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July 06, 2017 at 3:27 PM

*From the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse*

Our Watch, a violence prevention organisation in Australia, has published a handbook on the primary prevention of violence against women. The handbook provides advice for practitioners and communities.

The Handbook, Putting the prevention of violence against women into practice: How to change the story, provides step-by-step guidance, tips, case studies, tools and resources.

It includes background information on:

• What drives violence against women?
• What is primary prevention?
• What knowledge, skills and attributes are needed to do prevention work?
• What are the key principles and good practice approaches?

Section 6 of the manual covers the 'What, where and how.' This includes information about essential actions, different settings and different techniques. Other chapters cover project planning and implementation, media and communications plans and evaluation.

The introduction states:

"Violence against women and their children in Australia is preventable. Together we can choose a future where all women and their children live free from violence, where women are not only safe, but respected, valued and treated as equals in public and private life. To achieve this, we need social change. We need to change the norms, practices and structures that produce gender inequality and underpin the drivers of violence against women. To achieve equality and safety for all women, it is vital that we also address other forms of social, political and historical discrimination, inequality and disadvantage. This social transformation is an ambitious, long-term goal. It will involve us all working together on prevention projects small and large, in our communities and across a range of different settings, such as schools, sporting clubs and workplaces, and contributing to a national conversation where violence against women is no longer condoned, excused or trivialised, and where equal and respectful relationships become the new norm."

The handbook was developed to go along with Change the Story, a shared framework on primary prevention released last year. For more information about Change the Story and related resources, see these NZFVC stories:

International resources on primary prevention of violence against women and their children and
New technical package on preventing intimate partner violence from CDC.

Related research

Our Watch has commissioned a survey and review of resources and literature to understand attitudes towards gender equality and gender stereotypes among parents of 0-3 year old children. A brief snapshot report, the Power of Parents, summarises key findings. The preliminary findings show many parents strongly support principles of gender equality and want to challenge gender stereotypes that could impact their children.

Aotearoa New Zealand resources

• Champions campaigns toolkit from the It's not OK campaign (2016)
• Making a Difference: Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Toolkit from ACC (2016)
• Presentations and resources from the symposium Creating change: Mobilising communities to prevent family and whānau violence (2015)
• NZFVC Issues Paper 8: Creating change: Mobilising New Zealand communities to prevent family violence (2015)
• Gender, Sexism and Social Activism: A Youth Workshop Resource (2014)
• It's not OK Campaign Community action toolkit (2007)

Also see the following earlier reports on primary prevention from the Ministry for Women:

• Wāhine Māori, wāhine ora, wāhine kaha: preventing violence against Māori women (2015)
• A malu i 'āiga, e malu fo'i i fafo: Protection for the family, protection for all : Samoan people's understanding of primary prevention of violence against women (2015)
• Current thinking on primary prevention of violence against women (2013)