Point Cook’s Michele Clark has been announced as a Churchill Fellowship recipient to support her work in utlilsing counter-terrorism to combat violence against women.
Ms Clark, who has extensive experience in national security, strategising and advising policymaking, will travel to the United Kingdom, Canada and Sweden.
She cited the prevalence of violence against women and the phenomenon affecting women of all ages, backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses as a motivation.
“I want to explore new approaches that accept violence against women as a fundamental threat to our society, that considers violence against women as a form of violent extremism, and looks to similar fields to inform prevention and intervention,” she said.
“Since 2001, there has been a substantial expansion of powers and investment to counter terrorism, deemed necessary to protect our way of life.
“I want to apply these learnings to prevent violence against women.”
Among the measures and approaches Ms Clark is interested in exploring are methods to disrupt networks, countering extremist narratives, community engagement, early intervention and diversion, as well as particular interest in the impact of the online radicalisation of young men.
“I will share my findings with my network within the prevention of family violence and law enforcement agencies in the Victorian and Australian governments,“ she said.
“I will use these insights to inform and shape future approaches to gender equality and inform new approaches to prevent men’s use of violence against women.”
Jaidyn Kennedy
