What can schools do? A lot! Under positive duty legislative requirements organisations are required to take action that helps to prevent harassment, abuse or violence for staff. Could it be argued that there is by extension an obligation for schools to take preventative action in a similar way for students? Schools may argue they don’t have to so they won’t, but is this ethical? Does this demonstrate care? If schools can play a part in preventing violence & harm, but choose not to, could this be considered vicarious liability? And with one of the recognised contributing factors of gender based violence being gender equality, how should we feel about schools who do not prioritise #genderequality, or those which in some instances, work actively against equality even when they are presented with an opportunity to be more equitable, but refuse? I think it was renowned expert Jackson Katz, Ph.D. That recently said that “if you’re not actively part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” If schools are enforcing rigid gender stereotypes or inequity through their policies & practices, could this be suggestive evidence that they are part of the problem? Recall our recent research into schools that revealed a significant gender equity gap between public & private schools with the latter being much more likely to have sexist & discriminative approaches: https://lnkd.in/gnjg_fn8 And this pilot research is just a sample, with gender inequity in schools being researched & evidenced for many years by leading academics & experts, yet the governing bodies seem to sustain these patriarchal habits that are now out of line with modern societal expectations: https://lnkd.in/gg6DDwsh Our Watch Cara Gleeson Patricia Kinnersly Coleen MacKinnon Jane Caro AM MATE Bystander Program Mate Bystander Curtin Shaan Ross-Smith Independent Schools Australia Independent Schools Queensland Independent Schools Victoria Association of Independent Schools of NSW Australian Government Department of Education Queensland Department of Education Jason Clare MP Di Farmer Dr Niki Vincent Micaela Cronin Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM Anne Hollonds Linda Colley Sandy Bolton MP Edward Carroll Susanne Gannon Leanne Higham Erika K Smith Barcley Consulting Leonie Rowan Ahmed Moustafa Elena Marchetti Sanuri De Silva Maria Josefa Arias Samantha Keir Sharon Patrick Anthony Reinhart Dr Rachael Jefferson (formerly Jefferson-Buchanan) Sonia Naomi Smith Rebecca Cox Erin Morley #equity #equality #gender #genderequity #genderequality #inclusion #humanrights #prevention #schools #education #bystander #gbv #respectfulrelationships #coercivecontrol #violence #research #evidence #patriarchy
A future free from violence is possible - and we can all play a part in building that future. [Alt: White and green text on a navy background. Quote from Rosie Batty: Whether you sit in a boardroom, a classroom or a seat on the bus, you have influence and you can contribute to the seismic shift towards a world free from violence.]
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