"Sexual assault prevention has undergone significant conceptual shifts since the 1970s. This has been reflected in all forms of prevention activity but is also evident in sexual assault prevention education. At this point in time there is still much to be done to ensure our tertiary responses to victims of sexual assault are supportive, effective, timely and flexible to the diverse needs of different population groups who experience sexual assault. We also need to continue to work more effectively to hold perpetrators of sexual violence accountable. Our current understandings recognise the need for multi-sectoral and diverse responses if we are to move more closely to preventing sexual violence. Prevention education is one crucial strategy in government and community responses to sexual violence. If we are to achieve the cultural shift in communities that promote non-violence and deplore the use of violence between intimate partners, we face many challenges. To respond to these challenges we need to interrogate prevention education rigorously and to develop effective policy to guide its future implementation."
The paper Conceptualising the prevention of sexual assault and the role of education was written by Moira Carmody
in the Issues No. 10 2009
Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.ISBN 978-1-921414-16-9, ISSN 1833-7864 (online), ISSN 1833-7856 (print)
Moira Carmody is an Associate Professor, Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney.
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