Early results from anti-violence campaign encouraging with 72 per cent more mindful of respect

The second phase of the ground breaking $30 million Stop it at the Start campaign has reignited community discussions about how we can all play a role in breaking the cycle of violence against women and their children.
 
The campaign – jointly funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments and in its third year – supports adults to be more aware of what they say and do in front of young people and the knock-on effect of disrespectful behaviour.
 
Phase two launched in October 2018, and early research findings have shown:

• 72 per cent of people who saw the campaign understood and accepted their role in showing young people how to act respectfully;
• Those who had seen the campaign were more likely to have recently discussed violence against women with friends/family, and spoken to young people about respectful relationships; and
• Around 6 in 10 felt the campaign led them to a different perspective on violence against women; particularly being more conscious of how they behave in front of children and being encouraged to find out more information.

Minister for Families and Social Services, Paul Fletcher, said the campaign has contributed to breaking the cycle of violence for future generations.
 
“Stop It At The Start campaign has shown us that small moments of change can make a real difference when it comes to attitudes around respect towards women,” Mr Fletcher said.
 
“Phase one advertisements inspired extensive online conversation, with more 43 million views and hundreds of thousands of shares on social media.
 
“While attitudinal change takes time, evaluation research of the first phase shows the campaign already has had an impact.
 
“More than two-thirds of adults say they took action and have started changing some of their deeply-held attitudes.
 
Minister for Women, Kelly O’Dwyer, said the campaign is just one of a number of initiatives under the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022 with a focus on stopping violence before it starts.
 
“Phase two results show more than 1.6 million online views of the television commercials, more than 12,000 shares of social media ads, hundreds of thousands of web views and 25,800 downloads of conversation guides and other materials,” Ms O’Dwyer said.
 
“There are a suite of new resources now available to show communities how change can begin from the ground up, and they will be a legacy for the campaign.
 
“Influencers like teachers, sporting coaches and other role models can use materials on the campaign website to bring their own activities to life, whether that be hosting a workshop, driving local organisational change or another way to get respect on the agenda.
 
“There are also videos featuring local people and communities who are already taking action that will inspire others to talk about respect too.”
 
Assistant Minister for Children and Families, Michelle Landry, said it was important that young people be surrounded by positive messages from all adults in their lives.
 
“Research tells us that one in four young people don’t think it’s serious when guys insult or verbally harass girls in the street,” Ms Landry said.
 
“We need to make sure our children hear that this isn’t acceptable behaviour in any place, at any time. Small steps by all of us, together, can bring us closer to a culture free from disrespect and violence against women.”
 
The Coalition Government has zero tolerance for violence against women, having committed well in excess of $350 million to address women’s safety.
 
The resources are available at www.respect.gov.au/community/. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au