New sign ups!
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We would like to welcome MEEDAC to the Community, Respect and Equality Agreement! Thank you for standing with us to say #ViolenceIsNeverOk. Have a read below of why they decided to sign up, in their own words. |
“MEEDAC whole heartedly support a future where there is no family violence in our community and we completely support the ambitions and goals of the CRE agreement.” – Andrew Greaves
Headspace Geraldton Stand Up Agaisnt Inequality
The idea came from Headspace Geraldton’s Manager, Fiona Stewart, and Dane Waters, CEO of Health Communication Resources. In collaboration they were able to capture the men working at Headspace Geraldton’s thoughts on what gender equality is and means to them.
Darby Thompson, Community Engagement Worker, who features in the videos said “We felt that each of the males on the team here at Headspace Geraldton had a different reason for why the Community, Respect & Equality Agreement is important to them,” and is hopeful that “by sharing these different messages, they will resonate with other people in the community.”
The videos are part of Headspace’s commitment to the Community Respect & Equality (CRE) Agreement, of which Headspace has been signed on to since April 2019, however have been involved in the wider project since it originally launched in 2017.
“As an early intervention mental health service supporting young people, we see too frequently how family violence impacts negatively on the health and wellbeing of young people and the community. The Headspace team are passionate about working in the preventative space and trying to increase awareness about things that do impact on health and wellbeing so that as a community, we can work to minimize the impact.” Mr. Thompson said.
Headspace Geraldton have recently achieved accreditation in level 1 of the CRE Agreement. To achieve this the team have put in place a number of actions including: displayed the CRE logo and information throughout their workplace and on social media, embedded the Agreed Values and Codes of Behaviour for the workplace into their employee package, made information and resources available to staff on their intranet, made CRE an agenda item on their regular team meetings, hosted ‘Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk’ community walk for CRE Week 2019 and participated in a number of community events that raise awareness of the prevention of family violence.
Headspace Geraldton is just one of many organisations in Geraldton who are going above and beyond to create a community that is equal, safe and respectful for all.
Thank you
The City of Greater Geraldton recently hosted a casual dress day with money raised, donated to Community Respect and Equality. A massive thank you for thinking of us and the ongoing support you provide CRE.
Thanks to the Mid West Ports Authority Community Grant, implementing the Community Respect & Equality Agreement level 1 will soon become easier!
We understand that there is limited capacity among organisations to implement CRE Agreement actions. Therefore this grant money will allow us to develop and package a range of tools and resources that organisations need to efficiently and effectively implement the CRE Agreement level 1 into their workplace.
Thank you Mid West Ports for supporting us, and assisting in increasing the capacity for organisations to sign up and implement the CRE Agreement.
Conversations about Sexual Violence
Conversations about Sexual Violence is a 10-15 minute survey and aims to better understand community perception, thoughts and feedback on which sexual violence prevention and response areas Desert Blue Connect needs to focus on in the next 3 years. To complete the survey and go into the draw to win a $100 Corner Surf Shop voucher, click on the image.
Please be advised that this document contains scenarios and questions about sexual violence and assault. This may be distressing for some people. If anything contained in this questionnaire causes you to become upset or distressed please do not hesitate to seek support. Desert Blue Connect staff can be contacted on 99642742 during business hours Mon-Fri or via our 24 hr Sexual Assault Crisis Line on 1800 016 789
Dispelling Myths about Family Violence
Does Alcohol Cause Family Violence?
Many people in Geraldton and around Australia think that alcohol causes Family Violence. The Geraldton Local Community Attitudes and Exposure to Violence Survey (LCAEVS) found a high proportion (85.7%) of Geraldton residents believe that alcohol causes family violence.
While there are strong links between the use of alcohol and drugs and the occurrence of Family Violence in many countries, we need to make the distinction between causes and associations.
