#12 Preparing for the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Code: Sustaining the Work

This article is the final instalment in a 12-part series supporting institutions to prepare for the proposed National Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education.

Twelve weeks and twelve reflections on the forthcoming National Code Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education with the ultimate goal of building a sector that takes gender-based violence (GBV) seriously and acts accordingly.

But the work ahead won’t be solved with a policy, a training session, or a taskforce. Without careful and ongoing planning, it’s easy for this work to fall off the radar or land on the shoulders of just a few committed people already stretched thin.

This final post is about what it takes to sustain the work.

When we talk about ‘success’ in GBV prevention and response, it’s tempting to aim for fewer reports. But disclosure is not the same as prevalence. A drop in reporting might actually reflect a lack of trust in processes, poor communication or fear of retaliation. Instead, long-term success might look like students knowing where and how to get help, more people stepping forward earlier, staff feeling confident to respond with care, preventative education being embedded into curriculum, and cultural shifts in student and staff attitudes toward respect, power, and consent.

GBV prevention requires continuous investment in people so the work evolves with the needs of the community. Here's what can help:

• Create internal champions: Identify and support individuals across different teams who can keep the conversation going, influence local action, and be the go-to for others in their area. Make this part of their role and recognise and reward their leadership.

  
  

• Start (or join existing) communities of practice: Bring practitioners together regularly across faculties, units, or institutions to share case studies and challenges, sense-check responses and campaigns, and learn from peers and experts.

  
  

• Mentor the next generation: Sometimes all it takes is one person to leave and the work falls apart. Succession planning matters, as does informal mentoring. Support early-career staff to grow capability and confidence in this space not just in technical knowledge, but in navigating complexity, nuance, and resistance.

  
  

• Normalise ongoing adaptation: This work is iterative by nature because communities shift, risks change, and better ideas emerge. Build in regular touchpoints to pause and ask: What’s working? Where are the gaps? Who haven’t we heard from? What needs to be retired, refreshed, or reinvented? This might look like annual program reviews with students and staff, feedback loops after incidents or disclosures, or updating language, training, or case studies on an ongoing basis.

  
  

• Plan for continuity: Transitions are inevitable but disruption to GBV work during leadership changes or restructures can cause real harm eroding trust and pausing momentum. Consider now whether there are clear handover processes, documentation of key relationships, briefing of new leaders or exec, and if the work is represented as part of governance schedules.

As we move toward the Code becoming reality, here’s your final prompt:

Real change isn’t measured by what we start, but by what we choose to stay committed to, long after the urgency fades.