Dr Jackson Katz at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia presenting on Gender Violence – a Community Approach

On 27th May, Director of CE Family Law David Edney had the honour of being invited by Chief Justice Alstergren to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia to listen to what Dr Jackson Katz had to say about his work on issues of gender, race, and violence.

Dr Katz touched on several parts of his work, including the “bystander" approach to gender violence prevention.  This approach encourages the community to take ownership of sexual violence as a problem - it places the onus on all of us to speak up when we see a potentially dangerous situation or hear sexist language. Dr Katz emphasised that the fight against gender violence is a collective responsibility.

It was a thought-provoking talk during which Dr Katz also said that domestic violence and sexual abuse are often called "women's issues", Dr Katz, however, pointed out that these are intrinsically men's issues and how those violent behaviours are tied to definitions of manhood and male behaviour. 

The Court's initiative to organise this event underscores its commitment to fostering an informed and proactive community.

To learn more about Dr Jackson Katz's views on the ‘ByStander Approach’ to gender violence prevention, view the video here.

To learn more about Dr Jackson Katz's work views on domestic violence and sexual abuse as ‘Men’s Issues’, click here.