Domestic Violence NSW presents our strategic plan for 2021 to 2024. Our plan builds on the knowledge, experience, learnings and achievements of years gone by and recognises the foundations set by our sisters in 1974.
DVNSW works to improve the spectrum of policy, legislative and program responses to domestic and family violence (DFV) and to eliminate DFV through leadership in advocacy, partnerships and promotion of good practice.
DVNSW is a feminist, social justice organisation. We recognise that DFV is serious, prevalent and driven by gender inequality. DFV is a fundamental violation of human rights, a public health issue and a crime.
DFV is inclusive of any behaviour, in an intimate or family relationship, which is violent, threatening, coercive or controlling, causing a person to live in fear. It is usually manifested as part of a pattern of controlling or coercive behaviour.
DFV occurs in all types of personal or family relationships or intimate partnerships and care arrangements. The primary victim-survivors are women and their children.
DVNSW supports the evidence outlined in Our Watch’s Change the Story; that gender inequality creates the necessary social context for the gendered drivers of DFV and that DFV is preventable when communities and sectors work together with a shared vision and collective action.
Drivers of violence against women
Essential actions to prevent violence against women
Condoning violence against women
Challenge condoning of violence against women
Men’s control of decision-making and limits to women’s decision-making and independence in public and private life
Promote women’s independence and decision making in public life and relationships
Rigid gender roles and stereotyped constructions of masculinity and femininity
Foster positive personal identities and challenge gender stereotypes and roles
Male peer relations that emphasise aggression and disrespect towards women
Strengthen positive, equal and respectful relations between and among women and men, girls and boys
Promote and normalise gender equality in public and private life
Ending DFV requires mutually reinforcing actions across society. Actions should be tailored to the context and needs of different groups, be enacted for public and private settings, and be led by governments, organisations, and individuals.
DFV requires a comprehensive and integrated professional responses that places those affected by domestic and family violence at the centre of the response, prioritises their safety, and enhances their ability to make informed decisions.
DFV responses require a commitment and understanding of access and equality, diversity and inclusion, and their intersectionality.
