Tool 2: Policing and Gender
Box 5: Paid domestic violence leave campaign
The Australian Council of Trade Unions used billboards to lobby the government to entitle
all workers to up to ten days’ paid time off to deal with domestic violence situations – such
as being forced to leave home, resettle children, get their finances in order or seek medical
or psychological help. The key message of the campaign is that people experiencing
domestic violence should not be forced to choose between their income and their safety.
Three large billboards, with the words “Women are being killed”, “Paid domestic violence
leave can save lives” and “Why no action?” were placed outside the offices of the Minister
for Women on International Women’s Day in 2018 and displayed on trucks driving around
cities. They generated significant public and media attention. Less than four months later, a
new domestic violence leave entitlement for millions of employees across Australia came
into effect, a first step towards paid domestic violence leave.
Source: Josh Butler (2018) “Australian unions call for domestic violence leave with ‘3 billboards’ stunt”, Huffington
Post, 8 March.
Image: © ACTU
Social movements can also generate the political will to effect change. The “metoo
movement” spread rapidly as a hashtag on Twitter and other forms of social media from
October 2017, highlighting the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment
of (initially) women. The movement achieved global attention and can be credited with
shifting attitudes about such crimes (their prevalence) and their victims (their credibility)
and contributing to political will to act against GBV within many societies.
Beyond political will and public support, high-level engagement within the justice sector,
particularly from senior judges and lawyers, is required. To generate this, those advocating
for change need to develop mutual respect, trust and good working relationships with highlevel stakeholders, and communicate reforms in ways that resonate with the interests or
objectives of these stakeholders. In some contexts, private diplomatic engagement might
be more effective than public pressure. In Indonesia, for instance, judges participated
in drafting guidelines to address gender bias in the courtroom after non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) approached them privately with research which suggested gender
bias operated against female victims of GBV, rather than on the basis of public criticism.5
Communication of good practice is another effective means of generating engagement and
progressing change.
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