National Plan of Action - make it a success

10 November 2008, 11:01AM

We are almost there....

Amnesty International Australia, alongside 200 partner organisations, has campaigned since 2005 for the Australian Government to adopt a National Plan of Action (NPoA) to combat violence against women and children. Read about and download Amnesty's latest report on a NPoA, Setting the Standard.

Now, the National Council appointed by the Australian Government is drafting a NPoA that has the potential to change the lives of women and children around Australia who experience violence in their lives. The draft NPoA is due to be released in mid-December.

This is great news. But, there are some essential questions that must be considered if the NPoA is to be successful...

• Will the NPoA provide adequate funding so no woman or child is ever turned away from a refuge or other service?
• Will the NPoA provide strong preventative measures through education to achieve the cultural changes needed for the next generation?
• Will the NPoA be sustainable with ongoing commitments in funding and a sustained leadership body?
• How will the Australian NPoA compare to plans adopted in the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Indonesia and Brazil?

NOW is our opportunity to campaign for the Australian NPoA to be the best that it can be - drawing on international good practice and grounded in women's human rights.

What should the NPoA look like?

Fundamental principles

• STRUCTURAL: The NPoA must cross portfolios and levels of government. Violence against women must be treated as a ‘socio-structural’ problem based in sex discrimination. The diversity of women must be addressed (including Indigenous women).
• STRATEGIC: The plan must have a defined set of objectives, targets, indicators, activities and commitments to ensure monitoring and accountability.
• SUSTAINED: Ongoing funding and permanent leadership bodies are needed to ensure long-term change occurs.

Areas of coverage

• PREVENTION: Requiring education, public awareness and the changing of sexist and violence-tolerant attitudes.
• PROVISION: of services addressing the physical, mental and social wellbeing of survivors, and protection from further violence.
• PROSECUTION: All forms of violence against women must be investigated, prosecuted and punished; barriers to prosecution must be removed within a gender-sensitive framework.

What do we need to make the NPoA successful?

Australia spends $9,300 per 10,000 people (or 93cents per person per year) to address violence against women. By comparison, the Republic of Ireland allocates $62,570 per 10,000 people annually.

Inadequate funding is the most frequently cited impediment for the overall success of NPoAs in other countries.

Since 2004, 200 organisations and 30,000 Australians have added their support to Amnesty International Australia’s campaign for an NPoA.

To effectively address violence against women, the NPoA must take an all-of-government approach, including preventative measures through education and involve health, justice, housing and other sectors.

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