Welcome to a new era of self-determination for the National Family Violence Prevention & Legal Services Forum, and its evolution to:
First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence
As of July 1, 2024, the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum (the Forum) began operating as a standalone incorporated identity under the new company structure, strategic plan, name, and brand identity of First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence (FNAAFV).
The FNAAFV name and brand identity is representative of the evolution of the organisation to a self-determined, community-controlled, national peak body. While our name may be changing, we remain steadfastly committed to creating a future where all First Nations communities and individuals live free from the devastating impacts of family violence.
Learn more about the evolution of the FNAAFV brand in our company brand FACT SHEET.
'Community Connections' artwork by Nikita Herd.
FNAAFV works with its FVPLS members, communities, governments and other partners to raise awareness about family violence effecting First Nations people, and to advocate for culturally safe legal and other holistic responses to this issue. The organisation provides a unified voice for its FVPLS members in areas of national policy, planning and law reform, and being a member of the national Coalition of Peaks, FNAAFV is committed to the national Closing the Gap targets, including Target 13:
- “Target 13: By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50%, as progress towards zero.”
- Read more about the Closing The Gap Targets and the Priority Reforms of the National Agreement. The Government's response to Target 13 can be found here.
Rates of violence against First Nations women are 34 times higher than other women in Australia, and up to 80 times in the worst areas of the country
The scale of the problem is much greater than this, however, because it is known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are less likely than other women to report family violence or to seek support because of judgment, discrimination, shame or fear. The health and wellbeing of First Nations children depends upon the safety and resilience of First Nations women and families, so addressing family violence is a central priority in eliminating inter-generational disadvantage and discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
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We’re pleased to share that our CEO Kerry Staines is attending the 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters Shelters in Gadigal Country/Sydney this week. Kerry is one of more than 1200 attendees from over 60 countries and is joined by members of the FVPLS sector including Wynetta Dewis, CEO of ...QIFVLS and our Board Chair, Tosha Sambo, Deputy CEO at Family Violence Legal Service Aboriginal Corporation, Heather and Aileen from NPY Women's Council, and Patricia from Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit - CAAFLU.
#5WCWS is the global gathering of experts, frontline shelter workers, community leaders and survivors working to improve responses to gender base violence, and safer futures for women and children. The level of presentations is extremely impressive. Key themes this year include cultural safety, indigenous knowledge in service delivery, self-determination, and strengthening networks of support through shared stories.
Tomorrow, Kerry will join a panel of indigenous and non-indigenous representatives from multiple countries who will each share the impact of their country’s national action plans on violence against women and gender-based violence. We look forward to what comes out of the sessions, workshops and conversations.
Watch this space for more reflections, photos and learnings from the conference.
Find out more: https://fifthworldshelterconference.org/
#FNAAFV #FVPLS #WorldConferenceofShelters #EndingFamilyViolence #FirstNationsAdvocacy #GenderBasedViolence #CulturalSafety #CommunityLeadership
Last week on Ngunnawal Country, we joined colleagues at the National CLC Conference in Canberra.
With the theme “The Law and More”, the conference celebrated the power of justice movements that improve people’s lives. It was great to see some of our members taking in the learnings, ...and our Board Directors Dr Warren Mundy and Corina Martin join the conversation as panellists across the two days.
Some of our key takeaways from the conference were:
• Investment in Justice – States and Territories must urgently increase investment in the provision of legal services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Ripple Effects on the Sector – This underinvestment doesn’t just affect Indigenous communities – it places enormous strain on all community legal centers (CLC), stretching already limited resources and impacting service delivery across the board.
• Equity in Access to Justice – Without targeted funding, systemic barriers remain entrenched, and Indigenous peoples, women experiencing gender-based violence and people with disability continue to face disproportionate challenges navigating the justice system.
• Sector Call to Action – The conference reinforced that strengthening Indigenous legal services is not only a matter of fairness, but also a structural necessity to ensure sustainability and equity across the whole CLC sector.
#CLCNationalConference #CommunityJustice #FirstNations
This week marked the start of an exciting project that will shine a bright light on the amazing work of the Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services (FVPLS) sector, and the impact they have in their communities across the country.
Far North Queensland was the backdrop for the project... this week, with Gimuy/Cairns and Yarrabah turning on their tropical charm as we met and yarned with community service providers and the team at Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service about the work they do to support families affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence.
Stay tuned for more behind the scenes!
This week we were joined by some of our members in Canberra for a series of meetings during sitting week. Our focus was to highlight the amazing work of the Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services (FVPLS) sector, share the challenges our members face in delivering much-needed legal and ...non-legal wrap around culturally safe support in their communities, and present some of our solutions and advocacy priorities.
We connected with many strong supporters and allies of the FVPLS sector across two busy days of meetings at Parliament House, sharing both strategic and grass roots challenges, advocating for why long-term sustainable change is required, and ensuring women's voices are central and heard at decision-making tables.
A special thanks to our members who joined us on the trip to share their on-the-ground experiences — your voices always bring the reality of your work.
#EndDomesticViolence #FVPLS #FNAAFV
We’re in Canberra this week with a delegation of our members to speak about our national advocacy priorities with parliamentarians and allies, including Former Attorney General Mark Dreyfus.
Today we acknowledged Mr Dreyfus’ enduring support of the Family Violence Prevention and Legal ...Services sector and his contribution advancing justice and safety for First Nations women and children impacted by family violence.
#Canberra #FVPLS #FNAAFV #EndDomesticViolence
FNAAFV acknowledges and respects the traditional custodians whose lands we are fortunate to live and work on and we pay our respects to all Elders past and present.
