Overview

HealthWest brings together health and community organisations in Melbourne’s west to integrate planning strategies, prevention and intervention to create communities where women are able to live free from violence and fear of violence.

This work, which aims to strengthen organisational commitment and capacity to address the prevalence of violence against women in our local communities, is directed by the Health Promotion Network and undertaken by the Prevention of Violence Against Women Working Group led by Women’s Health West.

HealthWest uses the following definitions relating to violence against women to guide the implementation of HealthWest’s strategies:

Violence Against Women

“Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” (The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women,1993)

“This encompasses, inter alia, ‘physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family and in the general community, including battering, sexual abuse of children, dowry-related violence, rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, forced prostitution, and violence perpetrated or condoned by the state.” (WHO, Fact Sheet No 239, 2000)

Primary Prevention

HealthWest works from a primary prevention approach to the prevention of violence against women.

Primary Prevention interventions are those that seek to prevent violence before it occurs. Interventions can be targeted to the whole population or to particular groups that are at higher risk of committing or experiencing violence. Some primary prevention interventions focus on changing behaviour or building the knowledge and skills of individuals. Others can focus on changing environments to make them safer for women. Interventions that redress the underlying causes of violence against women, such as gender inequality and poverty, are also primary prevention interventions (VicHealth, 2004).

Preventing Violence Together: Western Region Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women

Preventing Violence Together  facilitates a coordinated, action-based approach across local government and community and women's health services, tailored to the particular characteristics of the western region. 

The action plan will support work currrently underway and provide opportunities to engage in new practical and strategic prevention initiatives.

Preventing Violence Together: Western Region Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women

Progress Briefs

The Preventing Violence Together (PVT) Implementation Progress Briefs are designed to keep PVT endorsee and partner agencies, as well other key organisations and government departments, up to date on activities happening as part of PVT.

PVT Progress Brief Dec 2011

Violence Against Women and Burden of Disease

According to VicHealth (2004), Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is responsible for nearly nine per cent of the total burden of disease in women aged 15 to 45 years. This is more than other factors including illicit drugs, tobacco and alcohol. IPV is the seventh-highest contributor (at three per cent) to disease burden for all Victorian women.

It is recognised that the most significant and direct impact of IPV is on women, but IPV also impacts on children, family members and communities.

Objectives and Activities

• Develop an integrated Western metro sub-region strategy for the primary prevention of violence against women.
• Increase organisational commitment and capacity to undertake integrated health promotion to ensure Melbourne’s west is a place where women can live free from violence and the fear of violence.
• Demonstrate the connection between services and initiatives that aim to reduce the experience of violence against women across the continuum of prevention to intervention using the Healthy Communities, Healthy Lives model.
• Implement the Action Research Group project.
• Establish and sustain ongoing partnership with the Western Region Integrated Family Violence Service Sector.
• Advocate for more funding and support funding proposals as a partnership.
• Represent and support local initiatives and the needs of communities through participation on organisational and government committees such as community health project committees and other initiatives.
• Support and link into awareness raising and advocacy activities through local networks and initiatives, such as White Ribbon Day and Week without Violence.
• Represent the needs of communities and partners by participating in relevant policy and program consultations, committees and forums, such as the development of the Human Rights Charter and the Victorian Department of Health Statewide Plan for the Prevention of Violence Against Women.
• Support organisations to link into and undertake relevant training on the primary prevention of violence against women, such as the Participation for Health short course conducted by VicHealth.

Outcomes expected include:

• An integrated approach to the primary prevention of violence against women across the catchment through the development of the sub-region strategy for the primary prevention of violence against women.
• That community-based initiatives and programs relating to the primary prevention of violence against women are supported and apply good-practice integrated health promotion approaches.
• That all levels of an organisation are committed to the primary prevention of violence against women.
• Enhanced collaboration between intervention and prevention programs and services.
• Increased recognition of the connection between prevention and intervention programs and services.
• That all levels of an organisation are committed to the primary prevention of violence against women.

Western Region Local Government Preventing Violence Against Women & Family Violence Prevention Network

This network was initially established by Local Governments within the Western Region in 2006. The aim of this network is to support and add value to other preventing violence against women networks/structures that are happening across the region. Currently this network is working in partnership with the Women's Football Foundation of the Western Region Football League (WRFL) to deliver a social marketing campaign focused on promoting the prevention of violence against women (PVAW) message within WRFL clubs. This project is intended as an initial piece of work to raise the issue of PVAW within the sporting club setting that can be further built upon in subsequent years. The project aligns with Victoria's Plan to Prevent Violence against Women 2010-2020 which has identified sports and recreation as a key setting for the prevention of violence against women through the promotion of communities, cultures and organisations that are non-violence and gender equitable, and relationships that are respectful and non-discriminatory. More information on Women's Football Foundation or WRFL

More information on network: Contact Jacqui Croxon This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it