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What does gender have to do with domestic, family and sexual violence?

Former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and the Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn will be among experts exploring issues around gender and domestic, family and sexual violence in a free public panel discussion on 21 April.

Published on the 15 Apr 2016 by Clare Morgan
Former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.
Former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.

In the past 12 months there has been a significant increase in public awareness of domestic, family and sexual violence. But while much of the attention has been on men’s violence against women, there has been little discussion of other instances, such as female perpetrators and male victims, or of violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community.

These complex issues will be canvassed in a “Says Who” panel discussion hosted by the UNSW Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, “Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence: What’s gender got to do with it?”

Associate Professor Jan Breckenridge, Co-Convenor of the UNSW Gendered Violence Research Network, says the debate is important because while people want simple solutions to reduce domestic, family and sexual violence, the issues involved are complex.

“To develop more effective strategies, we must have a deeper understanding of the different types of violence and the range of effects of various population groups,” she says.

The full panel line-up is:

  • Elizabeth Broderick, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Special Adviser to the Executive Director of UN Women New York 
  • Associate Professor Jan Breckenridge, Co-Convenor of the UNSW Gendered Violence Research Network
  • Heather Nancarrow, CEO of Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and Deputy Chair of the COAG Advisory Panel to reduce violence against women
  • Catherine Burn, Deputy Commissioner, NSW Police Force
  • Dr Michael Salter, senior lecturer in criminology at Western Sydney University and a member of the Sexualities and Genders Research Network
  • Dr Gavi Ansara, board member of the Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council

The discussion will be moderated by Professor Eileen Baldry from the UNSW Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. The lecture is free but registrations are essential.

What: So, What? Lecture: “Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence: What’s gender got to do with it?”

When:  21 April, 6pm – 8pm

Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, Philip St, Sydney

Registrations: Click here to register