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A free resource supporting local governments to prevent violence against women in their workplaces and communities.
Primary prevention is a distinct approach – broader than, and different from, other work that responds to violence against women.
A comprehensive and holistic approach to violence against women must involve a continuum of interdependent and interlinked strategies, with efforts across the spectrum.
Tertiary prevention or response:
Secondary prevention or early intervention:
Primary prevention:
In the past, attempts to understand violence against women have focused on individual-level causes, such as the perpetrator’s mental health, life experiences (such as childhood exposure to violence), behaviour (such as alcohol use) or personal circumstances (such as unemployment).
While such factors may well be relevant, we need to explain why most men to whom they apply are not violent, and why other men not exposed to any of these factors are violent.
The notion of a ‘social ecology’ is a useful way of understanding individual behaviour in a social context.
Factors associated with higher levels of violence against women include the ideas, values or beliefs that are common or dominant in a society or community – called social or cultural norms. These norms are reflected in our institutional or community practices or behaviours, and are supported by social structures, both formal (such as legislation) and informal (such as hierarchies within a family or community).
This model views violence against women as the outcome of interactions among many factors at different levels:
Learn more about how gender inequality is the social context for violence against women.
Website
This eLearning module from GenVic aims to support new and/or inexperienced workers to learn more about playing a role in preventing violence against women.
Graphic
This graphic from Our Watch shows the structures, norms and practices found to increse the probablity of violence against women at different levels of the social ecology.
Video
A webinar hosted by Our Watch discussing what's changed in the new version of Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women in Australia.