| Commissioned by | Respect Victoria |
|---|---|
| Conducted by | Dr Lara Fergus |
| Date | June 2024 |
Overview
To achieve the sustainable change needed to prevent violence against women, international evidence is clear that discrete projects are not enough.
Respect Victoria commissioned a review of Australian and international literature to understand how a ‘saturation model’ adds to our understanding of what works to prevent violence against women.
The review found that initiatives with multiple components that reinforce each other are significantly more impactful than those relying on a single method or implemented in a stand-alone setting.
Key findings
The review found that:
- appropriately designed primary and secondary prevention interventions (also known as ‘early intervention’) can reduce violence against women in relatively short timeframes
- prevention interventions complement and enhance early intervention, response and recovery work by reducing and stopping recurrent perpetration of violence
- interventions addressing the gendered drivers of violence create conditions where new violence is less likely and reduce violence already happening in the community.
Analysis of intervention evaluations in the review show that when interventions combine more than one strategy or setting (e.g. a workplace, school or sporting club), there is a mutually reinforcing effect that magnifies those interventions’ impact. Combination or multi-component interventions were on average 60 per cent more effective than single-component ones.
The evidence review demonstrates that to be effective, a saturation model must be tailored to the local context in which its applied. There are, however, critical factors that are foundational to a saturation model’s success. These factors are explored in the Executive Summary.
Read the report
Respect Victoria acknowledges the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria as the First Peoples and Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands and waterways on which we rely. We proudly acknowledge Aboriginal communities across Victoria and their ongoing strength in practising the world’s oldest living culture. We acknowledge the significant and ongoing impacts of colonisation and commit to working alongside Aboriginal communities to affect change. We recognise the ongoing leadership role of Aboriginal communities in addressing and preventing family violence and violence against women and will continue to work in collaboration with First Peoples to eliminate these forms of violence from all communities.
Respect Victoria acknowledges the significant impact of family violence and violence against women on individuals, families and communities, and the strength and resilience of the children, young people and adults who have, and are still, experiencing this violence. We pay our respects to those who did not survive and to their loved ones.
Aboriginal peoples continue to be impacted by the cumulative effects of individual, institutional and societal violence, colonisation and racism over generations. This has contributed to the severity and disproportionate impact of family violence on Aboriginal women, families and communities to this day, and created the conditions that significantly increase the risks and barriers to accessing support.
Respect Victoria acknowledges that self-determination is the foundation for better outcomes for Aboriginal communities. True self-determination means that Aboriginal peoples and communities at the centre of approaches to address community experiences of family violence and violence against women. This includes recognising and respecting the inherent strength and diversity of Aboriginal peoples, families and communities across Victoria, and the leadership role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations in violence prevention.
Respect Victoria’s work to prevent family violence against Aboriginal peoples and violence against Aboriginal women will be informed by the principles of self-determination set out in Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way – Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families. We are firmly committed to working in collaboration with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to create a more equitable, respectful and safe community.
This report was written by Lara Fergus, with help, guidance and contributions from a number of people. Thanks to Monique Keel of Red Consulting for her valuable assistance with background research, and from Respect Victoria, to: Laura Wood, Stephanie Lusby, Serina McDuff, Kate O’Brien, Kellie Horton, Anita Trezona and Emily Maguire for shaping, guidance and support; Innocent Mwatsiya, Desiree Bensley, Lisha Murphy and again Laura Wood for background research; and Melinda McPherson and Sam Adams-Akyurek for advice on monitoring, evaluation and the conceptualisation of impact in this study.
A number of key informants provided insights and direction for the research: Jo Pride (Family Safety Victoria); Patty Kinnersley and Cara Gleeson (Our Watch); Wei Leng Kwok and Helen Campbell (former Generating Equality and Respect project); Tina Musuya (What Works to Prevent Violence against Women program); Sara Siebert and Yvette Alal (Raising Voices/ SASA!); Swetha Totapally, Shruthi Jayaram, and Akanksha Agarwal (Dalberg Consultants); Diane Gardsbane (former CARE-GBV, USAID); Alexandra Robinson (UNFPA) and Lori Heise (Prevention Collaborative).
A summary of early findings and implications of this research was shared with key leaders from organisations specialising in the primary prevention of violence against women and they provided valuable advice, direction, and suggestions for further research which have been incorporated here.
Suggested citation
Fergus L. Evidence Review: Reducing and preventing violence against women: factors affecting impact, with a focus on multi-component, place-based approaches. Respect Victoria; 2024.