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Q&A with Franchesca Isla – 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence

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We caught up with Franchesca this 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. Franchesca is a mum of two girls, the creator of the blog Brave for Bully Zero,

a counsellor at Toora Women and most recently the award winner for the Rising Women of Spirit awards.

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your occupation, and what a typical day looks like for you.

My name is Franchesca, and I am counsellor. A typical work day looks like waking up, getting my children ready for child care, and then working alongside courageous Canberra women as they navigate through differing seasons.

2. You created the blog Brave for Bully Zero. Can you tell us a bit more about that and what drove you to create this?

The idea of Brave came to me amidst a trying season in my own life, where the longevity of being bullied felt conclusive. In a moment of strength, which can sporadically come to vulnerable people as a means of survival and hope, I envisioned turning the pain into art, and building a community where the walking wounded could unite as a means of autonomy and reclamation. Brave began by me writing creatively about a future with no violence, for example, or writing to my younger self, willing her strength. It then became about reaching out to others and basking in their knowledge and coping mechanisms. Collectively, we have been able to speak about difficult subjects – which reclaims power over the injustice, and offer solutions on how best to move forward and evolve.

3. People misuse power over others in a whole lot of different ways, and this can include gender inequality and stereotypes. How do you think gender relates to bullying (or not) in different situations?

Gender can relate to bullying in the context of stereotypical notions that dictate and limit what a person ‘should’ be. If we view genders in a hierarchy, for example, because traditionally that has been the norm, then the potential of a misuse of power can occur – which can look like bullying, violence, or abuse. The best way to overcome gender inequality is to view a person as a person, regardless of their gender. Being interested in a person’s strengths and ideas will build capacity far greater than a preconceived idea of gender capability.

4. You also work for Toora Women – what encouraged you to work in this particular organisation?

As a woman, with two daughters, three sisters, who went to a Catholic girls high school, and spent her final Master year working at a women’s health service, I have come to hold a sound understanding on the trials women and girls hold merely due to their gender. After studying a Bachelor of Psychology, majoring in Counselling, and a Master in Social Work, I wanted to use my education to assist a demographic that I have known particularly well. Working for Toora has allowed me to sit alongside women willing their best in situations that have come their way. It has been an honour to be part of their pain and their healing.

5. What does respect look like to you – in relationships, workplaces, friendships and more broadly?

Respect looks like gently hearing. It looks like taking away labels, predispositions, and ‘normals’, and replacing them with context, empathy, and a willingness to not just listen, but to truly hear. Respect does not mean difficult conversations cannot occur, it rather means space will continually be held for both challenging conversations and trying times where safety will reassuringly always be at the forefront.

6. The theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is ‘UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls.’ What kinds of investment do you think are needed most?

I think one of the greatest things society can do for women and girls to see them as irreplaceable, worth learning from, and innately intuitive. Investing in this starts small, and could look like bedtime stories moving from Cinderella to Chihiro, or a mandatory subject in school being dedicated to affirmations and self-care. Having organisations and services be not only trained in trauma-informed care, but be held accountable in meeting the principles of the lens could mean context and understanding becomes stronger than shame and characterisation. Having an equal amount of women and men in parliament as a necessary condition could mean a larger range of perspective; and having disclosures on advertisements when photoshop and editing has been used could be a gentle reminder of what is not attainable and not expected.

I also fundamentally believe that in order to truly see and assist women we need to truly see and assist men – which looks like investing in their demographic, also. Understanding their predispositions and behaviour allows opportunity to understand and combat issues that circle and flow between genders – issues that are becoming increasingly prevalent.

Victim Survivor Voice Project

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If you are in immediate danger call 000. Further support services can be found at the bottom of this page.  

Current opportunities to participate:

Future opportunities to participate will be shared here. If you are interested in learning more or becoming involved in this work, please contact our Violence Prevention Coordinator, Ursula De Ruyter, at u.deruyter@womenshealthmatters.org.au.

The Victim Survivor Voice project is to design, develop and pilot and intersectional and sustainable consultation model for adult victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence.

You can view a summary of the findings from a survey we ran in early 2024 consulting on the design of the Victim Survivor Voice project here.

Read on below for more information on the Victim Survivor Voice project.

Background

The ACT Government, through the Office of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, is funding Women’s Health Matters to develop and pilot a consultation model for lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) to inform improved services and systems.

