Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 22
-
Item
-
ItemA socio-ecological exploration of adolescent violence in the home and young people with disability: The perceptions of mothers and practitioners(Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety, 2022)An emerging body of research into adolescent violence in the home (AVITH) has signalled concerns about the disproportionate rates of young people with disability receiving family violence services and legal responses to violence at home (Campbell et al., 2020). However, research about AVITH has typically collapsed disability into binaries with children labelled as “disabled” or “not disabled”. Existing research often implies disability has a causal link to the use of violence and no attention is paid to the specific behaviours or the social and interactional context in which these behaviours arise. This project aims to begin filling this evidence gap. The publication signals the project’s second and final report. It shares findings from exploratory qualitative research to generate new knowledge about the intersections between AVITH and young people with disability. The intention is to begin to lay the foundations for sustained and nuanced dialogue about the issues and experiences of young people with disability and AVITH. The research team ran in-depth semi-structured interviews with mothers who had experienced AVITH and practitioners with direct experience working with young people with disability and AVITH. All participants were from metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria, Australia. Initial plans to speak with young people with disability themselves were reconsidered in response to Covid-19 lockdowns across Victoria. The research team acknowledges that the voices of young people remain missing from this field and will pursue avenues to centre their lived experiences in future research projects. The study found that current responses to AVITH tend to rely on models designed to address domestic and family violence (DFV). These models often understand the use of violence as an attempt to have power and control over another person. However, this did not always reflect mothers’ experiences. While many mothers and families had prior experiences of DFV and found the impacts of AVITH comparable, they perceived that young people with disability were using violence to control themselves rather than exert control over others. While mothers noted “pockets of good practice”, the study also identified wide multi-sectoral failures to effectively respond to the needs of children and young people with disability who use violence and their families. The study is part of a larger body of work funded by ANROWS focused on the experiences and impacts of domestic and family violence (DFV). Other projects include work on the DFV experiences of children with disability, the connections between DFV and mental health issues among children, the connections between adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and sexually harmful behaviours and offences among boys and young men, and strengthening service responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and women.
-
Item
-
Item
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableEndline evaluation final report: Women's Action for Voice and Empowerment (WAVE)(International Women's Development Agency, 2020)
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableWhat responses, approaches to treatment, and other supports are effective in assisting refuges who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence?(University of Birmingham, 2019)Violence, insecurity, persecution, and human rights violations have led to the forced displacement of an estimated 68.5 million people as of 2018 (UNHCR, 2018a). Of those 68.5 million, 25.4 million are refugees - the highest number ever recorded; 3.1 million are asylum seekers; and 40 million are internally displaced (UNHCR, 2018a). Humanitarian emergencies exacerbate the unequal power relations and structural inequalities that underpin the sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) experienced by girls and women, as well as boys and men (UNOCHA, 2016). In some humanitarian emergencies, more than 70 percent of women have experienced gender-based violence and an estimated one in five displaced women will experience sexual violence (UN Women, 2017). Conflict-related sexual violence against men and boys has been documented around the world, though data to determine prevalence are limited (Solangon & Patel, 2012). Following displacement, and even after permanent resettlement, different kinds of insecurity such as breakdown of family and community networks, shifting gender roles, and limited access to resources can also increase the risk of SGBV. Responses to SGBV need to adapt to varying contexts and needs across the refugee journey, however there is no comprehensive evidence base for understanding how these needs evolve at different points for people on the move. This working paper is a critical overview of the current state of knowledge on responses to SGBV for refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons across all stages of the refugee journey.
-
ItemToward a socio-ecological understanding of adolescent violence in the home by young people with disability: a conceptual review(Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS), 2022)Adolescent violence in the home (AVITH) describes a range of violent, abusive and intimidating behaviours used by young people against family members, most commonly parents and siblings. It is increasingly recognised as a critical issue of concern for many families in Australia.
