NCJ Number
140948
Journal
Criminology Australia Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: (January-February 1992) Pages: 10-12
Date Published
1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
It is only recently that issues of violence against women, incest, and child abuse have gained media attention internationally and in countries such as Australia.
Abstract
There, the National Committee on Violence Against Women (NCVAW), comprised of members from the community, all states and territories, the police, and the Commonwealth, is developing a national strategy on violence against women which will involve the coordinated application of the resources of all levels of government and the community. The NCVAW is working on the issue of data collection, which is often stymied by the secrecy that surrounds many acts of violence against women and the different definitions of violence used by various agencies. Three areas of legislative reform on which the NCVAW is working include gun control, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. The author notes that gender- based values and attitudes must be changed by challenging the very essence of patriarchy as it is manifested in domestic and other personal relationships. In addition to using the law to protect women from violence, there must be a mechanism to produce profound attitudinal change. Two initiatives are recommended to promote this type of change: a national community education program aimed at eliminating violence against women and a school curriculum that addresses the link between gender inequality and the use of violence against women. 14 references