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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Interpersonal violence and abuse in religious contexts — how one Anglican diocese is responding - ABC Religion & Ethics
In Australia supporting child safety and addressing child abuse, ending violence against women and children, and ending domestic and family violence are all efforts supported by national plans and strategies. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence both identified religious institutions as playing a key role in prevention and as places to increase response capacity to interpersonal violence and abuse. Research into religious contexts and interpersonal violence and abuse has highlighted how religion and faith communities may be a source of hope and support for victims/survivors experiencing and recovering from such abuse. But there is also evidence that religious norms and concepts may be used by a perpetrator to support their violence — and furthermore, that religious leaders often feel unprepared or do not understand safety implications embedded in different forms of interpersonal violence and abuse. In recent years many religious communities have resourced activities and research to help respond to interpersonal violence and abuse. There are also examples of inter-faith collaborations and capacity building to address it. The critical questions are: Do such capacity building activities work to create 'better' responses to interpersonal violence and abuse? And are church leaders feeling more prepared to respond to interpersonal violence and abuse? Answering these questions often requires research to be conducted over an extended period of time (for instance, a longitudinal design) to determine if there are changes within individuals or groups by observing a variable (such as attitudes or behaviour). Longitudinal opportunities often do not present themselves because of time, complexity and shifting social and policy contexts. The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide provided such an opportunity for important learnings to emerge from a study into responses of church leaders to interpersonal violence and abuse over time. The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide instigated research following a request by the diocese's Survivor Advocacy Group, to support improving response practices to child abuse, adult sexual assault and domestic violence. The study methods included a survey to ascertain changes over time regarding clergy and church worker experiences and education, and to find out how a selection of results compared to a study previously conducted for the diocese 20 years earlier. Comparing survey results We presented findings from the survey with a total of 84 people, 29 per cent (24) were clergy and 71 per cent (60) were church workers. This represents 15 per cent of the total clergy and 5 per cent of the total church workers in the diocese. 33 per cent of the survey respondents were aged 49 years or under; 38 per cent were between 50 and 69 years; and 29 per cent were 70 years or over. 56 per cent identified as female, 43 per cent as male and 1 per cent as using a different term. Clergy respondents had worked an average of 19 years with the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide, and church workers an average of 14 years. We report the following changes: 75 per cent of clergy received information about or formed a suspicion of the abuse of children compared to 25 per cent of church workers — which is an increase from 49 per cent of clergy 20 years earlier. This indicates a substantial increase in reporting following receiving information about or forming a suspicion of child abuse and reporting immediately. 75 per cent of clergy received information about or formed a suspicion of the abuse of children compared to 25 per cent of church workers — which is an increase from 49 per cent of clergy 20 years earlier. This indicates a substantial increase in reporting following receiving information about or forming a suspicion of child abuse and reporting immediately. There was overall aggregated agreement in confidence in recognising signs of child abuse and responding to disclosures, supporting the safety needs of victim/survivors and feeling supported by the diocese in responding to child abuse. There was overall aggregated agreement in confidence in recognising signs of child abuse and responding to disclosures, supporting the safety needs of victim/survivors and feeling supported by the diocese in responding to child abuse. There was overall aggregated agreement in confidence expressed by respondents in responding to perpetrators of child abuse, and that the church holds perpetrators to account. There was overall aggregated agreement in confidence expressed by respondents in responding to perpetrators of child abuse, and that the church holds perpetrators to account. As a percentage more clergy (42 per cent) than church workers (9 per cent) have responded to adult sexual abuse — an increase from 35 per cent of clergy 20 years earlier. As a percentage more clergy (42 per cent) than church workers (9 per cent) have responded to adult sexual abuse — an increase from 35 per cent of clergy 20 years earlier. 20 per cent of the total survey respondents have not completed any training about how to respond to disclosures of adult sexual assault, and levels of confidence in responding varied — including 84 per cent of clergy indicating they felt confident, compared to 67 per cent of church workers. The 2005 study did not ask about domestic violence, however the current study did find the following: More clergy (63 per cent) than church workers (37 per cent) have responded to disclosures of domestic violence. More clergy (63 per cent) than church workers (37 per cent) have responded to disclosures of domestic violence. 19 per cent of the survey respondents reported that they have not received any training about responding to domestic violence, and overall church workers have received less education and training than clergy. 19 per cent of the survey respondents reported that they have not received any training about responding to domestic violence, and overall church workers have received less education and training than clergy. Levels of confidence in responding varied — including 78 per cent of clergy indicating they felt confident, compared to 65 per cent of church workers. Over the last twenty years, the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide has invested in policies and training requirements with respect to child abuse — including the Safe Ministry screening process, training for clergy and volunteers every three years, legislated mandatory reporting, and mandatory licensing for clergy and employed church workers to undertake professional supervision. They also operate with a Professional Standards Committee that receives information and complaints about all church workers. Evaluating survey findings So, to answer the questions posed we posed earlier — do capacity building activities enable better responses, and are church leaders feeling more prepared to respond to interpersonal violence — there are some promising findings to indicate yes . The opportunity to compare our survey results to those reported by 20 years ago found that clergy in the Adelaide Diocese have increased their reporting of child abuse, and both clergy and church workers describe finding the diocesan training requirements useful in supporting their response and reporting practices. There is thus an indication that culture change has occurred with respect to taking action to stop child abuse, compared to the findings presented in 2005. On the other hand, the survey results demonstrate that a significant number of clergy and church workers have not received any training in responding to adult sexual assault or domestic violence, and that church workers have received less training than clergy in responding to these types of interpersonal violence. Interestingly, the confidence with respect to their capacity to understand and respond to adult sexual assault and domestic and family violence was lower than their capacity to understand and respond to child abuse. To look at investment overtime into training and education activities and levels of confidence, by a religious community, shows evidence that efforts to support safety and promote understanding of interpersonal violence and abuse does make a difference when it comes to responding to child abuse. Furthermore, investment in education and training can be strengthened to support clergy and church workers to identify, respond and refer with respect to adult sexual assault and domestic violence. Strategic directions and investments continue to support the work of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide, and our study goes some way to show that they represent important examples of early intervention and safe responses for different forms of interpersonal violence and abuse that are making a difference. Such investments are important to grow healing in religious contexts, not harm. The request for the research by the diocese's Survivor Advocacy Group also illustrates the work underway within a religious institution to listen and respond to internal advocacy efforts to increase its capacity to recognise and understand the risks of interpersonal violence and abuse, and to safely respond. The diocese has outlined its commitments in its response to the research report's recommendations, illustrating the work of the diocese is ongoing, in the effort to increase its capacity and make necessary changes that will support interpersonal and community safety. If you need to get in touch with a domestic violence support service, you can contact the 1800 RESPECT national helpline: 1800 737 732. Sarah Wendt is Professor of Social Work in the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women at the University of Melbourne. Josephine Clarke is a Research Fellow in the Department of Social Work and with the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women at the University of Melbourne.
