Prevention of Violence Against Women

Over 2007-2008 Women's Health West, in partnership with the western region PCPs, was funded by VicHealth to run an Action Research project, 'Building the capacity of organisations in the western region to prevent violence against women: A guide to health promotion action'. The project brought together workers from six organisations in the west of Melbourne to struggle and puzzle over how to actually plan a project to prevent violence against women using health promotion tools.

The Action Research Group comprised workers from three community health organisations - Doutta Galla Community Health Service, ISIS Primary Care, and Western Region Health Centre - two local governments - Hobsons Bay City Council and Moonee Valley City Council- and one statewide health service - The Royal Women's Hospital.

This group was supported by an Expert Advisory Group of people from key organisations involved in prevention of violence against women and/or health promotion across Victoria.

The Project Management Group - Women's Health West, Brimbank Melton PCP, Moonee Valley Melbourne PCP and Westbay Alliance PCP - oversaw the project, and supported the project worker.

A key outcome of this project is a series of fact sheets designed for workers undertaking health promotion and violence prevention work. The fact sheets explore critical themes of planning projects to prevent violence against women using health promotion tools. They are intended as a 'jumping off point' rather than an exhaustive compilation, and we hope they are helpful. Please contact WHW to order hard copies.

The production of these fact sheest is possible because of funding by the National Community Crime Prevention Program.

Watch this space for regular updates.

For more information about prevention of violence against women click on the links below.

Things you can do:

White Ribbon Day Campaign
Support - International day for the elimination of violence against women

Amnesty International Campaign
Support - Amnesty International violence against women campaign

Stop Violence in the Home Campaign
Support - The Body Shop campaign "Stop Violence in the Home"

Local Projects:

GLOVE Project:
Gender, Local Governance, and Violence Prevention: Making the Links between Violence in Private and Public Space

AFL Violence Against Women Campaign
VicHealth has established a partnership with the Australian Football League to support activity designed to prevent violence perpetrated against women, within the sport sector and the community generally.

Resources:

Building the capacity of organisations in the western region to prevent violence against women: A guide to health promotion action. Kit containg fact sheetss that explore critical themes of planning projects to prevent violence against women using health promotion tools.

Raising Voices Publications
Rethinking Domestic Violence: A Training Process for Community Activists (2004)

Raising Voices Publications
Mobilising Communities to Prevent Domestic Violence: A Resource Guide for Organisations in East and Southern Africa (2003)

Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre Publications
101 Ways Great & Small to Prevent Family Violence Kit (2004)

World Health Organisation
The World report on violence and health is the first comprehensive review of the problem of violence on a global scale – what it is, whom it affects and what can be done about it.

Research:

Preventing violence before it occurs
A frame work for the primary prevention of violence against women

The health costs of violence:
Measuring the burden of disease caused by intimate partner violence. A summary of findings

Two steps forward, one step back:
Community attitudes to violence against women

Victorian Family Violence Database:
Five Year Report

The Body Shop Australia’s survey of community attitudes, understandings and responses to abuse in relationships (2006)
As part of its on going commitment to ‘Stop Violence in the Home’, The Body Shop Australia has produced a report that sheds new light on community attitudes towards relationship abuse.