Violence Against Women Bulletin - December 1998
Information Bulletin - December 1998: Volume 2, Issue 4
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News from the NSW Council on Violence Against Women
Members’ Terms Extended
The Attorney General and the Minister for Women offered members of the NSW Council on Violence Against Women an extension of their terms until March 2000.
New faces on the Council
Tanya Plibersek and Doreen Conroy have resigned from the Council to pursue other commitments. Two new members, Jude Irwin and Jane Mills, have been appointed.
Jude Irwin currently works in the Social Policy and Sociology faculty in the Department of Social Work, University of Sydney. Ms Irwin has researched domestic violence and women from non-English speaking backgrounds, violence against young women from non-English speaking backgrounds; homelessness and young gay men and lesbians (which revealed violence as a major factor); and violence in lesbian relationships.
Jane Mills has many years experience with drug and alcohol related issues for women, particularly violence. She is a founding member of Women’s Alcohol and Drug Advisory Committee (WADAC) and was involved with the establishment of Jarrah House, the first women only detoxification unit in Australia. Ms Mills also has a strong background in community education.
News from the Unit
Claire Vernon is currently acting Director, Victims Services, a division within the Attorney General’s Department. Jane Sheldon is the acting Executive Officer with the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit. Claire will return to her position in the Unit in January 1999.
New position
At the September 1998 meeting, the Council decided to create the position of Deputy Chair. Following nominations the position was accepted by Dr Moira Carmody.
New sub-committee on research
The Council have created a Research Reference Group to scope the needs for research on violence against women. The sub-committee will be chaired by Dr Moira Carmody and comprise a range of academics and practitioners in the field.
Council Position on Perpetrator Programs for Violent Men in the Context of Domestic Violence
Work on this issue is continuing. In April this year, the Council released an interim position paper on perpetrator programs to encourage discussion and debate. A paper summarising the responses has been written and is now available. This paper will be distributed to all those who responded to the interim position paper and to those on the Bulletin mailing list. If you would like a copy of the paper contact the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit.
Statewide Campaign Sub-committee
The Statewide Campaign Sub-committee is finalising plans for the public education campaign to be launched in 1999. The campaign has a strong prevention focus. It is aimed at men aged 21 -29 years and encourages them to speak out against violence and abusive behaviour.
News from the State Management Group
Completion of VAW Information project
The feasibility study into the co-ordination of statewide information on violence against women has been completed, with a report provided to the State Management Group.
The study looked specifically at three booklets and one pamphlet produced by the Department for Women and distributed statewide:
- Women and Rape;
- Going to Court;
- Domestic Violence: you don’t have to put up with it; and the pamphlet
- Domestic Violence: you can do something about it.
At the State Management Group meeting in October 1998 it was agreed that the State Management Group would provide funding to ensure the co-ordinated whole of government approach to the availability of information on a statewide basis. This will include a revision and rewrite of the content of the current booklets into two booklets by the Department for Women. One booklet will deal with issues of domestic violence, the other will focus on sexual assault issues. Both will include an expanded section dealing with legal issues, including court processes. These new booklets will be published in 1999.
The feasibility study, which included an audit of available print information and sources of such information also provided some unexpected findings. A survey was sent to 486 government and community-based agencies. Over 50 per cent of respondents indicated they already have access to the Internet and of the 44 per cent who did not have access, half were expecting to get access soon. Consequently, the Department for Women has made the current versions of the booklets available on their website: www.women.nsw.gov.au.
Thank you to all who responded to the project questionnaire, the collated responses provided important information on information needs and the ways in which printed information can be improved.
What’s On, What’s New
International Year of Older People - Violence in the Home Project: Older Women Speakout
1999 will be the United Nations International Year of Older People. New initiatives are being developed with a focus on the needs and experiences of older people.
The Violence in the Home Project is the work of a group of women who believe it is time for older women to speak out against the violence in their lives.
The Violence in the Home Project will feature the voices of older women to increase the community’s understanding.
They are publishing a book of older women’s stories describing the violence they have experienced.
For further information contact Margaret Sargent on (02) 9660 5925 or Jane Mears (02) 9772 6250.
Latest research from the National Campaign Against Violence and Crime (NCAVAC)
NCAVAC, a Commonwealth initiative, is working on reducing crime in priority areas through a number of methods including:
- funding for both large-scale national demonstration projects and projects which meet more local needs;
- developing training initiatives;
- research;
- disseminating information; and
- co-ordinating Commonwealth activity.
NCAVAC reports provide comprehensive information on particular areas of research. Two latest reports include Fear of Crime and Working With Adolescents to Prevent Domestic Violence. They contain a wealth of ideas for preventing violence against women and for enhancing programs and services.
Fear of Crime
Fear of Crime examines the ways Australians perceive and manage fear, especially when it relates to becoming a victim of crime. The report’s findings are useful for developing practical strategies for managing and reducing fear of crime.
Major Findings
- People’s fear of crime varies depending on their personal experience, where they are, the time of day or night and who else is around.
- Young women frequently experience sexual harassment and are fearful of sexual assault. Young men are most fearful of physical assault from particular sub-groups of other young men. Many of them still go out at night and use public transport.
- Women learn from an early age about the risks of sexual assault and harassment and are most afraid of these crimes. This fear is rational in the context of lifetime experiences of sexual harassment.
- Most people have a general fear about ‘unpredictable strangers’, especially at night.
- Official crime statistics do not reflect the constant low level incivilities and incidents of harassment which, over time, contribute to a person’s sense of vulnerability and anxiety about becoming a victim of crime.
Working with Adolescents to Prevent Domestic Violence
Previous research has found that working with adolescents can be important in the primary prevention of domestic violence.
In 1997, the Commonwealth Government’s National Campaign Against Violence and Crime and the National Anti-Crime Strategy decided to work together on a joint project aimed at finding effective ways of working with adolescents to prevent domestic violence. This report is the main outcome of Stage 1.
It includes a literature review, an audit of Australian violence prevention programs and the design of a pilot program. Stage 2 involves the piloting of a program in rural Western Australia.
Literature Review Findings
- Violence is more likely, and more acceptable, in certain cultures and subcultures than others. In Australia, these cultures and subcultures are characterised by poverty and marginalisation.
- For some disadvantaged boys, violence is a way of proving masculinity and thereby claiming social status and power.
- Children who have experienced family violence are at a much higher risk of becoming perpetrators and have a far greater acceptance of violence as a means of control. Despite this, the majority of children who have witnessed or are victims of violence in their families do not go on to be perpetrators.
- Factors protecting witnesses or victims can include: success at school; and healthy relationships with siblings and friends. Childhood years before 12 are critical in the establishment of aggressive and violent response styles.
- Violence prevention programs for adolescents need to include the school but also be highly integrated with other community resources and developments.
A third NCAVAC report on issues of working with perpetrators of domestic violence is due for release shortly.
Against the Odds: How Women Survive Domestic Violence
The Office of the Status for Women have released a report as part of the Commonwealth initiative Partnerships Against Domestic Violence.
This report is the result of a study into the needs of women experiencing domestic violence who do not use domestic violence and related crisis services. The aim of the study was twofold:
- to identify why the majority of women do not report incidences of domestic violence or seek assistance from crisis services; and
- to identify the alternative strategies and services women use to manage or cope with the abuse.
The women who participated in the study came from a wide variety of backgrounds and circumstances. Not surprisingly, the report found that the needs of domestic violence victims are as diverse as the communities they come from. However, the research highlights the fact that women experiencing domestic violence continue to face major barriers in disclosing or seeking help. It suggests that there are women who are subjected to domestic violence who do not recognise their experience as such. Their family and friends, as well as some service providers, fail to recognise the experience or fail to confirm the women’s experience for them.
The report suggests a number of future directions for domestic violence policy and service-delivery, and how these might be implemented.
