Learning about respectful relationships is part of the curriculum in schools in every state and territory in Australia. This is generally embedded in curriculum frameworks explicitly in some key learning areas, or more generally across the curriculum. There are some excellent resources available. Resources are also being developed to look at gendered violence and sexual harassment. Below are some resources teachers and schools may find useful, including some to help build a whole-school approach to respectful relationships.
Respectful relationships – Domestic Violence Resource Centre Vic
Relationships - the good the bad and the ugly: a 32-page colour booklet for young people aged 14-20 about love, dating and sex. It explains the concepts of respect, coercion and communication. It includes a quiz, stories and advice.
http://www.dvrcv.org.au/knowledge-centre/our-publications/booklets/relationships-good-bad-ugly
Stop Gendered Violence at Work: Women’s Rights at Work Report (2017)
Written by Dr Lisa Heap, this report covers the experience of Victorian women workers. It is the first report to define gendered violence and place it within the domain of unsafe work systems. It finds that 64% of women workers are subjected to gendered violence and argues that to end gendered violence at work, an OHS approach is needed.
RightsEd – Australian Human Rights Commission
Tackling sexual harassment: a resource developed for teachers to use in the classroom to help students understand what constitutes sexual harassment, and what their rights and obligations are. It includes a number of activity sheets and resource sheets to explain the concept.
Women’s Health Victoria
Take a stand bystander training program: this provides training, resources and tools to support workplaces to identify the role they can play to prevent and address violence against women and sexual harassment.
https://whv.org.au/training/take-a-stand-program
Active bystander training: this three-hour training supports participants to speak up against everyday sexism and sexual harassment, as well as the normalisation of attitudes that contribute to violence against women. Participants learn how to discuss domestic violence and gain tools to be an active bystander.
https://whv.org.au/training/active-bystander-training
Safe and supported in the workplace: designed for workplaces to implement programs for the prevention of family violence, it builds the knowledge and confidence of managers and staff to provide appropriate responses.
https://whv.org.au/training/safe-and-supported
Human Rights Commission
Practice guidance: Understanding your rights in the workplace and Victorian anti-discrimination law – assists workers to understand their legal right to protection from discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation and to a safe and healthy workplace, particularly Family and Domestic Violence Leave.
Justice Connect
What to do if you’ve been sexually harassed at work: this guide establishes your options from an individual standpoint if you’ve experienced sexual harassment. It establishes the procedure that should be followed including taking notes and who to seek help from.
https://justiceconnect.org.au/resources/what-to-do-if-youve-been-sexually-harassed/
Respectful Relationships in School support material
Respectful relationships - a resource kit for Victorian schools: this resource particularly focuses on building a whole-of-school approach to respectful relationships.
It draws on the Victorian curriculum and links what is taught in the curriculum with:
• the social, physical cultural and spiritual environment of the school
• the school’s policies and procedures
• community partners and organisations that can support the school community.
Part two of the resource focuses on implementing respectful relationships, taking schools through key actions to support school-based planning and implementation of Respectful Relationships. There are six key elements to a whole-school approach: leadership and commitment; school culture and environment; professional learning; teaching and learning; community partnerships; and support for students and staff.
https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/?LFZGD2
Resilience, rights, respectful relationships and learning
Materials developed by a team from the Youth Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, published by Victoria Department of Education and Training in 2018. The learning materials cover eight topics of social and emotional learning across all levels of primary and secondary education: emotional literacy, personal strengths, positive coping, problem solving, stress management, help-seeking, gender and identity, and positive gender relations.