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Proven and promising techniques
There is a growing body of international evidence on the types
of techniques that are effective in preventing violence against
women and their children. 103 Some of these have now proven
effectiveness, that is, they have demonstrated reductions
in future perpetration and/or experience of violence on
longitudinal evaluations that compare participants to a control
group of non-participants. Other techniques are considered
promising, in that their implementation has resulted in
significant improvements against the known drivers of violence
against women – the kinds of structures, norms, attitudes,
practices and behaviours described in Element 1. Many
Australian programs 104 have employed proven or promising
techniques across various settings.
Techniques that have demonstrated effectiveness or promise
across other areas of social policy or public health include:
Importantly, while the techniques discussed here are proven or
promising in their specific settings or contexts, a populationwide
approach to prevention cannot rely on any single program
or technique to reach everyone. It needs to include a range of
different techniques, each of which needs to be flexible and
adaptable according to context if it is to reach and resonate with
all groups in our diverse society. This underlines the importance
of an approach that maximises both the impact and reach of
prevention efforts, as discussed above.
Further, single programs or techniques have an impact that
is primarily limited to participants, and that may lessen over
time if the message is not reinforced in other areas of those
participants’ lives. This underscores the need for a multifaceted
and sustained approach involving multiple techniques
across settings, discussed further in the next sub-section.
• direct participation programs
• community mobilisation and strengthening
• organisational development
• communications and social marketing
• civil society advocacy.
These programs engage and involve men, women, children
or young people at the individual, relationship or group level
to build the knowledge and skills for equal, respectful, nonviolent
relationships; improve access to the resources required
that support such relationships; improve connections to social
networks and institutions; and support people to prevent or
address the impacts of other factors linked to violence against
women such as child abuse.
Other types of direct participation programs have not yet
been evaluated over time for impact on future perpetration or
experience of violence, but do show promise in addressing the
known drivers of violence against women. These include:
• peer education programs supporting individuals to
engage and educate peers to critique gender norms
and attitudes that support violence against women
Direct participation programs
Finally, the techniques described here need to be supported
by complementary political and institutional strategies,
including public policy, legislation and regulation, as
well as appropriately skilled workforces. This supporting
infrastructure for change at the broad societal and institutional
level, and for system integration, coordination and
sustainability is discussed in Element 4.
• media literacy programs, particularly supporting young
people to critically engage with media and popular
culture about representations of women, men and
gender relations
• bystander skills-building, training individuals to take prosocial
action in the face of violence-supportive or sexist
attitudes, behaviours and practices (but not in reaction to
violence itself as such programs have evaluated poorly)
• parenting programs building men’s and women’s skills
in non-violent and gender equal parenting.
Direct participation programs can be implemented in many
contexts and have proven successful across various settings,
most notably schools, workplaces and collectives. Best practice
is when such programs are implemented in conjunction with
organisational development programs (see below).
The Fourth R is a Canadian grade 9 physical and health
education program including a 21-lesson curriculum
delivered over 28 hours by teachers with additional
training in the dynamics of dating violence and healthy
relationships.
A two and a half year follow up with 1,722 students
found that physical dating violence was about 2.5 times
greater among students who did not participate in the
program than those who did participate. 105
Safe Dates is a US school-based program involving a
10-session curriculum for years 8 and 9 that aims to give
students the skills to build healthy dating relationships. It
also involves parents and carers, providing resources about
the topics covered to encourage discussion at home.
Four years after implementation, those students who
had participated in Safe Dates reported 56% to 92%
less physical, serious physical, and sexual dating
violence victimisation and perpetration than students
who did not participate. 106
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