Contact the Office of the Status for Women on (06) 271 5722 for information about obtaining copies of the report.
Feedback from the Regional Violence Prevention Specialists
The inaugural Reclaim the Night march in Tumut
Much of the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women is about trying new things, taking risks and exploring what works and what does not work so well.
Organising a Reclaim the Night march in Tumut was a perfect example. A risk that provided the opportunity for women and children from the South West Slopes area of rural NSW to come out and say violence in their community was not acceptable.
One hundred and fifty women and children marched through the central business district of Tumut, displaying their belief that violence against women is not an acceptable part of life for women at home, on the street or in the community.
Reclaim the Night celebrations included the launch of the South West Slopes Area Violence Prevention Plan* and local entertainment. People are already asking about next year’s march.
Congratulations to the local planning group for their work and their courage to try something new.
*The Tumut Reclaim the Night march was highlighted in the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women - South West Slopes Violence Prevention Plan. This plan describes a number of violence prevention projects, to be implemented in the South West Slopes area, by a range of government and community agencies. For more information about the South West Slopes Violence Prevention Plan contact Karen MacLean, Greater Murray Regional Violence Prevention Specialist.
Regional Violence Prevention Specialists (RVPS) Contact List
| Regional Specialist | Area Health Region | Location | Phone |
| Punita Boardman | Northern Sydney | Manly | (02) 9976 8020 |
Robyn Edwards
Sydney | South Eastern | Zetland | (02) 9382 8145 |
| Di Furniss | Northern Rivers | Lismore | (02) 6620 2401 |
Lilian Gomez
Sydney | South Western
| Liverpool | (02) 9821 8527 |
| Cathy Hastings | New England | Tamworth | (02) 6768 2814 |
| Denise Henry | Illawarra | Wollongong
East | (02) 4226 8143 |
| Anoop Johar | Wentworth | Penrith | (02) 4732 1322 |
| Helen Kay | Mid Western | Orange | (02) 6361 6925 |
| Karen MacLean | Greater Murray | Albury | (02) 6058 1850 |
Jillian Meyers-
Brittain | Hunter | Newcastle | (02) 4929 0921 |
| Matina Mottee | Central Sydney | Burwood | (02) 9715 0448 |
| Liz Mulder | Macquarie | Coonabarabran | (02) 6842 6447 |
| Chris Smith | Central Coast | Gosford | (02) 4320 2575 |
Rugmini
Venkatraman | Western Sydney | Parramatta | (02) 9633 0717 |
| Mary Willis | Mid North Coast | Taree | (02) 6551 1507 |
| Tashe Wise | Southern | Queanbeyan | (02) 6298 9966 |
In memory of Elva Margaret Clegg, a leading member of the Refuge Movement
Elva Margaret Clegg, who recently passed away, was a founding member of the Women’s Refuge at Warilla on the South Coast of NSW. In March 1976, Elva attended a public meeting from which the Women’s Refuge Action Group (WRAG) emerged with Elva as President. The influence of the group was immediate. The intense work and lobbying of the group paid off, within a space of four months Warilla Women’s Refuge, known as Juno, was officially opened.
The women worked on a voluntary basis until funding became available in 1979. During the 22 years Elva worked at this refuge she held the positions of general worker, court support worker, working party delegate, director, relief co-ordinator and Santa Claus. From 1984-1990, Elva held the position of migrant worker which involved working with the women and children within the refuge as well as liaising and communicating with all ethnic groups in the Illawarra area.
Christmas Greetings
The staff at the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit wish all of the VAW Bulletin readers a happy and safe Festive Season.
The Violence Against Women Specialist Unit is based in the Crime Prevention Division of the NSW Attorney General’s Department. It is one of the central initiatives in the NSW Strategy To Reduce Violence Against Women.
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 about the Bulletin contact the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit.
The NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women is funded by the NSW Attorney General’s Department, NSW Department of Community Services, NSW Health and the NSW Police Service.
ISSN 1328-437
Click here to download the PDF version of the December 1998 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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