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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.

ANROWS GRANTS

Competitive grants round coming: Watch this space

ANROWS will soon be opening a competitive grants round for its 2020–2022 Core Grant Research Program (with funds provided to ANROWS jointly by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and the governments of all states and territories).

Grants will be allocated from a total pool of $1.157 million. Funded projects are to commence in early 2021 and final reports, following peer review, are to be submitted no later than 31 March 2022.

Details of the priority research gaps identified by ANROWS for this research program will be announced, and applications will open, in the second half of October 2020.

EVIDENCE IN ACTION

A guide to ANROWS’s submissions to government inquiries

ANROWS is exceptionally well placed to mobilise a solid evidence base to respond to current issues as they arise. As part of our work in supporting informed policymaking, ANROWS ensures that the latest and most relevant evidence for reducing violence against women and their children reaches our parliamentarians.

Over the past year we have been active in making submissions and testifying at a broad range of relevant parliamentary inquiries at the federal level and with the states and territories. Many of these submissions have now been published and are available on our website.

This month we’ve had some great feedback on CEO Dr Heather Nancarrow’s strong submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs’ Inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence.

We’ve also provided evidence to the Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Family Law System, the Queensland Law Reform Commission’s Review of consent laws and the excuse of mistake of fact, the NSW Law Reform Commission’s Review of consent in relation to sexual offences, the Victorian Sentencing Council’s Review on image-based sexual abuse and a Homicide consultation paper for the NSW Sentencing Council, which explored the penalties imposed for domestic and family violence homicides.

We have also responded to the Queensland Government’s Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee, which was interested in understanding how ANROWS research on social entrapment theory might apply in a codified state. Most recently we made a submission to the New South Wales inquiry into First Nations incarceration and deaths in custody, which is yet to be published.

These submissions cover a wide range of issues with which our work intersects: this is, of course, an important reflection of the diversity seen in the many women and children experiencing violence.

Have you used ANROWS evidence in a submission? Many of our subscribers have been involved in delivering important submissions to the same inquiries. We’d love to know what information was useful for you and where you’ve included it. Please drop us a line at [email protected]

 

GET IN TOUCH

UPCOMING PUBLICATION

The relationship between gambling and intimate partner violence against women

How might problem gambling contribute to intimate partner violence against women? This month ANROWS will be publishing the findings of a research project investigating the relationship between gambling problems and tactics of intimate partner violence, including economic abuse.

The project, led by Professor Nerilee Hing from Central Queensland University, not only explores how intimate partner violence is reinforced by a perpetrator’s gambling problems, but also how a victim’s/survivor’s use of gambling reinforces the violence perpetrated against her.

This study also looks at how women may use gambling as a mechanism for coping with the experience of violence or may access gambling venues as safe spaces to escape from intimate partner violence.

The research will be published on 30 September.

 

MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Engaging men who use violence: Using the client–worker relationship

1:30–2:30pm AEST 30 September 2020

 

Engaging men who use violence in programs about change is complex and challenging. Men’s behaviour change programs often use confrontational and punitive approaches, but these frequently fail to encourage men to develop any intrinsic motivation to engage.

This webinar will focus on ANROWS research exploring men’s behaviour change approaches that emphasise building empathy and trust through the client–worker relationship.

Our panel of expert researchers and practitioners will discuss the project’s finding that these approaches are more likely to create behavioural and attitudinal change. They will also explore:

  • safe practice skills
  • the impacts of COVID-19 on client–worker relationships
  • emotional load and how organisations can provide support
  • policy and system-level changes needed to support practice change.

 

REGISTER NOW

NEW RESOURCE

Intimate partner violence in LGBTQ relationships

Our recent webinar on domestic and family violence and intimate partner violence in LGBTQ relationships generated a wide-ranging discussion, with a number of interesting questions relating to strengthening practice to support LGBTQ people who may be experiencing violence.

To better answer your questions, we’ve worked with the panellists to develop a helpful Q&A resource. In it, we explore some of the interesting issues the audience raised, including:

  • supporting non-binary people through mainstream women’s support services
  • providing culturally safe responses to queer BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour) clients
  • what we know about the prevalence of domestic and intimate partner violence in LGBTQ relationships.

