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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and their children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.


RP.17.13
R4Respect

Young people as agents of change in preventing violence against women

Completed
May 2019

This research begins with a broad hypothesis that gender-based respectful relationships education among young people is an essential element in preventing domestic violence.


The existing literature and evidence reveals that respectful relationships programs can impact positively on awareness of domestic and family violence, however there is limited evidence of influence on behaviours and actions (Flood & Kendrick, 2012; the National Plan; Stanley et al, 2016).  This project will adopt an innovative action-research approach that engages young people actively in the design, implementation, and critical reflection on the peer-to-peer R4Respect violence prevention program. The research will evaluate the impact of one peer-to-peer respectful relationships program, R4Respect, on influencing the views of young people and the actions they may pursue to build more respectful relationships. This research aims to inform ways young people can effectively engage in positive change that promotes gender equality and reduces the prevalence of violence against women following participation in the program. Young people aged 17-25 years will be included as participants and/or researchers through a Youth Research Group. This positions young people as both learners and agents of change. This is a cross-jurisdictional collaborative research project between Griffith University, Qld, Ruby Gaea Sexual Assault Service, Darwin, NT, and YFS Ltd., Logan, Qld. The research team will collect data from young people and adult stakeholders in Darwin, NT and Logan, Queensland.

This project will measure both:

  1. The views and actions of the young participants (YPs) on what constitutes harm and respect in relationships; and
  2. The views of the young participants and educators (stakeholders) on the utility of the peer-to-peer respectful relationships education model.

The primary aims of this research are:

  1. To improve the understanding young people have of respectful relationships and gender equality in order to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls.
  2. To expand the evidence-base about how to engage in understanding and advocating for respectful relationships with young people.
  3. To position young people at the centre of the research process as experts in order to focus on their perspectives, skills development, and future actions.

Researchers

Project lead

Dr Karen Struthers, Griffith University (Early Career Researcher)

Research expertise

Prof Clare Tilbury, Griffith University

Natalie Parmenter, Research Officer, YFS Ltd

Practice expertise

Beenush Khokar, YFS Ltd, Qld

Ms Samantha Chung, Ruby Gaea Sexual Assault Service, NT


Downloads

Research report

Young people as agents of change in preventing violence against women

Download

Research summary

R4Respect: Lessons from a peer-to-peer respectful relationships education program

Download

Guidelines

R4Respect. Respectful Relationships Peer Education Guide

Download

Report Launch

Youth ambassadors from R4Respect, an initiative of YFS Ltd Logan, with the Hon Di Farmer, MP, Minister for Youth and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, and survivor-advocate Saxon Mullins were at Balmoral State High School for the launch of the research report Young people as agents of change in preventing violence against women, by Dr Karen Struthers, Ms Natalie Parmenter and Prof Clare Tilbury.


Priority populations

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (as explicit topic).

Budget

$173,104

Funded by Australian Commonwealth, state and territory governments under ANROWS’s 2017 core grant round.

find out more

Contact ANROWS

PO Box Q389, Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230
Email: enquiries@anrows.org.au      

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