Preview: Why Science?
WORDS - Alex Kopp
In this opening episode, we consider why looking at science and research might be helpful in preventing violence against women. We are introduced to the group of people who are this series’ ‘Agents’ who want to affect change, and to the complex issue of violence against women.
The Agents explore the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a doctor who discovered the importance of handwashing in preventing deaths in maternity wards, and apply this as a springboard to discuss the need to question assumptions, be open to new ideas, and to challenge norms, systems and practices in order to bring about long lasting social change.
Behind the Scenes
Agents for Change was developed by a Community Action Group based in Shellharbour, on the south coast of NSW. It is one of several groups set up by White Ribbon, with funding from the Department of Social Services as part of a national action plan to reduce violence against women and children.
The idea behind the Community Action Group initiative was to empower like-minded people to start changing the way their community engages with violence against women. Using an evidence-based framework and grassroots approach, the group seeks to address the underlying reasons for why violence is happening in the first place. It’s about reframing the narrative from seeing it as an individual’s problem to something that is a community issue that can be faced together.
Violence against women is a complex issue, but it is preventable.
The content of the podcast is based on extensive Australian and international research which identifies gender inequity as sitting at the core of violence against women, and which points to four key drivers of violence:
• condoning of violence against women;
• men’s control of decision making and limits to women’s independence in public and private life;
• rigid gender stereotyping and dominant forms of masculinity;
• male peer relations and cultures of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance and control.
The research also identifies other contributing factors and conditions, which can be accessed in greater detail via the Our Watch website (https://www. ourwatch.org.au/the-issue/ )
Who are the “Agents for Change”?
The Agents are ordinary Australians, who were approached by staff at Shellharbour City Council and invited to participate. They are a representative group of the Shellharbour Community in terms of gender, age and socioeconomic status. They include:
• 5 high school students
• 3 young people aged under 21 who are employed in trade related areas
• 2 people working in education
• 2 people working in disability services
• Several retirees
• 2 Aboriginal Elders and 2 Aboriginal young people
• A school Principal
• A CEO
• Several small business owners
• People who volunteer in community activities and sports including football, BMX, and youth work
• Several people working in community support services
• People from various cultural backgrounds including: Serbian, South American, Macedonian, Arabic, and African.
Production Notes
The Shellharbour Community Action Group asked podcasters Coequal to look at the four key drivers and present that information in a way that might assist people to start conversations, raise awareness and play a part in prevention of violence.
Phillip Crawford, Agents for Change Producer, says “There is a lot of fascinating research that has gone into the drivers of violence. Once we started looking at that background research it seemed like talking about it might actually create a narrative arc that could assist people to understand issues better. Hala Abdelnour, from the Institute of Non-Violence, was approached as an expert co-host to help give important explanatory information to listeners. But the podcasts themselves were put together from 12 recording sessions where between two and six people sat around microphones and discussed the science, listened to each other and grappled with what the research might mean, and how we could make use of it.”
Phil goes on to explain: “For reasons that are articulated within the series, our community is often reluctant to engage with the issue of gendered violence. There is a norm of silence around it. At least one aspect of this norm is that the stories about violence are troubling and the lived experience of them are widespread throughout society. Choosing to focus on the science and research enabled us to talk a bit more ‘third person’ about the issues.”
“Agents For Change does not include stories about people’s lived experience of violence. But because there is a lot of silence around the issue, sometimes, when we actually get to hear about some of the studies that have been done in this area, the affect is that of surprise and shock. It can seem like a revelation. However, because the focus of research has also been on what things can lead to change, the science and research actually feels hopeful when we start to chat about it. And this is welcome when considering an issue that often seems intractable.”
The Agents for Change project is a community development initiative supported by White Ribbon Australia, Shellharbour City Council, Coequal and ANROWS (Australia’s National Research Organisation For Women’s Safety).
