Acciones tomadas:
The Australian Government has responded to this pledge domestically and internationally.
Domestically, work has been undertaken across a wide range of issues addressing sexual and gender-based violence.
In Australia, Division 268 of the Criminal Code contains offences of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against the administration of the justice of the International Criminal Court. This Division includes offences of the crime against humanity of rape (section 268.14), the crime against humanity of enforced prostitution (section 268.16) and the crime against humanity of sexual violence (section 268.19), as well as the war crimes of rape (sections 268.59, 268.82), the war crime of enforced prostitution (sections 268.61, 268.84) and the war crime of sexual violence (sections 268.64, 268.87). Each of these offences rely on the notion of sexual consent, which is defined within each relevant section as meaning free and voluntary agreement.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has a mandate, through Australia’s Second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2021-2031,61 to implement UNSCR 1325 and related resolutions through all operational planning, execution and evaluation activities. Commanders and personnel are required to report observed acts or credible allegations of sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence (UNSCR 1820).
Defence develops and deploys instructors and mobile training teams to delivery Gender in Military Operations education to allies and international partners. The mobile training teams build capability and facilitate collaboration with international partners on GPS implementation.
The ADF employs gender advisor to provide advice to commanders and senior staff on gender perspectives in the planning, execution and assessment of military operations. The ADF gender focal points are trained individual who has a secondary duty to integrate a gender perspective into their primary role. Networks of GFPs in each unit ensure gender is considered in Defence activities. The book ‘Winning the Peace – Profiles of Australian Gender Advisors on Military Operations’ is a positive and empowering collection of impactful stories that celebrate the operational achievements of Australian Defence Force (ADF) Gender Advisors since 2010.The book was conceived as part of the 20-year anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, which was adopted on 31 October 2000.
Since 2022, the Australian Government has been implementing the Work Plan to Strengthen Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Assault 2022–2027 which focuses on the following priority areas:
- Strengthening legal frameworks to ensure victims and survivors have improved justice outcomes and protections, wherever necessary and appropriate, across Australia.
- Building justice sector capability to better support and protect victims and survivors.
- Supporting research and greater collaboration to identify best practices, and to ensure actions are supported by a sound and robust evidence base.
The Work Plan operates alongside ongoing and prospective initiatives that seek to improve responses to sexual violence and that are being progressed at both the national and state and territory level. This includes:
- the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032
- the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030
- state and territory strategies, laws and policy reforms.
The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 includes actions to improve justice responses to all forms of gender-based violence by increasing specialist and targeted training for police, the judiciary and the legal profession in Australia on family, domestic and sexual violence. Specific examples can be found in the First Action Plan 2023-2027 Activities Addendum.
Efforts under the Work Plan have addressed barriers to victims/survivors accessing services. For example, from mid-July 2024, victims and survivors of sexual exploitation can reach out to a community organisation for assessment of eligibility and referral to the Support for Trafficked People Program, rather than having to engage with the Australian Federal Police as the sole way to be referred to this program.
The Australian Government is supporting people in and at risk of forced marriage, including announcing in 2023, $12.1 million in funding over five years for a new Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program. The program will provide individualised needs-based prevention and early intervention support for those experiencing or at risk of forced marriage.
In 2023, the Government completed a targeted review of modern slavery offences in Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code (Cth), which included consideration of alignment with international good practice. The Government has considered the findings from the targeted review and is developing potential legislative reforms to address the findings.
Preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence is a standard requirement for Australian Government humanitarian programs internationally. In line with our pledge, the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has taken sustained action since 2019 to help prevent and respond to SEAH. DFAT’s Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) Policy applies to all DFAT staff and across all our business – and sets expectations for conduct, reporting, risk management, recruitment and screening, and training. It requires mandatory reporting of any suspected or alleged SEAH concerns.
In addition to training to staff on policy obligations and briefing partners, DFAT publicly reports on the number of internal and external incidents of SEAH in our Annual Report. DFAT also publishes external data in the UK’s FCDO’s Cross-Sector Safeguarding Steering Group Annual Progress Report (CSSG) and has provided input into the UN Office of the Special Coordinator on improving United Nations Response to SEA report (2024).
During the pledge period, Australian Red Cross, through the Australian Red Cross-DFAT Partnership 2019-2024, has supported nine partner National Red Cross Societies in Asia and the Pacific to: embed protection, gender equality and inclusion (PGI) in their strategic plans, including disaster risk management plans; strengthen training for staff and volunteers; and forge partnerships with local organisations such as women’s shelters and relevant government departments.
In 2021, the Australian Red Cross conducted training on protection, gender and inclusion in emergencies for 16 Vanuatu Red Cross headquarters staff (11 female, 5 male) jointly with the two national society protection, gender and inclusion focal points. Vanuatu Red Cross also worked in partnership with the Vanuatu Women’s Centre to facilitate training on PGI for 27 staff and volunteers in Port Vila. Vanuatu Red Cross subsequently ran training for 250 (122 female, 128 male) branch staff and volunteers across all six provinces, who then in turn facilitated community-level training on PGI, child safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), and emergency preparedness in 60 communities, reaching 8,540 people (4,690 female, 3,850 male).
Work under the Second National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security 2021-2031 and National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 is ongoing. International work will continue through the next phase of the Australian Red Cross-DFAT Partnership.
