New threats testing Australia's plan to end violence against women
The next five-year plan plan to end violence against women will have to do more than accelerate existing efforts. It will have to prove governments can keep pace with a problem that itself is changing.
Australia faces a critical juncture as violence against women remains a pressing concern dominating the national conversation. Despite hundreds of recommendations and billions of dollars spent, progress has been slow, raising questions about the effectiveness of current measures. National Cabinet acknowledged that the rates of intimate-partner homicide and sexual violence remain unacceptably high, signaling the need for accelerated action.
The states and territories have agreed to prioritize various aspects of tackling these issues, including judicial responses, education, men's behavior-change standards, emergency accommodation, and alcohol reforms. A new national family and domestic violence risk-assessment framework has also been signed off. However, there are concerns about the pace of implementation, with states having only two years to align their systems.
Critics argue that more needs to be done to hold governments accountable for their actions. Additionally, the rise of new forms of harm, such as online content serving young boys and men that labels women and minorities as the "grievance" for their issues, and the use of wearable smart devices for surreptitious recording, highlights the need for policies to keep up with technological advancements.
Advocates are calling for the Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence Commission to be given more authority to measure and assess the effectiveness of policies, as well as measures to regulate social media algorithms and combat the use of smart glasses.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
