Family Violence and Sexual Assault Expression of Interest Survey – Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District

The Victorian Multicultural Commission, in partnership with Family Safety Victoria, is looking to convene a forum to better understand the challenges and barriers multicultural communities experience in accessing family violence support services.

CALD, migrant and refugee experiences of violence

Culture includes a person’s beliefs, values, customs and religious practices and can affect how a person thinks and behaves
However, it is important to remember that belonging to a certain culture does not always mean following all its beliefs and traditions
People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds experiencing violence face complex issues when trying to access services
To provide services that put safety first, support workers must develop cultural understanding.

Understanding CALD worldviews

A worldview is how we understand and make sense of the world around us. It includes beliefs and value systems.

Understanding the worldview of a person from a CALD background is crucial, because it informs the decisions they make for themselves and their family in relation to experiences of domestic and family violence. Often people from CALD backgrounds are afraid to talk about their situation to family and friends or to contact a support service. This may be because of feelings of shame or discomfort around the topic of reporting abuse. There may also be fear of being cast out by friends, family or the community.

It is important to provide information around the different forms of domestic and family violence and make clear it is a violation of human rights. It is also important to understand how culture, traditions and social norms can frame these issues and contribute to the challenges that women face. There are several key areas that help frame a worldview for CALD women. Three of the most important are pre-migration experience, settlement experience and cultural context.

To assist us in designing a forum that meets your needs, we seek your feedback via this survey form: Family Violence and Sexual Assault survey . This survey will approximately take two minutes of your time and is open until 1st October. Take the survey here … Please assist us in designing a forum that meets your needs.

Thank you for your time in responding to these questions.

If you have any queries, please feel free to email us at contact@vmc.vic.gov.au

	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District acknowledges the Yorta Yorta People of the land which comprises the Goulburn Valley. We pay respect to tribal Elders, past, present and emerging and we celebrate their continuing culture and acknowledge the memory of their ancestors.
	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District is a peak body whose mission is to promote and represent the social, cultural and economic well-being of ethnic communities in the Goulburn Valley Region through the provision of quality and innovative settlement, refugee support, community development, and information and advocacy services.