IT was encouraging when in April, 2015, the Coalition of Australian Governments agreed to take urgent collective action to reduce the level of violence against women and their children.
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A panel was appointed, and key priorities set.
The actions included the establishment of a model framework for domestic violence orders, where all orders would be recognised and enforceable in any state or territory across Australia and a national information sharing system that supports that framework and gives courts and police the ability to share information on active orders.
They were also challenged with creating national perpetrator standards, to ensure perpetrators of violence against women are held to account regardless of state or territory.
Perhaps the most visible community action has been the national advertising campaign to change the attitudes of young people.
Members of the COAG panel are all experts in the field, and well aware of the prevalent nature of violence against women and children.
But even they were shocked by some of the findings in the research they commissioned.
The research shows disturbing and shocking attitudes particularly among children and that from a very young age, many of us learn to condone or excuse disrespectful or aggressive behaviour towards girls and women. It also shows there is little understanding of the link between sexism and violence against women.
As COAG panel member Julie Oberin says “it starts with young people”. “This is not just about physical violence, this is about every day sexism, this is about the way women and girls are treated, this is the way we blame victims, this is the way we excuse the perpetrators.”
We can only hope the advertising campaign continues for some time, as a change in attitudes won’t happen over night – underlined this week with the terrible comments made by football personalities including Eddie McGuire about journalist Caroline Wilson and closer to home, the hammer attack on a Port Fairy woman.
And we hope the goal of the ads in interrupting our thinking, and making us reflect on how we each contribute to everyday sexism and gender inequality that leads to violence, does just that.