According to OurWatch (n.d.)

violence against women is any act of gender-based violence that causes or could cause physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of harm or coercion, in public or in private life… violence against women is not only or always physical. It includes psychological, economic, emotional and sexual violence and abuse, and a wide range of controlling, coercive and intimidating behaviours.

In Australia, violence against women is called many different things, including domestic violence, family violence, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Context

“Raising awareness to end violence is about changing people’s hearts and minds – in Governments, civil society organisations and in the general public” (UNWomen, n.d.).

This assessment requires you to prepare a factsheet about one form of Violence Against Women (VAW) drawing on your analysis of at least five data sources. For example, you may access a combination of quantitative and qualitative research findings from academic and grey literature.

Your factsheet should be developed for community stakeholders, so should be written in clear, concise language to raise their awareness about the selected form of VAW.

Task description

Select one form of VAW

· Intimate partner violence (you could include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and financial abuse etc. or focus on one of these aspects of intimate partner violence) OR

· Non-partner sexual assault

Develop a Fact Sheet of approximately 750 words (excluding references) in ‘layperson’ language. The Fact Sheet should provide content in relation to the following:

• What is the definition of the form of VAW you have selected?
• How many people are affected by the selected form of VAW in Australia?
• What is known about the contributors to/ risk factors for the selected form of VAW?
• What is known about how to prevent this form of VAW?

References

OurWatch. (n.d.). Facts and figures. Retrieved from https://www.ourwatch.org.au/understanding-violence/facts-and-figures

UNWomen. (n.d.). Increasing knowledge and awareness. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/increasing-knowledge-and-awareness

Resources

You can use unit provided materials and other credible sources (journal articles, books) to reference your assessment. The quality and credibility of your sources are important.

Your sources should be contemporary (later than 2010) and may be drawn from research and/ or grey literature. For example, you may draw on Australian or other statistics from government websites (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare).

For information on academic communication please go to the Academic Learning Centre Moodle site. The Academic Communication section has many helpful resources including information for students with English as a second language.

You are strongly encouraged to submit a draft before the due date to review your Turnitin report before making a final submission.

Requirements

1. Include a cover page providing your name, the name and code of the unit, and the title of the assessment.
2. Use size 12 Times New Roman or Arial font with 1.5 line spacing and 2.54cm page margins.
3. Include page numbers, name and student number on each page in a footer.
4. Use American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style.The CQUniversity Academic Learning Centre has an online APA Referencing Style Guide.
5. The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

*Contemporary = less than 10 years old.

This report requires you to explore available evidence at multiple levels: global, national, jurisdictional etc. to inform the reader about the impacts of violence against women (VAW).

Choose one of these forms of VAW:

· Intimate partner violence (you could include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and financial abuse etc. or focus on one of these aspects of intimate partner violence) OR

· Non-partner sexual assault

According to the Fourth Action Plan—National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022

“Race, sexuality, gender and disability, amongst other forms of identity, can impact the way a woman experiences violence.” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2019, p. 26)

Scenario

You have been asked to provide a report to others working in your discipline area (e.g. social work, public health, education, psychology etc.) about the impacts of VAW on individuals and communities. The structure of your report is:

Background

• Explain the various forms of VAW that exist globally.
• Identify which form/s of violence will be the focus of the report.
• Justify your choice of topic: why is this important?

Section 1: Identification of (health, social, and economic) impacts of this form of VAW at the individual level.

Section 2: Identification of (health, social, and economic impacts) of this form of VAW at the community level.

Section 3: With reference to VAW and ‘forms of identity: race, sexuality, gender, disability’ and other factors: what difference is made to these impacts?

Section 4: Reflection: How could the findings of this report affect practice in your discipline area?

Reference

Commonwealth of Australia, (2019), Fourth Action Plan National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022.

Resources

You can use unit provided materials and other credible sources (journal articles, books) to reference your assessment. The quality and credibility of your sources are important.

Your sources should be contemporary (later than 2010) and may be drawn from research and/ or grey literature. For example, you may draw on Australian or other statistics from government websites (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare).

