Reform in NSW. The Violence Against Women Specialist Unit is a member of the Taskforce.
The Taskforce is due to provide a series of recommendations to the Attorney General by the end of 2005.
New research examines links between interpersonal trauma and the risk of suicide
The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing has provided $218,000 to the Education Centre Against Violence (ECAV) to research the links between interpersonal trauma – such as sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse – and the risk of suicide for people from different cultural backgrounds.
“Although there is considerable research about the links between interpersonal trauma and risk of suicide in the general community, there is scant research examining these links in a cross-cultural context,” said ECAV Senior Project Officer, Sarah Stewart.
Funded through the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, the project aims to bridge these information gaps and to support workers dealing with clients from this risk group.
“The project is currently in the consultation and data-gathering phase. Once this phase is completed, ECAV will develop and pilot a two-day training program and produce a learning resource that focuses on improving frontline workers’ skills and cultural competence,” said Ms Stewart.
“Further research in this area is urgently needed. We hope this project will stimulate the interest of both researchers and practitioners in this complex area of work.”
If you would like more information about the project, or are interested in taking part in a face-to-face interview or focus groups, phone Sarah Stewart on (02) 9840 3791 or email Sarah_Stewart@wsahs.nsw.gov.au
16 Days of Activism highlights
In NSW, record numbers of white ribbons were distributed and events were held throughout NSW to mark 16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women held from 25 November to 10 December 2004.
Now in its 13th year, the 16 Days of Activism is a world-wide campaign that calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
A number of events were held across NSW to mark the occasion. Standout events included an event celebrating the strength of local women held in Wellington and a round table discussion about claims that men are also victims of domestic violence, held in South West Sydney.
Wellington wins Australia Day Award
The Wellington Domestic Violence Collective received a local Australia Day Award for the most outstanding Community Event, for their ‘Celebrating the Strength and Diversity of Wellington Women’ event, held as part of the 16 Days of Activism on 25 November.
Are men equally victims of domestic violence?
The Combined Domestic Violence Committees of South West Sydney hosted a diverse panel of experts to discuss claims that men are also victims of domestic violence.
The hypothetical presented a number of challenges for the panel. Although this can be a difficult topic, the discussion presented the opportunity for practitioners to debate common preconceptions.
For a copy of a DVD of the hypothetical or a evaluation report, phone Bernadette Fleeton on (02) 9821 8527.
New standards for domestic violence perpetrator programs
The Violence Against Women Specialist Unit is currently developing standards for domestic violence perpetrator programs in NSW.
“The standards will draw on the evaluation of the NSW Government’s pilot domestic violence perpetrator program run in Mt Druitt and Penrith in 2001,” said Manager, Violence Against Women Specialist Unit, Gaby Marcus. The original 12-month pilot ran a men’s behavioural change program, as well as women and children’s support and referral programs.
According to the evaluation, conducted by social research firm Urbis Keys Young, one of the major successes of the pilot was the positive impact on victims of domestic violence in terms of the levels of intervention, support and information they received.
“Researchers also found the program successfully promoted effective partnerships between government and non-government criminal justice agencies,” said Ms Marcus.
“While most offenders did not reoffend 12 months after completing the program, levels of re-offending were still of concern. Although offenders reduced their levels of physical violence in their relationship, they still committed other forms of violence such as emotional violence.”
In developing the new standards, the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit will also study Australian and international best practice models for perpetrator programs.
“The new standards will be used by a soon to be established advisory committee of key stakeholders that will develop standards for monitoring domestic violence perpetrator programs in NSW,” said Ms Marcus.
New Resources
A fair chance: proposals for sexual assault law reform in NSW
A Fair Chance: Proposals for Sexual Assault Law Reform in NSW examines issues relating to the prosecution of sexual assault in NSW, including exploring current legislation and options for reform.
The Interagency Committee is convened by NSW Police and consists of NGO and state government representatives, including the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit.
For copies of the paper and more information, phone Tamahra Mason, NSW Police on (02) 8835 9162. The NSW Police Adult Sexual Assault Interagency has released a paper examining legal issues in adult sexual assault matters.
Launch of spiked drinks and sexual assault report
The NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women recently released a new report Old Crime, New Modus Operandi: Preventing Drug and Alcohol Assisted Sexual Assault.
The report reviews research in Australia and overseas and considers effective strategies for the prevention of drug and alcohol assisted sexual assault.
