Wollongong police have reached out to leaders within the region’s multicultural community in a bid to stamp out little-known cases of domestic violence.
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With TAFE Illawarra, the leaders were put through a training program designed to equip them with skills for helping their communities when cases of domestic violence arise.
The program was offered free of charge to 22 people from 13 different cultures.
It is based on the idea that language barriers, cultural reasons and negative encounters with police abroad could prevent refugee and migrant communities from reporting domestic violence to NSW Police.
In these cases, said Wollongong local area commander Superintendent Joe Cassar, victims could turn to leaders within their immediate community.
“Each [leader] has a significant life experience and many if not all have significant academic qualifications which they may have obtained here in Australia or … their home countries,” he said on Thursday, at the program’s graduation ceremony.
“All of you will play a significant role from this day onwards.
“Please don’t underestimate the influence you people have on your communities particularly when confronted with members of family violence situations.”
Iraqi refugee Saja Alsabti, 25, completed the program.
She said she was surprised to learn the detail of laws concerning violence in the home.
“It was surprising, because this kind of regulation, domestic violence, we don’t use it at our country, in … the Middle East,” she said.
“Domestic violence in Arab countries, that’s just normal things.
“In some situations the father will be aggressive with his children. We don’t have a law to fix this problem in our country. Everyone considers this normal.
“In Muslim families, you say that the wife at home doesn’t have any rights even to speak with her husband or argue with him or even disagree about some situation or some idea.”
Mrs Alsabti said some Iraqi women felt comfortable contacting police directly when they needed help, but she hoped to help others who were reluctant.