-
ItemSexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence in Samoa: A review of policy and legislation(UNFPA, 2022)In 2015, the United Nations set an ambitious agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address poverty, injustice, and environmental destruction. Through the SDGs, nations committed to gender equality and health and notably established universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as a global target. Additionally, and relatedly, the SDGs include a specific target to ‘eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation’ (UN General Assembly, 2015). While laws and policies alone cannot achieve these targets, scholars and practitioners agree that an enabling legal and policy environment continues to play an important role in advancing SRHR and eliminating gender-based violence (GBV). Review of the policy and legal landscape for realising SRHR and preventing and responding to GBV is a high priority for the Pacific region. Governments in the Pacific have committed to international and regional strategies to address SRHR and GBV, but there is a need to analyse existing national legislative and regulatory frameworks to identify the ways policy and legislation may work to support SRHR and prevent GBV, or conversely may undermine appropriate services and responses. This report summarises findings from the in-depth content analysis of national legislation, policies and peer reviewed literature relevant to SRH and GBV in Samoa. Content was mapped across key domains and corresponding indicators for the SDGs and other international frameworks, conventions and commitments. The report synthesises the policy and legislative environment for SRHR and prevention of GBV in Samoa, providing new evidence to underpin legislative and policy reform in the country.
-
ItemSexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence in Tonga: A review of policy and legislation(UNFPA, 2022)In 2015, the United Nations set an ambitious agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address poverty, injustice, and environmental destruction. Through the SDGs, nations committed to gender equality and health and notably established universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as a global target. Additionally, and relatedly, the SDGs include a specific target to ‘eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation’ (UN General Assembly, 2015). While laws and policies alone cannot achieve these targets, scholars and practitioners agree that an enabling legal and policy environment continues to play an important role in advancing SRHR and eliminating gender-based violence (GBV). Review of the policy and legal landscape for realising SRHR and preventing and responding to GBV is a high priority for the Pacific region. Governments in the Pacific have committed to international and regional strategies to address SRHR and GBV, but there is a need to analyse existing national legislative and regulatory frameworks to identify the ways policy and legislation may work to support SRHR and prevent GBV, or conversely may undermine appropriate services and responses. This report summarises findings from the in-depth content analysis of national legislation, policies and peer reviewed literature relevant to SRH and GBV in the Kingdom of Tonga. Content was mapped across key domains and corresponding indicators for the SDGs and other international frameworks, conventions and commitments. The report synthesises the policy and legislative environment for SRHR and prevention of GBV in Tonga, providing new evidence to underpin legislative and policy reform in the country.
-
ItemKey lessons from faith communities supporting health relationships: A participatory action research project with the Multifaith Advisory Group(The University of Melbourne, 2021)Faith Communities Supporting Healthy Relationships: A Participatory Action Research Project with the Multifaith Advisory Group (the project) was a participatory action research project implemented from July 2018 until March 2021. The project responded to recommendations 163 and 165 of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence (State of Victoria, 2016) aiming to build the knowledge and capacity of faith leaders to prevent and respond to family violence and violence against women. Faith-based organisations and project partners were procured by the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet under the guidance of the Multifaith Advisory Group to establish pilot projects in the Anglican, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Uniting Church communities as well a distinct multifaith project. This report outlines findings from an end of project evaluation, designed to generate evidence about key lessons emerging from the development and implementation of the Faith Communities Project. The overarching evaluation approach was participatory and developmental, meaning that evaluators, project personnel and partners collaborated throughout project phases to review the current evidence base, consider project designs, problem-solve, and collect and analyse data iteratively over time. The methodology drew on three main elements including: 1) participatory action research; 2) implementation science; and 3) evidence-based principles for faith-based prevention projects. The report outlines critical lessons from the implementation of interventions aiming to build faith leaders’ capacity to prevent and respond to violence against women and family violence across diverse faiths. Recommendations made have international relevance and make a key contribution to an emergent evidence based related to prevention of violence against women in faith settings.