The report found that in 2000, alcohol or drugs had been used to facilitate one in five cases of sexual assault reported to NSW Health Services.
For copies of the report, phone (02) 9716 2061 or download a copy from www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/vaw.
Spiked drinks ‘It’s beyond a joke’
Last year the NSW Strategy Reduce Violence Against Women launched the It’s Beyond a Joke campaign to warn against the dangers of drink spiking.
The campaign was developed response to research that found men spiked their mates’ drinkfor a joke and were unaware of the fact that it is a crime. Others thought that drink spiking was a myth, and would not happen to them.
The campaign includes posters and coasters that warn patrons of licensed premises of the possibility of having their drink spiked.
The campaign was developed in partnership with Manly Drug Education and Counselling Centre, the Manly and Northern Beaches Police Local Area Commands and Manly and Warringah Local Councils.
For more information on the It’s Beyond a Joke campaign, phone Jenny Huxley on (02) 9976 8020.
Helping young people to negotiate RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS
The Negotiating Consent Kit has now been distributed to over 450 state-run high schools across NSW. The kit is a teaching resource developed by the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit to complement the NSW Department of Education’s Years 10, 11 and 12 personal development, health and physical education curriculum.
The kit will be used by teachers to facilitate discussions with students about developing safer intimate relationships, negotiating consent and date rape.
The lessons encourage students to learn practical skills and develop strategies to identify unsafe or abusive situations. It also provides them with advice about contacting sexual assault and other related services.
“At the end of the classes, students will develop a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities when they enter into close relationships,” said Manager, Violence Against Women Specialist Unit, Gaby Marcus.
The kit includes lesson plans, relationship booklets, wallet-sized information cards and the innovative date rape awareness cube.
The Violence Against Women Specialist Unit will be running training on the kit for teachers and facilitators during Term 3.
Non-State schools and youth services are being encouraged to order kits. To order a copy of the Negotiating Consent Kit, phone the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit on (02) 9716 2059 or email vaw-unit@community.nsw.gov.au.
ARTWORK speaks OUT against violence
A unique portrait depicting domestic violence was launched at the opening of the ‘Women of Tamworth’ exhibition on Monday 4 April 2005.
An Aboriginal women’s group in Tamworth has created artwork that highlight the concerns, passions and cultural diversity of women in the region.
“The exhibition is an important community response to violence against women in our region,” said Regional Violence Prevention Specialist, Patricia Kearton.
“The portrait shows the devastating effects when a woman is not able to speak out about domestic violence.
“The artwork will be used in antidomestic violence posters for distribution throughout the New England region.”
The exhibition finished on 29 April 2005. For more information, phone Regional Violence Prevention Specialist Patricia Kearton on (02) 6468 2814.
Celebrating Community and Culture
BOURKE’S YAAMMA FESTIVAL 16 – 24 OCTOBER 2005
The Bourke Aboriginal Working Party’s plan, titled Building Bridges, is set to host its first major event.
The Yaamma Welcome Festival will be a vehicle to promote the message that “Bourke is a violence free zone to local residents and festival vistors.”
The event aims to build bridges between individuals, people, families, and communities, both black and white, and unite the community under the banner of Spirit, Soul, Heart, Mind and Body.
The festival will establish Bourke as a centre of learning about Aboriginal culture and a place of healing. It aims to gather local support for the new Community Plan.
A volunteer group of eight young people will organise the festival with support from community members as well as the Working Party, TAFE, community groups and the local council.
For more information phone Libby Carney, Regional Violence Prevention Specialist Upper Far West Region on 0427 103 648.
HSNet Finding human services in NSW
As part of the Better Service Delivery Program (BSDP), the Secure Human Services Network (HSNet) website provides information for government and non-government human services staff across NSW.
The site is currently being updated and will soon include:
- ServiceLink – a comprehensive directory of human services across NSW
- ReferralLink – a secure system for making and tracking inter-agency referrals electronically.
To join HSNet, visit the website at www.hsnet.nsw.gov.au. For more information about the BSDP, email bsdp@commerce.nsw.gov.au or phone (02) 8837 6827.
