Experts gather to discuss gendered violence recovery in Australian first

The first national roundtable into recovery and healing is convened by the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission and the Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance, the latter of which the Illawarra Women's Health Centre (IWHC) is a founding member.

As well as academics and workers in the sector, more than half of roundtable participants have lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence.

The roundtable will look at the next decade and discuss what is needed for recovery and healing - such as housing, economic needs, justice, long-term health outcomes, and coordination across systems - and the required investment.

Healing and recovery is one of the four pillars of the National Plan to Eliminate Violence against Women and Children but Sally Stevenson, executive director of the IWHC and roundtable contributor, says it has received the least attention.

One in four women were affected by domestic violence, Ms Stevenson said, which could have lifelong physical and mental health impacts that flowed on to children, the broader community, and the economy.

But she said recovery was also a part of prevention.

"If we can support people to recover from that abuse, it is far less likely that there will be intergenerational transfer of this trauma and this violence," Ms Stevenson said.

"So it's really critical on an individual level, on a community level, on an economic level, but also on a prevention level."

Ms Stevenson said the importance of healing and recovery had not attracted its due attention because there was a myth that once a victim-survivor left a violent relationship, they were OK - which was far from the truth.

As well as lasting trauma, she said, there was also a lot of post-separation abuse.

"It's so big and so complex that I think people don't want to look at that," Ms Stevenson said.

"I think that it's not considered a priority because people that that other services in the health system and the legal system will pick up the support that is required, when they don't.

"And I think more generally, people turn away from domestic, family and sexual violence as an issue that's not important to them."

Ms Stevenson said she expected the roundtable would build an agenda of actions it knew "works, that's practical, that's realistic" and use that to underpin the national plan.

Micaela Cronin, Australia's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, said healing and recovery had to be prioritised.

In May 2023 the Illawarra hosted Australia's first Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery and Healing Conference.