The development of the consultation model is, in part, prompted by Recommendation 1 of the 2021 Listen. Take action to prevent, believe and heal report. This report recommended:

“that the ACT Government establish and appropriately resource an ongoing structured consultation program with victim survivors to continue to drive and inform change in the prevention of and response to sexual violence in the ACT”

The scope of the consultation model has been expanded to include domestic and family violence as well as sexual violence. Women’s Health Matters is currently using the language “sexual and gender-based violence” to make development of the model as inclusive as possible.

Other states and territories have developed consultative mechanisms to enable lived experience to inform policy making and media coverage of DFSV (for example, Victoria’s Victim Survivor Advisory Council and the various Voices for Change media advocacy programs). The ACT’s consultation model is intended to strengthen DFSV responses and prevention programs in the ACT, while learning from these other initiatives.

 

Our approach

We recognise the strengths and challenges of those who have experienced violence and who are still creating safety for themselves and their loved ones. We mourn the loss of life resulting from violence, as well as the loss of time, health, opportunities, financial security, enjoyment, relationships and nurturance.

We recognise the longstanding work of organisations and individuals in the ACT, many with their own experiences of sexual and gender-based violence, in bringing these issues to prominence. These organisations and individuals have worked hard to support people with experience of violence, to prevent violence and to help people give voice to their experiences. Our work builds on and is indebted to all of these efforts.

While there are many parts of the violence prevention and response systems that can be improved, the responsibility for violence sits with those who perpetrate, facilitate and excuse it. All people involved with efforts to end violence are responsible for reflecting on how our work supports that goal, and how we might be undermining it.

We follow these principles in undertaking this work:

• Approach gender-based violence as cultural and widespread, rather than treating these experiences as exceptions to the norm.
• Encompass multifaceted goals, including benefits for people sharing their experiences as well as benefits for government and other organisations being better-informed and better equipped to hear and act.
• Be trauma informed.
• Recognise intersectionality.
• Do no harm.
• Recognise workers as people with experiences of violence.
• Taking intentional and dedicated time and space, knowing success depends on the quality of relationships we build and conditions we set.

Please get in touch if you want to know more about what we mean by any of these principles.

Who is involved

Women’s Health Matters will engage with a range of people and organisations to develop the model pilot, including but not limited to the following overlapping groups:
• People who have experienced violence
• Individuals, community organisations and government agencies focused on responding to and preventing sexual and gender-based violence
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities*
• Multicultural communities
• LGBTIQ+ communities
• People with disabilities
• Young people (aged 18-25)
• People with experience mental illness
• Carers
• Academic and community based researchers

* Our engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will be undertaken in conjunction with a consultation project being run by Curijo, who have been funded by the Office of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence to consult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the ACT on several issues relating to domestic, family and sexual violence.

Please contact u.deruyter@womenshealthmatters.org.au if you would like to ask questions or be involved in this work.

Further support

If you are experiencing sexual or gender-based violence in the ACT and region, please know you are not alone and help is available.

  • 1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence service. They can be contacted on 1800 737 732 or www.1800respect.org.au for 24/7 confidential information, counselling and support.
  • The Domestic Violence Crisis Service 24/7 crisis intervention line can be contacted on 02 6280 0900 and further information can be found at www.dvcs.org.au.
  • The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre crisis line can be contacted on 02 6247 2525 between 7am and 11pm seven days a week and further information can be found at www.crcc.org.au.

Survey of Women’s Health in the ACT – Report Release

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Women’s Health Matters has released a major report aiming to make the health and wellbeing of women in the ACT visible through high quality data.

In an online survey of over 1600 people, Women’s Health Matters gathered information about people’s experiences of general health and mental health, health information and health services, sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy and parenting, discrimination, safety and violence.

Lauren Anthes, CEO of Women’s Health Matters, says surveys like this are important in identifying the needs of women.

“This major survey will help us to see where the health system could work better to address the needs of different groups of people, and where we need to remove barriers,” said Ms Anthes.

The survey found that while many people have good access to GPs, and benefit from high quality consultations, issues of cost and appointment availability make it hard for some people to get basic healthcare. The survey also found that many people experience poor access to mental health services, specialists, and healthcare at short notice and after hours, and many do not have access to satisfactory services for common reproductive health conditions.

“Datasets on women’s health in the ACT have previously been quite small, so we are impressed by the willingness of so many people in the community to tell us about their experiences,” said Ms Anthes.

