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The Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence Project

Tracks
Ballroom 1: In-Person and Online
Monday, November 23, 2026
4:10 PM - 5:10 PM
Ballroom 1

Overview

Jessica Ison, La Trobe University


Three Key Learnings

1. New evidence on sexual violence prevention 2. New approaches to evaluation of sexual violence programs 3. Case study on a university-based sexual violence program


Speaker

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Dr Jessica Ison
Deputy Director, Regen
La Trobe University

The Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence Project

Presentation Overview

The Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence Project is the largest study of its kind in Australia. It includes the implementation and evaluation of nine sexual violence prevention projects, spanning education settings to sports clubs and services for LGBTQ+ young people at risk of homelessness. The evaluations are using a realist methodology to draw out evidence on what works, for whom and when to prevent sexual violence. The outcomes of this project are shaping the evidence base on sexual violence prevention and setting an agenda for future research and advocacy. In this panel, we will start with Professor Leesa Hooker offering an overview of the Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence Project, detailing how the project was designed, including the sector-leading approach of the relationship between frontline services and academics. Following this, Dr Jessica Ison will share how the nine programs were evaluated through the innovative realist methodology, which offers new and exciting insights into sexual violence prevention. Lastly, Dr Innocent Mwatsiya will provide a case study of one project, the Tasmanian Sexual Assault Support Services program-CaRE, which was a cluster non-Randomised Realist Trial at the University of Tasmania. Together, this panel will discuss new directions for sexual violence prevention and the exciting findings from the project on what works.

Biography

Dr Jessica Ison is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Reducing Gender-Based Violence Research Group (ReGEN) in the La Trobe Rural Health School. She is a nationally recognised researcher in gender-based violence and sexual violence prevention, with expertise in alcohol and other drug-facilitated sexual violence, LGBTQ+ sexual violence, and institutional responses to gender-based violence. She is currently the Co-Lead of the Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence (PIPS) project, which received $7.45 million in Australian Government funding to evaluate community-led primary and secondary prevention interventions, the largest initiative of its kind in Australia.
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Alex Morris

The Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence Project

Biography

Alex is a Primary Prevention Educator who brings a rich, sociologically grounded perspective to their work, shaped by years of studying gender, power, and the social structures that influence everyday life. Alex is the lead project officer within SASS for La Trobe University’s Partners in Prevention of Sexual Violence project,  a national first,  aiming to deliver high-quality evaluations of interventions designed to address the drivers and reinforcing factors of sexual violence and determine what elements are most effective at preventing sexual violence. Before joining SASS, Alex worked in higher education in Victoria and Tasmania, supporting student wellbeing by helping young people navigate the complexities of learning and life. Alex’s work draws on an eclectic mix of ideas and disciplines to make sense of the world in ways that are thoughtful, nuanced, and deeply human.
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