Federal Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth says taking action informed by evidence-based education is needed to create real change and end sexual violence in Australia – and a new project run by La Trobe University researchers aims to lead the way.
La Trobe University researchers will spearhead a new project to identify the most effective sexual violence prevention programs, following $7.45 million Federal Government funding.
Australian organisations that operate sexual violence interventions can apply for up to $600,000 in funding to work with the La Trobe researchers, with twelve organisations selected to develop their projects over a six-month period. Up to 10 of these organisations will then be chosen for full evaluation and implementation.
The Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence Project is designed to strengthen evidence for sexual violence prevention in Australia.
“At the moment, we don’t really have any evidence-based interventions to prevent sexual violence,” says Principal Research Fellow and Director of the Reducing Gender-Based Violence Research Group (ReGEN) at La Trobe Rural Health School, Professor Leese Hooker.
She says funding will help bridge that gap.
“Once this work is carried out, we will have a better evidence base about what works in relation to preventing sexual violence. This knowledge can then be used to inform the development of future interventions to reduce rates of sexual violence across Australia.”
The ReGEN Research Group, led by Professor Hooker, will work alongside RMIT, the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, and community partners for the project.
Sexual violence impacts the entire community
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows one in five women and around one in 16 men have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. LGBTQ+ people also face significant rates of sexual violence.
Organisations can apply through La Trobe University to be a part of the project, which is expected to last around three years.
“ReGEN at La Trobe University is proud to lead this research, and we are delighted the Federal Government is investing in improving sexual violence prevention,” Hooker says.
“We expect that the outcomes of this project will be able to be used to change community attitudes and behaviours on an issue that has a devastating impact on far too many people.”