We know that many people reading this enjoy drinking alcohol, but are not perpetrators of Family Violence. So in these instances, alcohol does not cause violence. In fact, the rates of alcohol consumption in Australian society are very much higher than the rates of Family Violence. Most people who drink alcohol are not violent. We also know that some people who don’t drink can be violent.
Alcohol consumption is not a direct cause of family violence, but the two things do occur together frequently. So it is worth thinking about the relationship between alcohol and family violence. What are reasons for the association? Explanations include:
1. Alcohol use reduces self-control. This leaves people less capable of reaching a nonviolent resolution to conflicts
2. Excessive drinking by one partner can aggravate financial difficulties, childcare problems, infidelity or other family stressors. This can create marital tension and conflict, increasing the risk of violence occurring between partners
3. Beliefs that alcohol causes aggression can encourage violent behaviour after drinking and the use of alcohol as an excuse for violent behaviour
4. Experiencing violence within a relationship often leads to alcohol consumption to self-medicate, as a means of coping.
5. Children who witness violence or threats of violence between parents are more likely to display harmful drinking patterns later in life
Here is another finding from our local LCAEVS to consider. To the question whether “Violence by a man against his female partner is excused if he is heavily affected by alcohol”, less than 1% of women agreed, but 5.5% of men agreed. We need to get the message out that #ViolenceIsNEVEROk, that alcohol is not the cause of Family Violence and alcohol is not an excuse for Family Violence. People who use violence need to own their behaviours and not transfer the responsibility to someone or something else.
Some of the information here is drawn from the World Health Organisation’s document on Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol, available at https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/fs_intimate.pdf. For information on the causes of family violence visit https://www.ourwatch.org.au/change-the-story/
The LCAEVS was developed with support from Desert Blue Connect, The School of Population and Global Health at UWA and by Investigators of the Healthway-funded Conversations for Change research. For more information contact WACRH on 9956 0205 or sandra.thompson@uwa.edu.au
Speaking Out Against Disrespect
Research shows that around 80% of Australians want to tackle disrespect towards women when they see it. But many of us don’t actually feel able or know how to speak up and act – we want practical tips about how to respond to casual sexism in a social environment without being called a ‘party pooper’ or someone who can’t take a joke.
In 2019, CRE member organisations participated in two half-day sessions on being an active bystander. The bystander training introduced techniques for speaking up and challenging disrespect and sexism in work, community and family situations. The training also introduced the concept of primary prevention of family violence – recognising that inequality and disrespect create the conditions for violence to flourish.
Following the success of the face to face bystander training, WACRH is now preparing an on-line version for piloting in CRE organisations. We’re keen to see if a short on-line course will change the way many of us pretend to go along with those uncomfortable jokes, comments and behaviours that demean and disrespect others.
The training will offer techniques and build confidence to gently challenge friends, family and workmates and show them we don’t support social norms that allow disrespect to continue. It’s OK to speak up or show disapproval when witnessing disrespect towards women and girls – and it will lead to a better society for everyone.
For more information contact WACRH on 9956 0205 or health.greville@uwa.edua.au
Resources
VicHealth and Jesuit Social Services invite you to join a two-part series exploring Masculinities and Health. This series will be of particular interest to practitioners and policy makers working in gender equality, the prevention of violence against women and those working with men and boys.
Unpacking the Man Box – Wed 22nd July 8-9am
Framing Masculinity – Wed 5th August 8-9am
For more information and how to register, click on the image.
Rainbow Health Victoria has released a new guide: Pride in Prevention: A guide to primary prevention of family violence experienced by LGBTIQ communities. This guide has been produced to inform primary prevention initiatives aimed at family violence experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) communities. To access this resource, click on the image.
Support
We are just a phone call away for any of the CRE Agreement businesses and organisations and are always happy to provide support.
If your organisation is meeting seven of the suggested actions and is ready to be signed off on level 1, please make contact and we can find a time to catch up.
Kind regards,
Bethany Martin
