National plan to end violence against women and children

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia welcomes the release of the National Plan to End Violence
Against Women and Children 2022-2032.

‘Violence against women and children is completely unacceptable,’ National President Claire Victory
said.

‘It is a critical welfare issue in Australia that has devastating impacts on individuals, families and
communities.

‘Every day, the Society’s members are witness to the immediate and enduring impacts of violence
against women and children, and to their strength and resilience in overcoming adversity,’
Ms Victory said.

The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children establishes priorities for action and
investment over the next 10 years, including prevention, early intervention, responses to victim-survivors and perpetrators, and recovery and healing.

‘The Society welcomes the commitment of the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments
set out in the plan to work together—and with victim-survivors, experts, frontline services and other
stakeholders—to end family, domestic and sexual violence within a generation,’ Ms Victory said.

‘We support the plan’s acknowledgement of the need to ensure that women and children escaping
violence can access safe and secure housing, from crisis accommodation to longer-term, sustainable
social housing.

‘Women and children escaping violence are often confronted with overcrowding in crisis
accommodation and the terrible choice between homelessness and staying in, or returning to, a
violent home.

‘To achieve the plan’s ambitious goal of ending violence against women and children in a generation,
housing must be fixed—and substantial new funding provided by the Commonwealth and State
governments,’ Ms Victory said.

The Society welcomes the plan’s focus on the connection between gender inequality and gender
violence, and on engaging men and boys in efforts to halt violence against women and children.

The St Vincent de Paul Society has supported Australians in need for almost 170 years, providing emergency supporting, housing and other support services.