White Ribbon

The Women's and Children's Health Network is committed to preventing men's violence against women and girls, and fully supports White Ribbon Australia's core values and workplace accreditation inititatives.

Patrick Smith is the Executive Director of People and Culture for WCHN.

Our accreditation as a White Ribbon Workplace has involved WCHN adapting its organisational culture, practices and procedures to promote respectful relationships and safe workplaces for women.

We have zero tolerance of violence in all its forms, including physical, emotional and sexual. We are dedicated to the vision of the White Ribbon campaign that 'All women live in safety free from all forms of men's violence'.

The violence perpetrated against women most often occurs in their home and is most often perpetrated by their intimate partner. Violence crosses all cultural, age and socio-economic boundaries.

Violence against women is a global epidemic and is a significant determinant of morbidity and mortality. It also has a huge economic impact, with intimate partner violence costing the Australian health sector an estimated $207 million per year.

In 2014, the South Australian Government launched the Taking a Stand: Responding to Domestic Violence initiative. The WCHN has a leading role in supporting SA Health's response through the Women's Safety Strategy and WCHN’s Multi-Agency Protection Service team.

Some of the statistics from White Ribbon illustrate how pervasive violence against, and disrespect for women, is within society:

Over 12 months, on average, one woman is killed every week as a result of intimate partner violence.
Violence against women is estimated to cost $14.4 billion to the Australian economy per annum.
One in five women experience harassment within the workplace.
Victorian data shows only 1 in 6 men surveyed would say or do something to show their disapproval if a man told a sexist joke about a woman at work.

(Source: www.whiteribbon.org.au)

Surveys have also shown that 94% of employees agree employers should take a leadership role in educating their workforce about respectful relationships between men and women.

To gain White Ribbon Workplace accreditation, WCHN needed to demonstrate that we:

acknowledge violence against women as a serious, prevalent and preventable issue in Australia
are committed to a culture of zero tolerance of violence against women
are embedding this messaging within WCHN’s leadership, procedures and training
are proactive in preventing gender-based violence and promoting respectful relationships within WCHN
are strengthening our stance in relation to anti-bullying legislation
are equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to address issues of violence against women.

Violence against women at home or in the workplace has flow-on effects that impact the safety of women at work, their wellbeing and productivity.

As a White Ribbon Accredited Workplace, WCHN aims to make our workplace a safe, equitable and respectful environment in which men and women alike can flourish and achieve.