Prevention United is pleased to release its latest policy brief produced in collaboration with our youth advisory group (YAG) – “Young women’s mental health: The significance of gender-based violence as a key driver in young women’s disproportionate experiences of mental ill-health.” The youth mental health crisis and gender-based violence (GBV) are both topics of current media attention. However, even though experiencing violence is a known risk factor for poor mental health, these issues are rarely spoken about together. While Prevention United welcomes the recent Federal Government $4.7 billion dollars over 5 years to prevent family violence, there remains considerable work to do to ensure that the specific experiences of girls and young women in relation to GBV are addressed in social policy, justice, education and health responses.
This policy brief was developed in consultation with our YAG who believe that is time to have an urgent conversation to highlight the effect(s) of GBV on the mental health of young Australian women and to take steps to decrease the incidence of this salient risk factor. The brief outlines the effects of GBV on the mental health of young women and advocates for the need for public health approaches to decrease the prevalence of both. https://nest.greenant.net/s/tNYiDjmZcfxWcK7
Key Facts:
The experience of GBV by girls and young women is impacting their mental health wellbeing, contributing to decline in the last 15 years.
GBV experienced by girls and young women requires a specialist reponse given the intersections with justice, health, education and sporting settings.
A public health response is required with a targeted approach to the needs of girls and young women, recognising the potential different types of GBV experienced, and other limitatopms in recording and responding to their experiences.
About us:
Prevention United is one of Australia’s leading voices in mental health promotion. We focus on promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental health conditions across the life course. We provide information, resources and preventative mental health programs to the public, offering training and consulting services to build workforce and sector capacity in this field, and advocate to governments around the country to increase their investment in initiatives to promote mental wellbeing and prevent mental health conditions.
Our work is based on the recognition that good mental health policy Is not only about supporting people experiencing mental health conditions – critical though this is- it is also about promoting and protecting the mental wellbeing of the entire community. Indeed the science is clear. Mental health conditions are not inevitable, and there are a range of things we can do to prevent these conditions from occurring in the first place.