If you missed the webinar, you can still catch up on the recording.

ACCESS RESOURCE

RECORDING AVAILABLE

Webinar: Responding to family violence by adolescents

“If we’re intervening when we see adolescent violence in the home, we’re intervening 10 years too late. Service responses were needed when the children were much younger.”

A recent webinar conducted by RMIT explored research from ANROWS titled “The PIPA project: Positive Interventions for Perpetrators of Adolescent violence in the home”. Featuring lead researcher Elena Campbell from RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice, co-author Dr Helen Cockburn, legal practitioner Brittany Clark and Toby Stoddart from Colony 47, the panel explored the challenge as it presents in Tasmania.

WATCH WEBINAR

Opportunities

Respect Victoria is currently recruiting two senior research and evaluation positions

General Manager Research and Evaluation–closing midnight 27 September 2020

Manager Monitoring, Evaluation and Translation–closing midnight 27 September 2020


Invitation to participate in research: Technology-facilitated abuse

Do you have clients experiencing technology-facilitated abuse, or using technology as a tool of abuse?

Associate Professors Asher Flynn of Monash University and Anastasia Powell of RMIT University are exploring technology-facilitated abuse through ANROWS’s Fourth Action Plan program of research. This study will help to inform innovations in preventing and responding to this form of violence.

Technology-facilitated abuse refers to abuse involving mobile and digital technologies, such as online sexual harassment, stalking and image-based abuse.

Workers are invited to complete a 20-minute anonymous online survey. Your contributions will be much appreciated!

Access the survey to participate or find out more.


New research

You can access the resources in this list and all the other articles in Notepad in the ANROWS Library.

Books and reports

Humphreys, C., & Campo, M. (2017). Fathers who use violence: Options for safe practice where there is ongoing contact with children (CFCA Paper No. 413). Retrieved from https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/fathers-who-use-violence

Vara-Horna, A. (2020). Violence against women and sustainable cities. In A. Alvarez-Risco, M. Rosen, S. Del-Aguila-Arcentales, & D. Marinova (Eds.), Building sustainable cities: Social, economic and environmental factors (pp. 123–134). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

eSafety Commissioner. (2020). Building Australian adults’ confidence and resilience online. Retrieved from https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/research/adults-confidence-and-resilience

Articles

Andreano, J. (2020). The disproportionate effect of mutual restraining orders on same-sex domestic violence victims. California Law Review, 108, 1047–1074. https://doi.org/10.15779/Z386T0GW9P

Afrouz, R., Crisp, B. R., & Taket, A. (2020). Seeking help in domestic violence among Muslim women in Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority countries: A literature review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(3), 551–566. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018781102

Berg, K. A., Bender, A. E., Evans, K. E., Holmes, M. R., Davis, A. P., Scaggs, A. L., & King, J. A. (2020). Service needs of children exposed to domestic violence: Qualitative findings from a statewide survey of domestic violence agencies. Children and Youth Services Review, 118. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105414

Black, T., Fallon, B., Nikolova, K., Tarshis, S., Baird, S., & Carradine, J. (2020). Exploring subtypes of children’s exposure to intimate partner violence. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105375

Cannon Jr, R. (2020). Victims of intimate partner violence and workplace instability [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. Walden University, Minneapolis. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/openview/c1a9ccb9a06e02cf4d881c5c19041c57/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Cortis, N., Seymour, K., Natalier, K., & Wendt, S. (2020). Which models of supervision help retain staff? Findings from Australia’s domestic and family violence and sexual assault workforces. Australian Social Work, 1–15.

Cramp, K. J., & Zufferey, C. (2020). The removal of children in domestic violence: Widening service provider perspectives. Affilia.

Dale, A. (2020). Family violence: Criminalising coercion. Law Society of NSW Journal. Retrieved from https://lawsociety.cld.bz/LSJ-SEPTEMBER-2020/28/

Dawson, M., & Carrigan, M. (2020). Identifying femicide locally and globally: Understanding the utility and accessibility of sex/gender-related motives and indicators. Current Sociology. 

