A world-leading new research centre specialising in violence against women in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region has launched at Monash University.
The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) is the first research centre that will address all forms of violence against women in the region. It is being officially opened by Assistant Minister for Women Kate Thwaites on Tuesday.
The centre has been made possible by a $35 million investment from the Australian Research Council. It will bring together 13 Chief Investigators from six Australian universities to deliver transformative research over 7 years.
The centre will be led by Professor Jacqui True (pictured above), a Professor of International Relations at Monash University.
“Systems and structures are failing women. But we don’t have the knowledge base to inform policymakers and advocates who can drive the systems-change to eliminate violence against women,” Professor True said on Tuesday.
“CEVAW will examine the structural drivers that cause and compound violence against women, and will pioneer new, evidence-based approaches to radically improve policy and practice across Australia and the Indo-Pacific.”
In Australia, there is a national crisis of of men’s violence against women. Every week, Australian women lose their lives at the hands of their current or former partners, while the rate of sexual violence is increasing at an alarming rate.
With domestic and international partners across the Indo-Pacific region, CEVAW will lead research designed to fill major gaps in knowledge regarding the causes, contexts and responses to violence against women. It will bring together disciplines like law and criminology, psychology, public health, Indigenous and gender studies, sociology, political science and international relations, economics and data science.
CEVAW will also use survivor-centric and Indigenous methodologies.
“CEVAW will undertake urgent and world-leading work to build a robust evidence base, incorporating an Indigenous-centred approach and the experiences of survivors, to deliver workable approaches to eliminate violence against women across Australia and the Indo-Pacific,” said Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering.
“By bringing together researchers and practitioners across the region, CEVAW will empower front-line responders and communities to adopt evidence-based approaches that ensure women’s safety. The long-term impact will be healthier, safer communities, and reduced economic burden.”