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Location: Home  »  National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children  » Overview

Overview

You can use this site to find out about the work of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, including the latest news and announcements relevant to women’s safety in Australia.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that around one in three Australian women experience physical violence and that almost one in five women experience sexual violence over their lifetime. It is also recognised that Aboriginal women are forty times more likely to be a victim of family violence compared with other Australian women. International studies estimate that more than eighty-percent of women with intellectual disabilities have experienced some form of sexual abuse throughout their lifetime, and that women with disability are assaulted, raped and abused at least twice the rate of women without disability.

The Australian Government asserts that no woman should have to live with the terror of domestic and family violence or sexual assault.

On 26 May 2008 the Government therefore announced the formation of an eleven member National Council charged with the responsibility for:

• providing expert advice to Government on measures to reduce the incidence and impact of domestic and family violence and sexual assault on women and their children;
• delivering a draft National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children; and
• providing leadership and guidance to achieve the implementation of key elements of the Government’s election commitments to improve women’s safety. Please note: material on this website is currently being reviewed and will continue to expand to reflect the Government’s policies, programs and priorities.