New Responses to Domestic Violence

• NCJ Number: 191666
• Author(s): Rosemary Calder
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Paper presented at the 4th National Outlook Symposium on Crime in Australia, New Crimes or New Responses convened by the Australian Institute of Criminology and held in Canberra 21-22 June 2001. Downloaded October 8, 2001.

Annotation

The paper reviews the activities of the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence, an initiative designed to improve the circumstances of female domestic violence victims in Australia.

Abstract

For more than 26 years, the Commonwealth Office of the Status of Women in Australia has been working in partnership with governments, organizations, communities and individuals to improve the position, participation and circumstances of Australian women. A major focus in recent years has been the prevalence of violence in the lives of women, particularly violence within families, known as domestic violence. Domestic violence is a matter of major concern to all Australian governments. Through the $50 million Partnerships Against Domestic Violence initiative managed by the Office of the Status of Women, the Commonwealth is working with States, Territories, and communities to develop a coordinated and national response. The Partnerships funded projects in phase one focusing on identifying the issues embedded in domestic violence, testing service and community responses to domestic violence, documenting best practices, developing education and early intervention programs, and developing training programs and competency standards. The Partnerships initiative has now begun its second phase in which the government will be pursuing action on a number of fronts, all with a major focus on prevention. This paper reviews the specific activities of the Partnerships initiative, which included domestic violence and children, perpetrators of domestic violence, young people’s attitudes toward domestic violence, indigenous family violence, community awareness initiatives, and domestic violence and older women. Partnerships is proving its value in informing the ways in which domestic violence can be more effectively addressed using a wide range of strategies.