The Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN) is a joint initiative of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture and UNSW Law & Justice. Our network unites UNSW’s significant domestic and international research expertise to respond, prevent and end gendered violence in Australia and beyond.
GVRN is at the forefront of developing solutions to prevent gendered violence – one of the most prevalent human rights violations affecting our world today.
Although studies clearly show that women and children are disproportionately affected, our research explores the impact of gendered violence – also known as ‘gender-based violence’ or ‘gender-related violence’ – on all population groups.
Co-convenors - Professor Jan Breckenridge, Head of UNSW School of Social Sciences. A new co-convenor will be announced soon.
Our research
We are research leaders in exploring the impact of gendered violence. Our work spans sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, family violence, child sexual abuse and adult survivors, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, gendered misconduct, trafficking for domestic and sexual slavery, and female infanticide.
Our training and advisory services
Our Gendered Violence & Organisations stream offers tailored face-to-face and online training, online short courses and specialised advisory services for employers wanting to address gendered violence in their workplace. Using evidence-based research, we have assisted over 50 private and public organisations throughout Australia and internationally
About us & our network
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Our objectives are to:
- contribute to the body of evidence addressing the causes, consequences and intervention strategies for gendered violence in Australia and internationally
- combine research excellence and practitioner knowledge to encourage innovation and good practice
- promote informed, evidence-based discussion of policy and practice to reduce and mitigate the harmful effects of gendered violence.
Our strategies are to:
- undertake rigorous and reliable multi-disciplinary research which focuses on ‘real-world’ outcomes
- prioritise engagement with key communities, especially service providers and service users
- incorporate victim and survivor voices into our research, particularly those from marginalised populations.
Our expertise includes:
- bringing together 50+ research affiliates across disciplines
- assisting employers from 50+ organisations to address domestic, family and/or sexual violence in their organisations.
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Gendered violence is an expression of power and control over individuals or groups because of their gender. It's a broad term that encompasses domestic, family and sexual violence, and includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, intimate partner violence, and violence among household members, extended families and kinships. ‘Gender-related violence, gender-based violence’ (GBV), ‘sexual and gender-based violence’ (SGBV) and ‘violence against women’ (VAW) are common terms in this field. ‘Gendered misconduct’ and ‘sexual misconduct’ are also used.
While it’s clear that women and children are disproportionately affected, we use ‘gendered violence’ with the acknowledgement that men, women, elders and youth can be victims and perpetrators. We acknowledge that gendered violence can be experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTIQ) people. Gendered violence is not limited to physical or sexual violence – it can include a range of behaviours used to intimidate, coerce, harass and control another person, including financial abuse.
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Co Convenors
- Professor Jan Breckenridge (UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture)
- A new co-convenor will be announced soon
Executive
- Professor Jan Breckenridge
- Associate Professor Anne Brewster
- Associate Professor Helen Pringle
- Professor kylie valentine
UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture
- Professor Eileen Baldry
- Dr Linda Bartolomei
- Dr Aminath Didi
- Emeritus Professor Leanne Dowse
- Dr Penny Griffin
- Dr Trish Hill
- Associate Professor Caroline Lenette
- Associate Professor Alyce McGovern
- Dr Abner Wang Cheong Poon
- Dr Suzanne Schmeidl
- Dr Zora Simic
- Associate Professor Claudia Tazreiter
- Professor Anthony Zwi
- Scientia Professor Carla Treloar
- Dr Jane Mowll
- Associate Professor Elizabeth Thurbon
- Dr Maree Higgins
- Dr Phillipa Evans
UNSW Business School
UNSW Canberra
UNSW Law & Justice
- Professor Louise Chappell
- Professor Andrea Durbach
- Associate Professor Christine Forster
- Associate Professor Jennifer Moore
- Honorary Professor Julie Stubbs
- Professor Megan Davis
UNSW Medicine & Health
- Associate Adjunct Professor Carolyn Quadrio
- Professor Susan Rees
- Associate Professor Elke Mitchell
- Dr Patricia Cullen
Partnerships
- Dr Alice de Jonge
- Dr Bianca Fileborn
- Dr Manjula O'Connor
- Emeritus Professor Carolyn Warner
- Associate Professor Jesse Cale
- Professor Sue Green
- Dr Stacy Tzoumakis
PLuS Alliance research affiliates
Postgraduate research affiliates
- Caitlin Biddolph – supervisors Penny Griffin and Liz Thurbon; research: Queering International Criminal Law: Gender, Sexuality, and Nationalism at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
- Sophie Yates – supervisors Jan Breckenridge and Louise Chappell; research: A critical frame analysis of Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence
- Maureen MacGinley – supervisors Jan Breckenridge and Jane Mowll; research: The experience of shame for adults subjected to sexual abuse in childhood
- Jeannette Walsh – supervisors Jo Spangaro and Jesse Cale; research: “Both sides now”: safer home visiting for child and family health nurses to engage with women experiencing intimate partner violence
- Samantha Lyneham – supervisors Jan Breckenridge and Bianca Fileborn; research: Understanding consent and coercion in forced marriage in Australia
- Elena Cama – supervisors Bianca Fileborn, Andrea Durbach and Janet Chan; research: Understanding and responding to technology-facilitated sexual violence in online dating
- Melanie Burton – supervisors Annie Cossins and Jesse Cale; research: The characteristics and behaviours of undetected intrafamilial child sex offenders
- Malory Plummer – supervisors Annie Cossins and Janet Chan; research: The impact of child sexual abuse on male victims: explaining the transition from victim to offender
- Grace Thomas – supervisor Caroline Lenette; research: The Potential of #MeToo: a media analysis of the #MeToo narrative as a response to global sexual and gender-based violence
- Thea Gumbert-Jourjon – supervisors Annie Cossins and Jane Goodman-Delahunty; research: Unreasonable doubts? Improving juror decision-making
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In a unique partnership between King’s College London, UNSW Sydney and Arizona State University, the PLuS Alliance works towards promoting social justice principles and enabling research-led solutions to global challenges including gendered violence.
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An annual 16-day blogathon featuring writers and activists reporting on #GenderBasedViolence worldwide as part of the global #16DaysOfActivism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign.
Hosted by genderED at the University of Edinburgh, the Gendered Violence Research Network at the University of New South Wales and the Centre for Publishing at Dr B R Ambedkar University Delhi.
Contact
For further information about GVRN, our services and how we can tailor our services to the specific needs of your organisation, please contact:
Mailin Suchting
Manager, Gendered Violence Research Network, UNSW
T: +61 2 9065 8339
E: m.suchting@unsw.edu.au