Guide to Prevention Capabilities:
Capability One

What is violence against women?

• UN Women’s list of Key Terms relating to the types of violence against women.

What is sexual assault?

• CASA House (Centre Against Sexual Assault) Forum provides a factsheet with definitions, types and examples of things that constitute sexual assault. 

Family violence – also known as domestic violence or abuse – is any abusive behaviour that is used to control someone in a family, family-like or intimate relationship, and makes that person afraid for their safety and wellbeing or the safety of another person. If a child witnesses abusive behaviour or is exposed to the impacts of this, they are a victim of family violence in their own right.Family violence can affect the entire community and includes a range of forms of violence, including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or economic abuse, as well as: 

Elder abuse 

• Safe and Equal and Seniors Rights Victoria’s tip sheet provides information around intergenerational household elder abuse. 

• Relationships Victoria tip sheet provides information around elder abuse as a form of family violence. 

• Victorian Government has practice guidelines for health services and community agencies for the prevention of elder abuse With Respect to Age – 2009 

Child abuse 

• This website by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) provides information to help understand child abuse and neglect. 

• Safe and Equal’s Fast Facts (2023) – Overview of statistics and key facts related to experiences and impacts of family and gender-based violence.  

• The Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey (PSS) is the most up to date place to find statistics on family, domestic, sexual violence, physical assault, partner emotional abuse, child abuse, sexual harassment, stalking and safety. For additional gendered analysis of the PSS see ANROW’s Fact Sheet on the 2021-22 PSS and NCAS. 

• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) provides statistics about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations of Australia for a wide range of areas of social concern including health, education, culture and labour force participation. 

The Power and Control Wheel is also known as the Duluth model explores the relationship between power, control and family violence. The two videos below explain the model including its creation. 

• Understanding the Power and Control Wheel 

• Ellen Pence discusses the Background Behind the Wheel 

Change the Story is the National Framework for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and was developed by Our Watch, VicHealth and ANROWS.  

• This video provides a quick introduction to the framework and is particularly useful in explaining the drivers of violence against women. (Watch the video with an audio description here) 

• This Summary of Change the Story Framework document provides an overview of the Change the Story. 

• Change the Story (2024) contains the full framework for the prevention of violence against women report. 

• Putting Prevention into Practice – How to Change the Story (2017) – this guide from Our Watch further explores the Change the Story Framework with a specific focus on putting theory into practice. 

• Safe and Equal’s Driving Change: flips the drivers to focus on the change we want to see, with a focus on practical and positive actions that everyone can take to end family and gender-based violence. 

• Our Watch – An article explaining what drives violence against women.  

• The ANROWS website includes an additional analysis of the ABS Personal Safety Survey data to explore the differences between violence experienced and perpetrated by men and women 

• Safe and Equal’s Understanding Family Violence – General information around family violence including prevalence and impacts, including impact on children. 

• National burden of disease study (ANROWS, 2016) examining the impact of violence against women. 

• Exposure to Family Violence and Its Effects on Children (AIFS, 2015) – Information from the Australian Family Court about the impacts of family violence in children. 

• Fast Facts: Indigenous Family Violence (ANROWS) Provides family violence statistics specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.  

• Our Watch has developed a specific resource for preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women –  Changing the picture: preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (2018). 

• Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way – Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families 2018-2028 is the key Aboriginal-led Victorian Agreement that commits Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal services and government to work together and be accountable for ensuring that Aboriginal people, families and communities are stronger, safer, thriving and living free from family violence. 

• National Community Attitudes Survey (NCAS, 2021)   – Summary Report 

• National Community Attitudes Survey (NCAS, 2021) – Youth Attitudes to gender equality and violence against women 

• National Community Attitudes Survey (NCAS, 2021) – Attitudes towards violence against women and gender equality among people from non-English speaking countries 

• National Community Attitudes Survey (NCAS, 2021) – Attitudes towards violence against women and gender equality among Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders 

Key findings and videos from the 2021 National Community Attitudes to Violence Against Women (NCAS) Survey, including the prevalence of beliefs in broader society that condone violence and gender inequality: 

• Attitudes matter: The 2021 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS, 2021)  

• Youth Attitudes to gender equality and violence against women (NCAS, 2021)  

• Challenging the Foundations of Violence Against Women – This video from Gippsland Women’s Health highlights the relationship between attitudes, behaviours and violence against women. 

• Diagram and accompanying explanation detail the differences between levels of prevention: Change the Story (Our Watch, 2024). 
• Safe and Equal’s What is Primary Prevention?: aims to promote understanding of work across the continuum from prevention to response, as well as provide practical suggestions to improve connection.  

• Change the Story (Our Watch, 2024) 

• Change the Story  (Our Watch, 2024) 

• Putting Prevention of Violence Against Women into Practice – How to Change the Story Handbook (Our Watch, 2017) 

• Safe and Equal’s Driving Change: flips the drivers to focus on the change we want to see, with a focus on practical and positive actions that everyone can take to end family and gender-based violence. 

