Understanding Gender-based Violence

Recognise experience, build awareness and understand your rights. Notre Dame provides employees and students with education on the prevention and recognition of respectful behaviours.

What is Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Sexual Violence means any sexual behaviours or sexual acts that occur without freely given, informed and voluntary consent. Sexual violence is a form of gender-based violence and includes, but is not limited to, sexual assault, abuse, exploitation, harassment and technology-facilitated harm.

Gender-based Violence means any form of physical or non-physical violence, harassment, abuse or threats, based on gender that results in, or is likely to result in harm, coercion, control, fear or deprivation of liberty and autonomy.

Understanding different behaviours

Gender-based violence encompasses a range of behaviours, including (but not limited to):

• Family and domestic violence

  Behaviour or threats that aim to control a partner or family member by causing fear or threatening their safety, including physical abuse, financial abuse, isolation, insulting or criticising, sexual coercion, threatening children and/or pets.

  For more information, including recognising the signs, support for those affected, training resources, and support contacts, please visit the Family and domestic violence page.

• Gender-based and sex-based harassment

  Unwelcome conduct of a demeaning nature by reason of the person’s gender or sex, in circumstances in which a reasonable person would have anticipated the possibility that the person harassed would be offended, humiliated or intimidated.

• Sexual harassment  and assault

  Sexual harassment is any conduct that:

  • is unwelcome (whether or not the person impacted has explicitly identified it as unwelcome or raised a concern about the conduct),
  • is of a sexual nature (a sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other conduct of a sexual nature),
  • a reasonable person (aware of all the circumstances) would anticipate could possibly make the person subjected to the conduct feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.

  Sexual harassment can be physical, verbal or written, including via online or phone communication by an employer, worker, student or third party. Sexual harassment does not have to be repeated conduct and can be a one-off incident.

  Sexual assault is when a person is forced, coerced or tricked into sexual acts against their will or without their consent, including when they have withdrawn their consent.

  More information about what amounts to unlawful sexual harassment is available from the Australian Human Rights Commission.

• Technology-facilitated abuse

  Encompasses many subtypes of interpersonal violence and abuse using mobile, online and other digital technologies, including harassing behaviours, sexual violence and image-based sexual abuse, monitoring and controlling behaviours and emotional abuse and threats.

  Access online safety tips, types of online abuse, and where to find help on the Technology facilitated abuse page.

Responding to gender-based behaviours

Explore training and educational resources focused on the behaviours associated with gender-based violence. These resources aim to raise awareness, promote prevention and develop effective response strategies.