NCJ Number
194072
Date Published
May 1999
Length
40 pages
Annotation
In November 1997, heads of government for the Australian Commonwealth, States, and Territories endorsed "Partnerships Against Domestic Violence" as a major commitment by their governments to address domestic violence in Australia; this literature review provides a framework for identifying benchmarks for the diverse groups of projects being undertaken.
Abstract
The literature on Australian domestic violence research and evaluation covers a wide body of knowledge pertinent to the six priority themes in "Partnerships" projects. These themes are as follows: working with children and youth to break the cycle of violence between generations; working with adults to break patterns of violence; working with the community to educate against violence; protection through the law; information and best practice; and helping people in rural and remote communities. Much is known about the effects of domestic violence on children and youth from both research and practice. Current "Partnerships" initiatives that will address gaps in knowledge include projects that identify best practices with children and youth and the peer education and support projects being piloted in various locations. Much is known about women survivors' experiences of domestic violence and some of the services that have been effective. Historically, less research has focused on male perpetrators of domestic violence; however, in recent years, a number of Australian studies have focused on interventions for male perpetrators of domestic violence. Considerable effort has been expended on community education and the prevention of domestic violence in recent years. Research has also been commissioned to examine how domestic violence has been addressed through the family court and related services, as well as through police action and restraining orders. There is a small but growing body of information about domestic violence in rural and remote areas. An area of domestic violence about which there is little published information is the use of effective information systems to facilitate responses to domestic violence. The authors suggest that the "Partnership" should conduct innovative projects to develop knowledge about domestic violence and responses to it and then disseminate findings systematically and widely. 43 references