Tips to help your council get started in prevention of violence against women

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    As the closest level of government to the community, local governments are uniquely placed to influence and drive social change.

    Start with these tips

    Explore these tips to get started in the prevention of violence against women in your council.

    Take time to build your own understanding of violence against women  and how it intersects with other forms of discrimination. Understanding the prevalence, impacts and drivers of violence will help to build the case for action. 

    Understand your community and consider the demographics of the people in your municipality. Remember that gender inequality and violence is not experienced in the same way by all women, gender diverse people, and men.  

    Consider the ways that discrimination and disadvantage can affect people in the workplace and in the community. 

    Get leaders and councillors on board to endorse and commit to the prevention of violence against women.  

    Build understanding and knowledge about primary prevention. Prevention work may be new to many, and it will take time for everyone to understand the role they can play in their work at council.  

    Ensure that there are processes and policies in place to support disclosures of violence from council staff and the community. Before starting any prevention work, councils must establish and implement workplace policies, procedures and training to respond to and support staff who have experienced violence. It’s also essential that all prevention activities in the community include information about the support available through family, domestic and sexual violence services and that staff leading these activities are trained and supported to respond to disclosures of violence.  

    Connect with other councils in your region and with your local government association for support and to find out what’s already happening.  

    Connect with local organisations who specialise in family, domestic and sexual violence and organisations that focus on gender equality.  

    Start small and be realistic about what you can achieve. Your approach doesn’t necessarily need to be a new program or initiative. You can integrate prevention into existing activities, policies and processes.  

    Backlash and resistance are an inevitable part of prevention work, but resistance can be a positive sign that change is happening. Learn how to plan for and address resistance and backlash.

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