Preventing Family and Gender-Based Violence
What is Family Violence?
Family violence involves any violent, threatening, controlling or coercive behaviour in family or intimate relationships, including physical harm of others or pets, threats, sexual assault, emotional, psychological, or spiritual abuse, financial control, property damage, social isolation, deportation, or any actions that cause fear.
It can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background, though statistics show that men most often perpetrate violence against women. In Australia, one woman is killed each week on average by a current or former male partner. (Our Watch)
What is Gender-Based Violence?
Gender-Based Violence refers to harmful actions directed at someone due to their gender, rooted in gender inequality, power imbalances, and harmful social norms.
While women and girls are most at risk, men, boys, and LGBTQIA+ individuals can also experience such violence, particularly when linked to stereotypes about masculinity, femininity, or any rigid gendered roles. (UN Women Australia).
What causes it?
Research from Australia’s national prevention and evidence-based framework Change the Story by Our Watch, shows that gender inequality is the root cause of family and gender-based violence.
Why is Council involved?
Councils have a responsibility to their community to do work that will prevent family violence and all forms of violence against women before it happens. Our Family Violence Prevention Action Plan is listed at Priority 5.1a in our municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan.
As the form of government closest to community, Council is well positioned to lead prevention in four unique ways
Council as a leader
We can set an example by making prevention a key part of everything we do, both as an organisation and in our decision making.
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Council as a workplace
We include a focus on gender equality in all our planning, strategies, policies, procedures, and training to ensure fairer outcomes for everyone in our community.
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Council as a service provider
We work with the entire lifespan of our community, giving us the chance to address the causes of inequality and violence through our existing community services
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Council as a connector
We utilise our community connections to bring together diverse groups and organisations to raise awareness, build knowledge and take action to prevent family and gender-based violence.
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Resources
- Responding to disclosures’ Guide
When you open-up conversations about gender equality, respectful relationships and violence against women, there’s a good chance that someone may share that they have experienced or witnessed violence. The attached guide can help you sensitively and appropriate respond, seek support and promote self-care.
Responding to Disclosures guide(PDF, 62KB)
- ‘Daisy’ App
Free mobile app developed by 1800RESPECT to connect people experiencing violence or abuse to services in their local area. You can use the app search for support services from within the app, which means these sites won't show up in your phone’s browser history.
- 'Sunny' App
Free mobile app developed by 1800RESPECT for people with a disability who have experienced violence and abuse. Sunny has been co-designed with women with disability to make sure it provides the very best support for the people who use it.
- What is OK at Home (WOAH)
WOAH is a website for young people their adult allies about family violence, why it happens, how to recognise it, and how to help others experiencing it.
- Guide to Safety Tool
PCLC’s Guide to Safety online tool helps community workers supporting clients on temporary visas experiencing family violence to safely leave the relationship and get migration assistance for their visa.
- Multicultural Family Safety Pack
Australian Government has developed a Family Safety Pack in 46 different languages for men and women coming to Australia. It includes information on Australia’s laws regarding domestic and family violence, sexual assault and forced marriage, and a woman’s right to be safe.
Support Services
Victoria Police
Emergency, dial 000 |
Emergency help and reporting of family violence offences.
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Lifeline
Call - 13 11 14
SMS – 0477 131 114
(24 hrs / 7 days)
Web chat available
www.lifeline.org.au |
We are a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
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Orange Door
(Frankston)
60-64 Wells St
Frankston VIC 3199
1800 319 353
(Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
bpa@orangedoor.vic.gov.au
www.orangedoor.vic.gov.au |
Dedicated FV Service for Melbourne Bayside Peninsula which provides help for people experiencing family violence, or who need assistance with the care and wellbeing of children and young people.
