Using your knowledge and understanding of violence against women and ways to prevent it, you can begin to explore what your prevention activity will do and who you will be working with.
Consider your setting/s
This may be an easy step as you may already know the setting or settings you will be working in.
Thinking about where people live, work, learn, socialise and play will assist you to tailor the work to the population group and the environment. When exploring potential settings, think about the level of need and readiness in each.
Once you have decided on a setting/s, it is useful to spend some time considering:
- accessing any relevant data about violence against women and gender inequality in your setting
- consulting widely within your setting
- ensure you have consulted in a meaningful way with women and men who may face additional discrimination
- understanding the existing strengths within the setting and consider how these strengths can be drawn upon in your prevention work
- considering the prevention initiatives that have been implemented in your setting/s in the past.
Undertake a gender analysis
A gender analysis is a process of considering gender and gender inequalities.
A gender analysis is a vital step in understanding how gender norms, practices and structures work in your setting. It assists in identifying key groups or individuals to include in the work, identifying priority areas for actions and identifying barriers to achieving your goals.
For example, if prevention work does not adequately consider gendered experiences and impacts or is not inclusive and accessible, then your work is unlikely to achieve its objectives.
Identify stakeholders
Every prevention strategy will have different stakeholders that need to be engaged in different ways. You need to identify the key stakeholders who will influence or be impacted by your prevention strategy, remembering that every sector, institution, organisation, community and individual can play a role in preventing violence against women. Key stakeholders can include:
- those impacted directly by your work
- your staff
- your clients, customers or members
- relevant referral and support services
- other organisations or settings that are undertaking prevention work in your community
- members of groups who are often marginalised or excluded from whole of population approaches
- community leaders
- local, state and federal government
- funding bodies.