Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health www.achrh.org 394 Beach Road , Beaumaris Victoria Australia 3193 SUBMISSION INTO FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFERENCES COMMITTEE‟S INQUIRY INTO FAMILY VIOLENCE (FV) The Australasian Centre For Human Rights and Health (ACHRH) was launched September 2012 . ACHRH vision is to happy communities. We aim to achieve that by building individual and community resilience through harmony in the home, positive mental health, and collective cultural respect. ACHRH primarily works with immigrants from the Indian Subcontinent. ACHRH is a think tank that engages in community based research and runs community based education activities that are evidence based . ACHRH works with the Governmental authorities to influence policy. ACHRH looks to find new and innovative methods to researching and finding solutions to the problem of gender power imbalance and Domestic Violence in the Indian and South Asian community. ACHRH also supports migrant settlement into Australia through cultural awareness, understanding and appreciation among migrants of Australian mainstream cultural values. ACHRH has been funded by the Commonwealth of Australia to conduct ACHRH designed Australian Culture Awareness course for migrants titled ―Mutual Cultural Respect‖. FOREWORD ACHRH welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee‘s inquiry into family violence (FV) on the prevalence and impact of this in Australia. In considering the terms of reference this submission will be limited to commenting on the Ethnic and Cultural context of the following: a) the role of cultural factors contributing to the present levels of domestic violence; b) the adequacy of policy and community responses to domestic violence c) how the Federal Government can best support, contribute to and drive the social, cultural and behavioural shifts required to eliminate violence against women and their children. 1 Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health www.achrh.org 394 Beach Road , Beaumaris Victoria Australia 3193 INTRODUCTION The commitment towards preventing violence against women by the Commonwealth Government is second to none in the world and is note worthy. There has been massive increase in funding yet no corresponding decrease in the rate of Domestic Violence (DV) has been recorded. In Victoria alone recording 72% increase in DV has been noted since 2005(ABS 2005,2012) . Our submission makes recommendations from the perspective of Ethnic and CALD community groups. DV is a highly complex social issue(Heisse 2008,2009) and the point of this submission is that the role of cultural knowledge is the key to the successful implementation of programs that seek to influence levels of DV. Cultural knowledge is crucial to early intervention , to avoid crisis and tragedies such as murders and suicides of adult women, men and children witnessed in Victoria in particular in the Indian community (Bucci 2012)and mainstream communities (Holden , The Age 2014). To make a strategy effective culturally nuanced education in ethnic communities will result in effective delivery of messages(ECCV Report 2014). Such education programs must be based on evidence gathered by research in particular qualitative research conducted within culturally homogenous groups. The goal of such qualitative research should be to collect data on nuanced insider cultural knowledge held within the ethnic cultural group under focus . Thus unique experience of the victims of DV and that of the perpetrators which are inevitably coloured by cultural practices and traditions can be identified ,and voiced by the members of the community and recorded. This information can then be utilized for designing messages that speak to specific cultural groups in their own cultural language(ECCV Report 2013) and more likely to hit home , enhancing the rate of success of primary, secondary and tertiary interventions. It is a myth that by labeling all immigrants as CALD or Ethnic ,and a simple generic approach can benefit all migrants . Immigrants come from over 200 countries (ABS 2012)and require culturally nuanced messages regarding gender based and family relationships. For example a message for an Indian family will be couched in a different way to the one for Turkish and different again for a Sudanese family, although the message for the Indian family could be similar to the one for Nepali, Bhutanese, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan but the spoken language would vary . ACHRH recommends a strong 2 Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health www.achrh.org 394 Beach Road , Beaumaris Victoria Australia 3193 Commonwealth Government focus on support and funding DV projects by the ethnically homogenous groups for their community and can be labeled ―Ethno-specific Taskforce‖ BACKGROUND INFORMATION Australia is a multicultural country. Australia shows its respect for the culture of its migrants by practicing multiculturalism which cherishes the culture and diversity the migrants bring to its shores(Berry 1986 ). This affords a sense of stability and better mental health in migrants(Chandler and Lolande2009). Maintenance of cultural traditions poses certain challenges when the migrant cultures meet the host culture. Migrant intake has increased rapidly in the past two decades (ABS 2008-9). By and large migrants are younger in age and mentally fit and agile to move countries. Migration brings a disruption in life at many levels and cause stress, racism, loss of housing, loss of status, lack of recognition of educational qualifications, under -employment. Social stressors also include-disruption in social support systems, loss of family and traditions, challenge to gender based roles(Bhugra 2011). Vichealth 2009 report mentions higher rates of Domestic Violence in CALD communities. A 2013 ECCV Report espouses the concept of designing culturally nuanced education /information using adult educational interactive strategies that speaks to the migrant groups as a more effective way of fighting DV. ACHRH recommends ‗Ethno-specific Taskforce‘ designed by culturally homogenous community for use by the same group. Detailed below is the example of such a Taskforce formed in the Indian community in 2009. As a case study we offer the example of ‗Taskforce against Domestic Violence(DV) in Indian Ethnic Community‘ that was established in November 2009 .The Taskforce was founded by Dr Manjula O‘Connor under the umbrella of ‗Australia India Society of Victoria‘ and was titled ―AISV Taskforce against domestic violence in ethnic Indian community‖ . In 2012 September Dr O‘Connor founded the Australasian Centre for Human rights and Health which has carried forward culturally based work against DV in Indian and South Asian community. 3 Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health www.achrh.org 394 Beach Road , Beaumaris Victoria Australia 3193 History of Formation of „Ethno-specific Taskforce Against Domestic Violence in Indian Ethnic Community‟ Rationale The initial reason for setting up the Taskforce was frequent anecdotal reports of DV stories in the Indian community .The service usage rate however was anecdotally low. A telephone survey of Melbourne based DV services conducted by the Taskforce in 2009 revealed there was an extremely low uptake, possibly about 5% of possible South Asian victims were using services suggesting significant barriers to services for women from India and the Indian subcontinent. Scope and Nature of the problem The next issue we confronted was a lack of academic knowledge on the nature of DV in the Australian Indian migrants, possible prevalence and the reasons for the barriers. The Taskforce along with its professional and academic partners designed a qualitative research study which was community based action research using ‗Forum Theater‘. The research project yielded qualitative cultural data on the nature of DV in Indian migrants of Australia. This provided a wealth of data as well as galvanized the community into action. The data has generated two articles for peer reviewed journals and has yielded rich information which has formed the basis of on-going community based education and awareness programs, media campaigns. Goals achieved Community Education The Taskforce has enhanced the impact of the general increase in awareness of DV and its criminal nature by the community. ACHRH has designed a brochure against DV labeled “Say No To Domestic Violence”. The brochure highlights certain cultural behaviours that are seen only in Indian and some South Asian communities for example demands for dowry can be 4 Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health www.achrh.org 394 Beach Road , Beaumaris Victoria Australia 3193 associated with DV. The Brochure draws attention to the fact that economic coercion and fear is labeled DV and is against the law Enhanced Crisis and Support service usage Anecdotal reports suggest a greater service uptake by the DV victims be they residents or international students. They are utilizing Police, DV services, medical and psychological services including GP s, and mental health professionals. Another encouraging trend noted by ACHRH crisis and support services is couples seeking help in situations of marital conflict before it becomes violence or in early stages where separation is not considered and option by both parties. This is reflected in the crisis and support services for victims run by Dr Manjula O‘Connor in her private practice as a Psychiatrist specializing in DV in Indian