In the news: Supporting Survivors of Domestic and Family Violence

The Crime and Justice Research Centre event Supporting Survivors of Domestic and Family Violence: Challenges and Recommendations for Justice Responses was held Tuesday 21 April 2015 at the State Library of Queensland in Brisbane. Supporting Survivors was co-sponsored by the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research at Central Queensland University.

The event was covered by Brisbane Times, APN and ABC radio and stories about the presentations ran in 56 regional newspapers throughout Australia.

For example:
Domestic violence survivor counts herself as the lucky one
Justice system can do better with domestic violence: experts
Judge supports domestic violence court proposal

Read QUT’s news item here: Community seeks improvements in how domestic violence is handled in the justice system

Speakers included: Molly Dragiewicz, Director of the Crime and Justice Research Centre, The Hon Shannon Fentiman, Minister for Communities, Women and Youth, Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Kyllie Cripps from University of New South Wales, Wynetta Dewis and Hayley Smith from Queensland Indigenous and Family Violence Legal Service, Nada Ibrahim from the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research at Central Queensland University, and Judge Fleur Y Kingham.

Their remarks addressed the dangers and unintended consequences of criminalising abused women for “failure to protect” their children from their abusers, ways to improve justice responses to Indigenous women experiencing abuse, suggestions for improving police responses for Muslim women, and how to do more with existing resources in the criminal court. Resources from the event, including selected video and powerpoint presentations, will be placed online shortly.

Supporting survivors was attended by approximately 100 advocates, lawyers, police officers, child protection workers, scholars, and students.

QUT’s School of Justice, Faculty of Law is currently proposing a Graduate Certificate in Understanding Domestic Violence in response to the need for further education about these issues, with tentative plans to cover:
Dynamics of Domestic Violence
Children and Family Violence
Reducing Lethal Risk &
Advocacy for Domestic Violence Victims