To prevent family violence and other forms of violence against women, we must challenge the underlying social norms, structures, systems, attitudes and practices that create and perpetuate gender inequality and discrimination.
We must also address the intersecting forms of discrimination and disadvantage that compound the impact of gender inequality to increase rates of violence and influence patterns of violence for diverse community groups. These forms of discrimination include racism, ableism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, homophobia and the continuing impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal people.
Effective prevention strategies will progressively reduce future prevalence of violence against women and family violence. Ending this violence at the population-level requires long-term, sustained investment over many years to achieve positive generational, cultural and attitudinal shifts in gender inequality and the gendered drivers of violence.
We can even expect to see some increase in prevalence rates for indicators of family violence. This is because as there is greater awareness of the issue, those experiencing it are more likely to recognise it, report it and seek help from response services.
Ultimately, however, our investments in prevention aim to reduce the incidence of family violence and all forms of violence against women. This will lead to new generations of Victorians growing up with changed values and behaviours in a more equal society.
We know short- and medium-term change is possible, but sustaining this change requires coordinated and mutually reinforcing activities across a wide number of sectors and settings. However, this will require adequate investment in prevention, a generational commitment to see the task through and continual refinement of the most effective prevention strategies. Only then will we begin to see a decrease in the prevalence of family violence and all forms of violence against women.
Family Violence Outcomes Framework: Domain 1
Data availability
Data for the prevention domain measures published in the baseline report in December 2020 is not yet available. This is because the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed collection and reporting for the 2020 Personal Safety Survey (conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) and the National Community Attitudes Survey (undertaken by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety). We expect data will be available in the 2023 edition of the Ending Family Violence report.
The Prevention of Family Violence Data Platform is aligned with the ‘Prevention’ domain of the Outcomes Framework. It features a wide range of data from 34 existing sources which are collected at regular intervals by a range of external organisations.
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