Ertan, D., El-Hage, W., Thierrée, S., Javelot, H., & Hingray, C. (2020). COVID-19: Urgency for distancing from domestic violence. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1).

Katz, E., Nikupeteri, A., & Laitinen, M. (2020). When coercive control continues to harm children: Post-separation fathering, stalking and domestic violence. Child Abuse Review. 

Mandel, D. (2019). Worker safety and domestic violence in child welfare systems. Retrieved from https://safeandtogetherinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/WorkerSafety_paper_lowres.pdf

McGarry, J., & Hinsliff-Smith, K. (2020). Silent voices: Exploring narratives of women’s experiences of health care professional responses to domestic violence and abuse. Journal of Medical Humanities. 

Natarajan, M., & Babu, D. (2020). Women police stations: Have they fulfilled their promise? Police Practice and Research, 1–17.

Pereira, T., Magalhães, E., Silva, C. S., Antunes, C., & Prioste, A. (2020). Interparental violence: Professionals’ perspectives in the child protection system. Children and Youth Services Review, 118. 

Postmus, J. L., Hoge, G. L., Breckenridge, J., Sharp-Jeffs, N., & Chung, D. (2020). Economic abuse as an invisible form of domestic violence: A multicountry review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(2), 261–283.

Puls, L. (2020). Pet abuse, interpersonal violence, and victim services: Annotated bibliography. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11990/2037

Sidorsky, K., & Schiller, W. J. (2020). Litigating lives and gender inequality: Public defenders, policy implementation, and domestic violence sentencing. Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, 1–14.

Spencer, R. A., Livingston, M. D., Woods-Jaeger, B., Rentmeester, S. T., Sroczynski, N., & Komro, K. A. (2020). The impact of temporary assistance for needy families, minimum wage, and Earned Income Tax Credit on women’s well-being and intimate partner violence victimization. Social Science & Medicine, 266.

Stover, C. S., Beebe, R., Clough, M., DiVietro, S., Madigan, L., & Grasso, D. J. (2020). Evaluation of a statewide implementation of Fathers for Change: A fathering intervention for families impacted by partner violence. Journal of Family Violence. 

Towler, A., Eivers, A., & Frey, R. (2020). Warning signs of partner abuse in intimate relationships: Gender differences in young adults’ perceptions of seriousness. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(7–8), 1779–1802.

Walters, J. (2020). COVID-19 shelter-at-home orders: Impacts and policy responses in the context of intimate partner violence. World Medical & Health Policy.


In the media

Listen

How Julie was forced to fight the system that was supposed to protect her—The Guardian

Partnered with a survivor: Unraveling the gender paradox at the center of the Safe & Together Model—Safe & Together

Read

Project examining extent of technology-facilitated abuse in Australia launches—National Tribune

How can general practitioners help all members of the family in the context of domestic violence and COVID-19?—Australian Journal of General Practice

COVID-19 recession is “trapping” women in violent households—SMH

How the courts are dealing with domestic violence cases during COVID-19—Independent Australia

New research shows trolls don’t just enjoy hurting others, they also feel good about themselves—The Conversation

Why we need to focus more on the needs of children in domestic and family violence responses—Monash Lens

SA trial to intervene to stop men’s controlling behaviour and break domestic violence cycle—The Australian

NSW Labor proposal could see domestic violence perpetrators jailed for up to ten years for coercive control—ABC

It’s time “coercive control” was made illegal in Australia—The Conversation

Psychiatrist makes urgent plea to NSW Government for domestic violence concussion policy—ABC

CWA calls for greater action on domestic violence “emergency situation”, especially in far-west NSW—ABC

Victoria appoints first gender equality commissioner—The Mandarin

Law Council report says “insidious and pervasive” domestic violence problem (ACT)—Canberra Times

Coroner demands culturally-safe support for women after suicide “cluster” (Qld)—Brisbane Times

Calls for women’s economic and political potential to be “unleashed” through coronavirus recovery—SBS

Chores for a Cause: High school students raise funds & awareness for women’s shelters—Women’s Agenda


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