For information on academic communication please go to the Academic Learning Centre Moodle site. The Academic Communication section has many helpful resources including information for students with English as a second language.

You are strongly encouraged to submit a draft before the due date to review your Turnitin report before making a final submission.

Requirements

1. Include a cover page providing your name, the name and code of the unit, and the title of the assessment.
2. Use size 12 Times New Roman or Arial font with 1.5 line spacing and 2.54cm page margins.
3. Include page numbers, name and student number on each page in a footer.
4. Use American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. The CQUniversity Academic Learning Centre has an online APA Referencing Style Guide.
5. The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

Reflection 10%

*Contemporary = less than 10 years old.

Choose one of the following case studies (individual or community) and complete the associated tasks.

Individual case study

Scenario

You live in a regional centre (population approximately 80, 000 people) which has a range of services including a domestic violence service, hospital, police, local government etc. Over lunch with your friends Jane and Sallie you notice that Jane is barely touching her food. You haven’t seen Jane for months, and you have been worried about her. When you ask her if she’s all right, she bursts into tears and explains that her partner Tyson (an apprentice chef) has been calling her “Fatso” more often lately and even reminded her before leaving home to “Don’t stuff yourself when you’re out with your friends”.

She says she knows that he really loves her and shows her all the time, but sometimes he makes her sad– but she thinks that’s normal in relationships. When you ask how he shows her love, Jane says Tyson texts constantly and buys her special clothes to wear which will make her look “even more beautiful”. 

Lately, though, she has been feeling pressured by Tyson to “do stuff in the bedroom” which makes her feel uncomfortable, and recently he hinted that he’d like to “share” her with one of his mates. Sallie gets really angry that Tyson is behaving this way and says “Well for starters, I’d be really surprised if Tyson meant any of this – and if he’s as bad as say, you should just leave him, Jane”.

Jane asks for your advice.

Tasks

You are required to:

1. Explain what you would say to Jane and Sallie and your reasoning for this. This should be based on your understanding of violence against women and draw on the contemporary evidence base. (Approximately 750 words)
2. Prepare a safety plan for Jane, using the template supplied. (Approximately 250 words)
3. Provide an explanation of four key points of your plan. This should draw on the contemporary evidence base. (1000 word limit)

Community case study

Scenario

You live in a regional centre (population approximately 80, 000 people) which has a range of services including a domestic violence service, hospital, police, local government etc. In your work you have been approached by a group (Men4Women) who is very keen to stop violence against women. The group would like to take action, and asked for your feedback on their three ideas so far:

• A family fun day in the park based on the theme “violence happens to anyone”.
• Putting posters up in libraries with the message “violence happens everywhere”.
• Handing out coasters in hotels with the message “alcohol causes domestic violence”.

Tasks

You are required to:

1. Explain what feedback you would give to this group about these ideas and your reasoning for this. This should be based on your understanding of violence against women and draw on the contemporary evidence base. (Approximately 750 words)
2. Prepare a community plan, using the template supplied. (Approximately 250 words)
3. Provide an explanation of four key points of your plan. This should draw on the contemporary evidence base. (1000 word limit)

Resources

You can use unit provided materials and other credible sources (journal articles, books) to reference your assessment. The quality and credibility of your sources are important.

Your sources should be contemporary (later than 2010) and may be drawn from research and/ or grey literature. For example, you may draw on Australian or other statistics from government websites (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare).

For information on academic communication please go to the Academic Learning Centre Moodle site. The Academic Communication section has many helpful resources including information for students with English as a second language.

You are strongly encouraged to submit a draft before the due date to review your Turnitin report before making a final submission.

Requirements

1. Include a cover page providing your name, the name and code of the unit, and the title of the assessment.
2. Use size 12 Times New Roman or Arial font with 1.5 line spacing and 2.54cm page margins.
3. Include page numbers, name and student number on each page in a footer.
4. Use American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. The CQUniversity Academic Learning Centre has an online APA Referencing Style Guide.
5. The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

Contemporary = less than 10 years old.