The Stop the Violence Project (STVP) emerges from WWDA’s long standing commitment to addressing one of the most pressing issues for our membership: violence against women and girls with disabilities in Australia. Managed and implemented by WWDA, in conjunction with a research team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and a project team from People with Disabilities Australia (PWDA), the project is national in scope and is intended to lay the groundwork for improved service provision by building the evidence-base for future reforms so that the service system is more responsive to the needs of women and girls with disabilities. The immediate objective of the project is to investigate and promote ways to support better practice and evidence-based service system improvements to prevent violence and, improve access to, and responses of, governments and services for women and girls with disabilities experiencing, or at risk of violence. The Stop the Violence Project (STVP) forms one of the Commonwealth Government’s projects that address two key immediate national initiatives specifically focussed on women and girls with disabilities, as outlined in the First Action Plan of the Government’s 12 year National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 (the National Plan). This Background Report presents outcomes of an evidence-building project, providing in-depth material to support the Stop the Violence Project. This background Report provides information on the the project context, activities and outcomes, highlighting six key issues and their implications that are considered a priority in addressing reform in the area of violence against women and girls with disabilities. The Background Report was used to inform deliberations at the National Symposium on Violence against Women and Girls with Disabilities conducted in Sydney in October 2013. Copyright 2013.