On Wednesday 26 July, Women’s Health Matters hosted a launch event for the survey with stakeholders, government representatives and community members, including Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith, and a representative of the Snow Foundation.

Women’s Health Matters will use the survey results to continue to advocate for women’s health needs in the ACT and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and the community to do so.

This project was funded through a grant from The Snow Foundation and core funding from ACT Health.

The survey report can be found here.

Women’s Health Matters Statement – Report from the Inquiry into Universal Access to Reproductive Healthcare

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The Senate Community Affairs References Committee handed down its Report from the Inquiry into Universal Access to Reproductive Healthcare yesterday afternoon – 25 May 2023.
Women’s Health Matters (WHM) welcomes the report as a first step toward universal access to reproductive health care, including abortion care.

WHM CEO Lauren Anthes called the report a roadmap for implementing the Australian Government’s priorities in the National Women’s Health Strategy.

The inquiry highlighted the many the barriers to abortion access, including cost, the capacity of the health workforce, the complexity of funding through the Medicare Benefits Schedule system, and the information available women and people with uteruses.

We welcome the recommendation for a national telephone service to help women and people with uteruses find the information and services they need. This is something we’re lacking in the ACT, and which we recommended in our submission.

We’re particularly pleased to see recommendations that the Government commissions research and explore policy options around the impact of reproductive health on women’s participation in the workforce, and adequacy of leave under the National Employment Standards. This is something we recommended in our submission, and that we’ve been advocating for in the ACT.
Last year, we launched a Reproductive Health Policy to encourage other organisations and businesses to use as a template.

Our recent ACT Inquiry into abortion access and reproductive choice recommended the exploration of reproductive leave by the ACT Government.

Reproductive leave supports employees in their ability to adequately self-care in relation to their reproductive health, including menstruation, menopause, fertility care, pregnancy, miscarriage, and termination of pregnancy, while not being penalised by having to deplete their sick leave. It is important to acknowledge that reproductive health is not a sickness. Reproductive leave also seeks to remove the stigma and taboo surrounding reproductive health.

It’s exciting to see support for reproductive leave growing among our colleagues and government.

Women’s Health Matters welcomes report from the Inquiry into Abortion and Reproductive Choice in the ACT

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The Legislative Assembly Health and Wellbeing Committee released their report from the Inquiry into abortion and reproductive choice in the ACT.

The report looked at the accessibility, affordability, information and legal protections for women and people with uteruses seeking abortion.

Lauren Anthes, CEO of Women’s Health Matters, says the report has helped identify barriers other than cost and is a step in the right direction.

“The ACT Government committed last year to making abortion free for all Canberrans. This will address one of the major barriers to abortion.

This report also shows that there are a range of other barriers which prevent people from accessing abortion, including stigma, the availability of appointments and information”, said Ms Anthes.

For this reason, WHM is pleased to see the Committee has recommended more investment in communications to raise awareness about abortion in the community and among services, and the different medical pathways and providers that are available.

Making 18 recommendations in total, including increasing availability of training for doctors to provide long-acting reversible contraception, to investigating the availability of ultrasound, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the state of abortion and reproductive choice in the ACT.

“The report means that the ACT Government has a clear mandate for improving access to abortion for women and people with uteruses and has worked out the steps that are needed to get there.

It lays out and recommends a path for improving reproductive choices, which is great news for the rights of women and people with uteruses”, said Ms Anthes.

Around 20 organisations, health providers and individuals provided evidence on the need to improve abortion access through detailed submissions, with some providing evidence at a hearing in October last year.

Critically, the committee has recommended the development of a Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy for the ACT. Across community organisations and health providers there’s agreement on the need for an overarching strategy to bring together work on sexual and reproductive health over the life course.

“It’s time for the ACT to look at this work in a coordinated way, that progresses sexual and reproductive health rights and choice for all Canberrans.

We look forward to seeing the ACT Government take these recommendations on board.”

WHM would like to acknowledge and thank the nurses, doctors and advocates who have worked and continue to work to make abortion available to Canberrans, some of whom contributed to this inquiry, as well as all the women and people with uteruses who have shared their stories.

Health in My Language

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Women’s Health Matters launches campaign to prevent harassment of women in public spaces

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Women’s Health Matters (WHM) has launched their Step Up! campaign to prevent harassment of women in public spaces.

