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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.


SUBMISSION

Review of criminal justice responses to sexual offending

Office of the Commissioner for Victims of Crime (WA)

 

This submission outlines key principles that should underpin criminal justice processes in order to support victims and survivors of sexual violence. ANROWS also identifies potential practical actions and strategies for consideration. 

ANROWS provided a submission to the review of criminal justice responses to sexual offending conducted by the Office of the Commissioner for Victims of Crime (the Office; WA). ANROWS’s submission drew on our evidence base to highlight the need for criminal justice processes to:

  • be trauma informed
  • challenge and reject victim-blaming attitudes, rape myths, and mistrust of women’s reports of sexual violence
  • recognise and respond to the context in which sexual offences occur, in particular the use of coercive control in intimate partner violence (IPV).

ANROWS also directed the Office towards relevant practical actions and strategies, including opportunities to learn from other jurisdictions. The submission emphasises that the implementation of any actions or strategies must be tailored to the Western Australian policy and practice context, underpinned by meaningful engagement with people with lived expertise, and subject to ongoing evaluation.

The submission will be of interest to policymakers, practitioners and researchers working to improve victims’ and survivors’ experiences of contact with the criminal justice system. While the submission is tailored to Western Australia, the majority of the evidence is applicable across jurisdictions.

 

Suggested citation

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2023). Re: Review of criminal justice responses to sexual offending [Submission]. ANROWS.

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