A Monash expert is available to discuss their report that has been released to coincide with International Day of the Girl 2023.
The report is titled: Listen to her. Act now: The experiences and impact of child abuse on Australian girls.
It presents the voices and child abuse experiences of young girls in Australia, detailing their experiences of abuse within the home, and the impacts of family violence on their lives.
Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon can speak to the need for a national policy and practice shift.
Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre
Contact: +61 0412 339 243 or Kate.Fitzgibbon@monash.edu
Read more of Professor Fitz-Gibbon's work at Monash Lens
The following is attributable to Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon:
“Violence against women and girls is a national crisis. This research shines a light on experiences of childhood abuse among Australian girls and the diverse and often long-lasting impacts of childhood victimisation.
“In this study there were 71 Australian girls who had experienced non-fatal strangulation perpetrated by a family member. Three young women surveyed experienced strangulation daily or almost daily. This is the reality of Australia’s crisis of violence against women and girls.
“Delivering on the ambitions of the National Plan to end Violence against Women and Children requires us to confront the lived experience of the current generation of children and young people in Australia who have experienced or are currently experiencing violence.
“Whole of system supports and services are required to promote healing and recovery, and to disrupt the intergenerational transmission of family violence.
“We must listen to children and young people’s voices and act now if we are to realise the National Plan’s ambitious goal of ending domestic, family and sexual violence in one generation. Supporting the recovery and healing of those experiencing childhood abuse and other forms of family violence is critical to this ambition.”
For more Monash media stories visit our news & events site: monash.edu/news
For any other topics on which you may be seeking expert comment, contact the Monash University Media Unit on +61 3 9903 4840 or media@monash.edu