The campaign will commence with a soft launch on Monday 6 March with the campaign to roll out in full by April 2023 in the Canberra City Centre.

Step Up! encourages everyone to step up and take a stand if they see disrespect or harassment of women and sits alongside the existing Canberra Safety Map resource.

Women’s Health Matters CEO Lauren Anthes says it is important to give people the tools they need when they witness this kind of behaviour.

“Everyone has a role to play in preventing violence against women. There will be many times when we see sexist behaviour and harassment of women even when we are not directly involved.

When this happens, there are lots of different ways we can step up. We can all take action to prevent discrimination and violence against women”, said Ms Anthes.

The Step Up! campaign aims to encourage the entire Canberra community to take action to improve women’s safety in public spaces across the Canberra region.

The project has been funded by the City Renewal Authority and Office for Women.

City Renewal Authority Acting CEO, Craig Gillman says the campaign has a focus on making the City Centre an even safer and more enjoyable place.

“The City Renewal Authority is so pleased to support the Step Up! campaign. Initiatives such as this are important in continuing to shape a diverse and vibrant City Centre where all members of our community as well as visitors can live, explore and thrive”, said Mr Gillman.

WHM hopes the campaign will encourage people to ‘step up’ and challenge disrespect and harassment of women.

“Research shows that violence against women is driven by traditional and harmful gender stereotypes that influence our attitudes and behaviours.

Violence against women is serious and common, but when you take action, you will have the support of most people around you. You don’t need to be a hero, there are little things you can do”, said Ms Anthes.

Minister for Women Yvette Berry says that safety at home and in public spaces is essential to full and equal participation of women and girls and is critical to the wellbeing of our entire community.

“The ACT Government’s key objectives of the Second Action Plan 2020-22 supporting the ACT Women’s Plan 2016-2026 is to build a community where women and girls are safe and supported to participate.

We are partnering with Women’s Health Matters to not only encourage women to speak up about the places where they feel safe or unsafe, but also for the general public to step up when they see inappropriate behaviour towards women and girls.

We all have a responsibility to build a Canberra that is safe and inclusive for everyone.”

Raising Respect

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World Cancer Day 2023: Uniting our voices and taking action

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Catherine from Bosom Buddies (supplied)

The theme for World Cancer Day this year is uniting our voices and taking action.

“We will join with like-minded people because we know that we are stronger when we are united. We will celebrate real-world progress in its many forms and allow that momentum to fuel our fight for fairness. We’ll do more than spread the word—we’ll shout it from the rooftops. We’ll build stronger alliances and innovative new collaborations.” – World Cancer Day 2023

In the theme of collaboration, we spoke to Catherine from Bosom Buddies for World Cancer Day this year, and this is what she shared with us.

Bosom Buddies is your small local charity doing big things!

Bosom Buddies is different to other cancer charities. We have been supporting people diagnosed with breast cancer in Canberra and the surrounding NSW regions for over 25 years.

Unlike a lot of our other cancer counterparts in the ACT we do not receive any funding but rely purely on donations from our generous Canberra community.

We are not a research organisation; we operate to provide support for those diagnosed with breast cancer.

We support people from when they are diagnosed, through their treatment and following their treatment – all on donations and the generosity of our community.

“Kindness and support go a long way to women on the journey. It really makes a difference, and you do it well.” – one of the women Bosom Buddies supported.

Our support team volunteers are all breast cancer survivors, who understand what it is like to have breast cancer. They provide on the ground peer support and facilitate regular support groups for those going through their cancer journeys – all in their own time and in a safe and supportive setting.

These support groups allow participants to share how they are feeling, ask questions and connect with people who are going through or have gone through a breast cancer diagnosis.

Bosom Buddies also provides information on services available in the region and conducts free sessions on breast awareness and early detection to the community.

Buddy bags

Ever heard of a buddy bag? Buddy Bags are full of helpful items and information and are provided to people post-surgery by breast care nurses.

In 2022, 800 bags were assembled by our Bosom Buddies volunteers at Calvary Hospital.

Sounds like a lot, right? We’d really love your help to spread the word so we can continue helping our community!

Contact Bosom Buddies ACT on 0406 376 500 or email admin@bosombuddies.org.au

Website: www.bosombuddies.org.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bosombuddiescanberra

Step up! campaign

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Supported by ACT Health Directorate

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