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
‘A housing disaster': The case against demolishing Melbourne's public housing
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Nepali-speaking Australians. Stories about women of Nepali heritage in Australia who are about to become parents.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Surprise note found on man's yellow bin after kerb collection
A man has taken to social media to share his surprise after a note from the council was stuck to his yellow bin while out on the street for collection. The image shared to Facebook was of a bright yellow slip, attached to his recycling bin, that informed the Canberra resident that his rubbish had been inspected. It had two options — that the bin contained no contamination, alternatively there was a list of possible items to tick if they appeared in the bin despite not being recyclable. The list includes plastic bags, textiles, e-waste, batteries, paper towel/tissues, coffee cups, nappies/sanitary items, as well as an option for the inspector to add their own comments. This particular man's recycling bin included soft plastics and receipts — which meant he received 'a B' rating on his contents. Bin inspections in various states Every council has its own rules when it comes to recycling, and fines for contaminating yellow bins. In New South Wales, fines can vary between $1000 and $1700. Penrith City Council was the first to implement the fines back in 2011. However some councils, including ACT Government, have bin inspection programs. Many have operated for close to 20 years. This particular bin inspection program was introduced in the ACT in 2017 after the introduction to the green waste and FOGO bins. Each week, random streets are selected by the ACT Government of Envirocom Australia, aiming to inspect 600 bins across various suburbs weekly. The 'waste educators' only look at bins that have been placed out for collection, and do not trawl through the container. Instead, they simply look at what's on top. The green waste and FOGO bins are also inspected at random. The program is purely for educational purposes, with no fines or penalties imposed. A similar scene was captured in Essedon, in Victoria, after mum Kali put out her bins, grabbed a coffee and returned to find a note reading 'Oh no' attached to her yellow bin. The note claimed that she put reusable shopping bags — which aren't recyclable — in her yellow bin. She wasn't the only one on her street who had copped a similar notice. 'I thought it was funny that I got bin shamed. I'm sure we're all guilty of [recycling incorrectly], it's an easy mistake,' she told Yahoo at the time. Surprisingly, instead of kicking off about the bin inspections, many social media users praised the initiative for helping people learn about what can and can't be recycled. 'I think it's a good initiative. Constructive feedback to improve habits,' one person commented. Another said: 'This is actually really cool. I'm often shocked by what people think is recyclable (pulled a lump of styrofoam out of the communal recycling the other day). 'Issue is that these things aren't always able to be sorted out at the recycling centre, meaning often lots of recyclables get scrapped because a batch is 'too contaminated'.' 'Jeez, recycling is getting complicated. I must confess, not knowing any better, I have put receipts in my recycling bin,' one person said. Someone else added: 'Actually very useful info, thank you.' 'This won't stop my neighbour from dumping all their general waste and food scraps into their overflowing recycling bin. They asked me why it's not being collected and they wouldn't believe me,' one added. One person said: 'No one told me this was on the test?! Man and I only just got a C social skills! I'm gonna flunk adulting for sure now!' Back in April, TikTok user @conspiracytrucker revealed another way that garbage collectors know when you break the rules. He showed the vehicle had a camera on either side of it, including the front. It also showed a camera inside that could see what was being emptied from the bin into the garbage truck. Recycling is typically governed by local councils, and therefore there are different rules and regulations and fines. In New South Wales, fines can vary between $1000 and $1700. Many social media users shared their own experiences, revealing people have put everything from an airfryer to a lawnmower in their bin when they weren't supposed to. 'This whole time I've been hiding my rubbish under grass and thought I was getting away with it,' one social media user said. Another added: 'Worked this out when I got caught out putting an airfryer in my red bin.' 'So the garbo KNEW I put that whole lawnmower in the bin,' another commented. One social media user commented: 'I'm genuinely baffled by the comments, I can't believe people put litter in the green bin on purpose.' 'My 90-year-old neighbour thought he'd be sneaky and put concrete slabs in my bin. Luckily I saw him and took them out and placed them neatly on top of his bin lid. Ready for the garbo,' someone else said.
