Hannah Hammoud
A new project is on the way for Melbourne’s West featuring a collaboration between two of Victoria’s leading community organisations.
InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence and the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation have announced a new initiative to address and eliminate family violence within culturally diverse communities.
The Working Together project aims to fortify partnerships and referral pathways between inTouch, The Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and key community organisations located in Melbourne’s West, including The East African Women’s Foundation and Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association.
The project combines specialist training, community outreach and events, resource development and the creation of safe and inclusive spaces – building the capacity of diverse communities to recognise, respond and refer instances of family violence correctly and appropriately.
A key component of the project is the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation’s long-running Daughters of the West (DOTW) program, a 10-week, free health and wellbeing initiative focused
on engaging with women in Melbourne’s West. As part of this project, three DOTW programs will be co-designed and delivered with the Vietnamese and East African communities in Melbourne’s west from July 2023.
This sharing of knowledge and expertise also extends to inTouch collaborating directly with workers at the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association and the East African Women’s Foundation to help build their capacity to effectively respond to family violence in their communities.
The urgency of this collaborative effort is highlighted by an alarming increase in family violence incidents across Victoria, rising by 5.9 per cent since 2021.
The Western Metro region of Melbourne, known for its cultural diversity, requires dedicated efforts to address the unique challenges faced by its diverse population.
InTouch executive manager Maryum Chaudhry said that in culturally diverse communities, instances of family violence are still far more under-reported.
“It is crucial that access to appropriate support services be made available to all individuals experiencing family violence, regardless of their culture, language, visa type or location,” she said.