Conferences, Events and Training
22 June - Religion and Family Harmony Conference Holroyd Centre, Merrylands Phone (02) 9633 0643
20 June - World Refugee Day www.unhcr.org.au/WRD2005
3-10 July - NAIDOC Week
14-17 August - The International Conference on Engaging Communities, Brisbane For more information about the conference, visit www.engagingcommunities2005.org
14-16 September - Refocusing women’s experience of violence Bankstown Town Hall www.tourhosts.com.au/refocussing2005/
24-30 October - YWCA Week Without Violence For more information, visit www.ywca.org.au
28 October - Reclaim the Night For more information about Reclaim the Night events, visit www.isis.aust.com/rtn
25 November - International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women White Ribbon Day.
For more information about White Ribbon Day visit www.whiteribbonday.org.au. For details about International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women Day events, visit www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/vaw
2 December 2005 - NSW Stop Domestic Violence Day For more information about the Day, visit www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/vaw
How to contact us
Violence Against Women Specialist Unit, Communities Division
NSW Department of Community Services
Locked Bag 28, Ashfield NSW 1800
Phone: (02) 9716 2061
Fax: (02) 9716 0341
E-mail: vaw-unit@community.nsw.gov.au
Manager: Gaby Marcus
Senior Policy Officer: Rochelle Braaf
Senior Policy Officer: Drolkar Yeshe
Senior Project Officer: April Pham
Officer Manager: Kashmira Shrestha
Administrative Assistant: Cherry Harte
Policy Officer: Craig McIntosh
Project Officer: Janice Bagot
Project Officers enhancing access to services for Aboriginal women
Project Officer (Bega): Catherine Clarke 0428 607 790 catherine.clarke@community.nsw.gov.au
Project Officer (Wellington): Christine Foreman (02) 6845 1631 christine.foreman@community.nsw.gov.au
Thank you for your patience
Unfortunately there have been some disruptions to email and telephone communications during the Unit’s state-wide transition to DoCS. These problems are being addressed and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to services or women trying to get in touch with us. Thank you for the patience you have shown.
Regional Violence Prevention Specialists
| Kirsten Busby | Mid North Coast | (02) 6588 2913 | kirsten.busby@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Liz MacRaild | Mid Western | (02) 6361 6925 | liz.macraild@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Libby Carney | Upper Far West | (02) 6872 1795 | elizabeth.carney@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Bronwyn Richards | Southern | (02) 6298 9966 | bronwyn.richards@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Vacant | Lower Far West | (02) 9716 2061 | vaw-unit@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Bronwyn Lyons | Greater Murray | (02) 6933 9115 | bronwyn.lyons@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Robyn Edwards | South Eastern Sydney | (02) 9382 8145 | robyn.edwards@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Carina Hickling | Illawarra | (02) 4224 5731 | carina.hickling@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Rebecca Camilleri | Macquarie | (02) 6841 2346 | rebecca.camilleri@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Jillian Meyers-Brittain | Hunter | (02) 4929 0921 | jillian.meyers-brittain@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Bernadette Fleeton | South Western Region | (02) 9821 8527 | bernadette.fleeton@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Matina Mottee | Central Sydney | (02) 9745 8448 | matina.mottee@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Patricia Kearton | New England | (02) 6768 2814 | patricia.kearton@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Chris Smith | Central Coast | (02) 4320 2575 | chris.smith@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Jenny Huxley | Northern Sydney | (02) 9976 8020 | jennifer.huxley@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Rugmini Venkatraman | Western Sydney | (02) 9633 0717 | rugmini.venkatraman@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Anoop Johar | Wentworth | (02) 4732 1322 | anoop.johar@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Mary Willis | Northern Rivers | (02) 6620 2132 | mary.willis@community.nsw.gov.au |
The Violence Against Woman Specialist Unit and Regional Violence Prevention Specialists are central elements in the NSW Strategy To Reduce Violence Against Women which is a NSW intergovernmental strategy funded by: The NSW Attorney General’s Department, NSW Department of Community Services, NSW Health, NSW Police, NSW Department of Housing and in partnership with the NSW Office for Women and NSW Department of Education and Training.
This bulletin is for anyone interested in the prevention of violence against women and is intended to inform people about the NSW Strategy To Reduce Violence Against Women and its implementation. For more information contact the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit. ISSN 1328-4371
Click here to download the PDF version of the Autumn 2005 Bulletin>>
 | To view a PDF document, you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat on your computer. If you do not have a copy of Adobe Acrobat, you can download a copy for free from the Adobe site. |
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