November 25 marked the start of the 16 Days in WA campaign to raise awareness of gender-based family and domestic violence (FDV).
November 25 marked the start of the 16 Days in WA campaign to raise awareness of gender-based family and domestic violence (FDV).
Now in its seventh year, the campaign seeks to drive a fundamental change in attitudes and behaviour that lead to violence against women and their children.
The data is stark and show the need for change has never been more urgent.
Nearly 300,000 Western Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner or family member since the age of 15 – that’s almost 30 per cent of WA’s female population – with 43,500 women facing partner violence in the past two years.
The numbers of women who have faced sex-based harassment is also confronting. More than half a million women in WA have experienced some form of sexual harassment since the age of 15, including 138,000 in the past year.
And abuse is not restricted to sexual or physical violence or harassment.
Emotional or economic abuse towards women from cohabiting partners is all-too prevalent.
The most recent crime statistics from the WA Police reinforce these alarming trends, with 2,433 reports of familyrelated assaults in September 2023: up 50 per cent in five years and 9 per cent compared to a year earlier.
And we know that many more instances of violence go unreported, with evidence to show that only a quarter of FDV incidents against women are reported to the police.
So, what is being done?
Data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows that a significant share of larger organisations offer enhanced support measures such as employee assistance programs, flexible working arrangements, financial support, and assistance with emergency accommodation.
These measures sit on top of recent legislation that mandates the provision of 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave for all employees, including casual employees, at their usual rates of pay.
More than half of larger organisations offer financial support to people experiencing family and domestic violence, with 45 per cent providing access to medical services and a quarter assisting with emergency accommodation.
These sorts of measures provide workers with more protection, more options to escape domestic violence, and enhanced opportunity and motivation to remain economically independent through employment.
The evidence clearly shows that organisations are taking greater responsibility to address the impacts of gender-based violence on their workforce.
What’s also very clear from the data is that reports of family and domestic violence spike during the summer vacation months.
Analysis of WA Police data shows nearly 350 more reports of family violence in the month of December and 237 more reports in January compared to average monthly reports for the year.
Governments, private and public sector organisations and community services all need to be attuned to these heightened risks and provide appropriate protections over the vacation months.
Given this, supporting the 16 Days in WA campaign is everyone’s business.
- Professor Alan Duncan is director of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre
