The SAFE Families Inclusive Communities team has created a film which is being provided with an attached "Guide to Prevention of Family Abuse.”
The guide has been translated into Swahili and Arabic. The Inclusive Communities team is taking what we have called a "toolbox" (film link, printed Guides) and giving them to African Australian communities throughout Melbourne and Shepparton initially. We plan to share this toolbox with African Australian communities nationwide in the future.
The concept behind this initiative is to inform and respect African Australian communities where family abuse is quite often part of their culture. As we know, it is a crime in Australia. So many new Australians are not informed of this or are already too traumatised, or too fearful to report abuse. Fear of being deported, losing visa status, fear of repercussions.
This initiative will take time an
d much effort but we are fortunate to have some wonderful members of Rotary SAFE Families eg. Ahmed Tohow and Peter Berg (Rotary Melbourne), Ari Talantis and Shakilah Wesonga (Rotary Hawthorn) who have many contacts in Australia via African organisations, who are very happy with our "toolbox".
The film can be seen here: https://youtu.be/hYWQDGwlaM4
I hope that you will like what we are doing and may even have some contacts for us, Rotary Clubs, community organisations. Any support you can provide will be greatly appreciated in promoting Rotary SAFE Families and our latest initiative.