Melbourne Research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe)

Overview

Based at the University of Melbourne, MAEVe is a network of interdisciplinary researchers focused on addressing the complex problem of violence against women and their children. MAEVe strives to make a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities through collaboration and participatory research co-designed with survivors.

MAEVe draws together research and evaluation capacity from across the university in partnership with community, specialist sector, health and government agencies, as well as lived experience. With a renewed focus, MAEVe is now placing greater emphasis on engaging and supporting early and mid-career researchers in this field. If you would like to get involved in our growing community, please contact us or sign up to our newsletter.

Watch recordings from recent MAEVe seminars

MAEVe is run under the auspices of the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. Founded by Professor Kelsey Hegarty and Professor Cathy Humphreys, MAEVe is now co-chaired by Dr Minerva Kyei-Nimakoh and Dr Stephen Burrell. The steering committee is made up of a diverse mix of academics from across the University of Melbourne.

MAEVe aims to help prevent and address violence against women and children through cross-disciplinary collaboration. We believe that combining diverse expertise and perspectives enhances our ability to create innovative solutions and drive meaningful change in our mission to end this violence.

Why Research Violence Against Women and their Children?

Violence against women is a worldwide problem that is serious, pervasive and preventable. In Australia, one in every four women has experienced violence by an intimate partner, with at least one woman being killed every week.

Objectives

We run monthly regular seminars and other networking opportunities with nationally and internationally recognised guest speakers exploring diverse topics relating to intimate partner, domestic, family and sexual violence.

We seek to amplify the voices of lived experience experts in research, policy and practice.

Our network aims to support doctoral and early career researchers to connect and collaborate with colleagues and peers.

We run monthly seminars with nationally and internationally recognised guest speakers exploring diverse topics relating to intimate partner, domestic, family and sexual violence.

Achievements

Awarded a NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) to promote Safer Families
Established a lived experience panel of women who have experienced violence, the WEAVERs, (Women and their children who have Experienced Abuse and Violence: Researchers and advisors). WEAVERs was developed to ensure that the voices of women and children are central to the work of MAEVe, and was conceived as having an advisory and co-production role to influence the research agenda of MAEVe
Monthly seminar series on topics as diverse as applying for family violence intervention orders, children’s experience of trauma and violence, reproductive coercion and domestic violence and housing
Provided seed funding for projects on violence against women and their children
Forums on Early Intervention to prevent violence against women and their children and the use of Technology to prevent and respond to violence against women and their children
Made submissions to the Royal Commission into Family Violence
Over 700 members on a database
Supported the International Conference on Domestic Violence and Health, November 2018 with 400 delegates
Over $10 million earned in grants

Principles

Employ intersectional, gendered frameworks to foster gender equity, safety and respect for women, and a violence-free future.
Centre lived experiences of women and children in all our work, including them as equals.
Work with transparency and open communication.
Be respectful of our diverse disciplines and frameworks, while encouraging constructive critique.
Remain optimistic about changing policy, practice and community attitudes for the better.