Intersectionality is a key concept in primary prevention work. The resources listed below address the following knowledge indicators: 

• Understanding different manifestations and impacts of family violence and violence against women within diverse groups and communities. 
• The impact of socioeconomic status, culture, geography, age, disability, sexuality and gender identity when developing initiatives to prevent violence against women. 
• Culturally safe and responsive practices including adapting practice in the context of continuous cultural learning. 
• Different prevalence, forms and impact of violence against women on diverse groups and communities. 
• Understanding how multiple forms of discrimination, disadvantage and oppression experienced by diverse individuals, groups and communities, reduce access to resources and support and compound experiences of violence. 
• Embedding the principles of cross-cultural practice in primary prevention work. 

• Change the Story (Our Watch, 2024) 
• Putting Prevention of Violence Against Women into Practice: How to Change the Story Handbook (Our Watch, 2017) (pg 49-61). This section discusses intersectionality and best practice considerations when working with diverse population groups. 
• Our Watch Workplace Equality and Respect standards practice guidelines – Intersectional Approach . 
• Diversity and Intersectionality Framework (State of Victoria, 2022) – A framework to assist in developing intersectional approaches in family violence work including examples of considerations that need to be made in terms of specific groups of people. 
• The Pride in Prevention Evidence Guide (Rainbow Health Victoria, 2020) this guide summarises the currently available evidence on the drivers of family violence experienced by LGBTIQA+ communities and provides recommendations for priority interventions to address it. 
• Changing the picture: preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (Our Watch, 2018) A resource for preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. 
• Changing the Landscape (Our Watch, 2022) A resource for preventing violence against women and girls with disabilities. 
• Intersectionality matters: A guide to engaging immigrant and refugee communities to prevent violence against women is a resource guide developed by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health. This guide builds on the framework outlined in Change the Story and acknowledges the importance of understanding how gender inequality intersects with other forms of discrimination, particularly when working with women from diverse cultural backgrounds.  
• Connecting Communities is a wrap-around capability and networking program, delivered in partnership by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and Safe and Equal and provides a range of resource for practitioners working with multicultural or faith-based communities.

• Intersectionality Video A video from Newcastle University (UK) explaining intersectionality. 
• The Urgency of Intersectionality TED Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw. 
• What does intersectional feminism actually mean?  International Women’s Development Agency. 

• Changing the picture: preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (Our Watch, 2018) A resource for preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women. 
• Fast Facts: Indigenous Family Violence (ANROWS) Provides family violence statistics specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. 
• Resources to address violence against women in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Communities (ANROWS) This document details a wide range of resources relevant to preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. 
• Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way: Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families The Aboriginal 10-year family violence agreement for 2018-2028 (see pg 36 -37 for prevention priorities). 

• The Pride in Prevention Evidence Guide (Rainbow Health Victoria, 2020) Summarises the currently available evidence on the drivers of family violence experienced by LGBTIQA+ communities and provides recommendations for priority interventions to address it. 
• The Australian Trans and Gender Diverse Sexual Health Survey collects information about the sexual and romantic lives of trans and gender diverse people. 
• Zoe Belle Gender Collective’s Transfemme Website is designed to promote healthier dating and relationships between trans women and cisgender men.  

• Information and resources regarding working with CALD women are available on the Our Watch website here. 
• Violence against women in CALD communities: Understandings and actions to prevent violence against women in CALD communities. A report by AMES Australia and the Department of Social Services. 
• On Her Way: Primary prevention of violence against immigrant and refugee women in Australia This study by the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health highlights the need for consideration of women who are immigrants and refugees in the prevention of violence against women initiatives. 
• Promoting community-led responses to violence against immigrant and refugee women in metropolitan and regional Australia. The ASPIRE Project: State of knowledge paper. This paper brings together national and international research around family violence perpetrated against immigrant and refugee women. 
• Intersectionality matters: A guide to engaging immigrant and refugee communities to prevent violence against women is a resource guide developed by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health.

• Changing the Landscape (Our Watch, 2022) A resource for preventing violence against women and girls with disabilities. 
• Women with Disabilities Victoria Factsheets A range of information around women with disabilities including a factsheet on experiences of violence. 
• Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women with Disabilities (Women with Disabilities Victoria) A video that unpacks how the drivers of violence against women are experienced by women with disabilities. 
• Adopting mainstream approaches: Taking account of and including people with an intellectual disability in violence and abuse prevention A research paper around utilising mainstream approaches for prevention of violence against women with people with intellectual disabilities. 
• Our Right to Safety and Respect: Guidelines for developing resources with women with disabilities about safety and respect  A set of best practice guidelines and considerations for workers and organisations in developing resources that relate to the prevention of and response to violence against women with disabilities.