the first of its kind in the world – will launch on Tuesday 3 December 2024.
Made possible through a $35 million investment from the Australian Research Council, the Centre will address all forms of violence against women in Australia and the Indo-Pacific, investing in transformative research over seven years.
The Centre brings together 13 Chief Investigators from six Australian universities. Along with domestic and international partners across the Indo-Pacific region, they will lead research that will be key to informing policy and action to end all forms of violence against women.
Professor Jacqui True is the CEVAW Director and a Professor of International Relations at Monash University, the host institution of CEVAW.
"Systems and structures are failing women. But we don't have the knowledge base to inform policymakers and advocates who can drive the systems-change to eliminate violence against women," said Professor True.
"CEVAW will examine the structural drivers that cause and compound violence against women, and will pioneer new, evidence-based approaches to radically improve policy and practice across Australia and the Indo-Pacific."
In Australia, the annual cost of violence against women – including medical, legal, police and counselling costs, property damage, and lost earnings – approaches AU$26 billion.
Acting CEO of the Australian Research Council, Dr Richard Johnson said: "The ARC's funding to CEVAW, through the Centres of Excellence scheme, is a major investment to address violence against women and will provide invaluable insights for national and international stakeholders."
Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering, said the University was proud to be the home of CEVAW.
"CEVAW will undertake urgent and world-leading work to build a robust evidence base, incorporating an Indigenous-centred approach and the experiences of survivors, to deliver workable approaches to eliminate violence against women across Australia and the Indo-Pacific," Professor Pickering said.
"By bringing together researchers and practitioners across the region, CEVAW will empower front-line responders and communities to adopt evidence-based approaches that ensure women's safety. The long-term impact will be healthier, safer communities, and reduced economic burden."
"CEVAW is testament to the power of universities to work together and catalyse the collective efforts of community organisations, NGOs, government and industry, both nationally and internationally."
CEVAW will fill major gaps in the knowledge base regarding the causes, contexts and effective responses to violence against women by bringing together all relevant disciplines – law and criminology, psychology and public health, Indigenous and gender studies, sociology, political science and international relations, economics and data science.
The Centre mobilises survivor-centric and Indigenous methodologies, interdisciplinary collaborations, and Indo-Pacific partnerships to deliver relevant and scalable approaches to eliminate violence against women across the legal, security, economic, health, and political systems of Australia and the region.
The launch of the Centre will take place at its headquarters at Monash University, Clayton campus, with the official opening being led by Assistant Minister for Women, Ageing, and Social Security, Hon Kate Thwaites MP.