Links people experiencing or using family violence with the services appropriate to their needs. The service can be accessed in person or over the phone. |
Safe Steps
(after hours service)
1800 015 188 (24 hrs)
(Mon-Fri, 9am to midnight)
Web chat available
www.safesteps.org.au
safesteps@safesteps.org.au
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Victorian statewide specialist family violence response service providing crisis accommodation for women and children. |
1800 RESPECT
1800 737 732
(24 hours / 7 days)
Web chat available
www.1800respect.org.au
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National specialist family violence and sexual violence service with qualified counsellors who provide phone and online counselling, information and referral. |
Peninsula Community Legal Centre
441 Nepean Hwy, Frankston VIC 3199 1800 064 784
(Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
pclc@pclc.org.au
www.pclc.org.au
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(PCLC) Assists people experiencing disadvantage who are facing legal issues arising out of family violence such as:
- family violence and personal safety intervention orders
- children living with and spending time with their parents (previously called “custody and access” or “residence and contact”)
- division of property after separation
- separation and divorce
- ·victims of crime applications
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InTouch Multicultural Centre
Against Family Violence
1800 755 988 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
www.intouch.org.au
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A statewide organisation specialising in services, programs and responses to women experiencing family violence in migrant and refugee communities.
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Sexual Assault Crisis Line
1800 806 292
(Weeknights, 5pm to 9am next day)
www.sacl.com.au SACLFeedback@thewomens.org.au |
Statewide service, after-hours, confidential telephone crisis counselling service for people who have experienced both past and recent sexual assault. |
Elizabeth Morgan House
1800 364 297 (24 hrs, 7 days)
www.emhaws.org.au/
info@emhaws.org.au |
Aboriginal-controlled peak body in Victoria for Aboriginal women, child and their families. Provides refuge accommodation, specialist family violence services, therapeutic support. Support also extends to parents of Aboriginal children, as well as partners and ex-partners of Aboriginal people.
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Djirra – Aboriginal FV Legal Service
1800 105 303
(Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
info@djirra.org.au
www.djirra.org.au
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Djirra’s Aboriginal FV Legal Service works with Aboriginal people who are experiencing or have experienced family violence. We also assist non-Aboriginal people experiencing family violence who are parents of Aboriginal children and work in the following areas of law:
- Intervention Orders
- Family Law
- Child Protection
- Victims of Crime Compensation.
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Yarning SafeNStrong
1800 959 563
(24 hours / 7 days)
info@vahs.org.au www.vahs.org.au/yarning-safenstrong/ |
Dedicated telephone crisis line for Aboriginal people and families who need to have a yarn with someone about their wellbeing. |
Rainbow Door
1800 729 367
SMS 0480 017 246
(Daily, 10am-5pm)
support@rainbowdoor.org.au www.rainbowdoor.org.au
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Rainbow Door is a free specialist LGBTIQA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Gender Diverse, Intersex, Queer, Asexual) helpline providing information, support, and referral to all LGBTIQA+ Victorians, their friends and family. |
QLife
1800 184 527
(Daily, 3pm to Midnight)
Web chat available
www.qlife.org.au |
QLife provides anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ peer support and referral for people in Australia wanting to talk about sexuality, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships. |
Women’s Information Referral Exchange
1300 134 130
Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
Web chat available
support@wire.org.au
www.wire.org.au |
(WIRE) is Victoria-wide free generalist information, support and referral service runbywomen and gender diverse people,forwomen and gender diverse people.
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Kids Helpline
1800 55 1800 (24 hrs / 7 days)
web chat available
www.kidshelpline.com.au |
Dedicated counselling support for children, teenagers and young people aged 5 – 25 years as well as parents and carers. |
Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
Suite 6, 405-409 Nepean Hwy, Frankston
03 8796 0700
(Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
www.vacca.org |
(VACCA) Provides culturally safe family violence services to Aboriginal women, young people and children, including outreach and case management. |
Men’s Referral Service
1300 766 481
(24 hours / 7 days)
https://ntv.org.au/mrs/
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The Men’s Referral Service (also known as No to Violence) is the national counselling, information and referral service for men who use violence and abuse to change their behaviour. |
Mensline Australia
1300 789 978 (24 hours / 7 days)
Web chat & video counselling available
www.mensline.org.au |
Telephone counselling support for men with concerns about mental health, anger management, family violence (using and experiencing), addiction, gambling, relationship, stress and wellbeing. |