Ashiana creates safe space to share stories of struggle and hope, and access support

Ashiana’s third women’s workshop at the Victoria Park Community Centre on 16 November 2024 focused on issues of wellbeing, safety and justice, particularly for women and their children facing family violence, and was proudly supported by the WA Department of Communities.

The workshop allowed participants to understand different types of family violence, and how they are seen from an Australian legal perspective and from a cultural lens. Our speakers provided valuable information about rights and options when someone wants to leave a relationship, how to get parenting orders from the family court, and how to gain protection even when someone chooses not to leave a relationship but wants their partner’s unsafe behaviour to stop.

Ashiana was honoured to hear personal stories of those who had experienced family violence and their pathway to safety, and to provide an opportunity for those who facing similar struggles to find hope in that future.

Most importantly, the workshop allowed the complex intersection of culture with family violence to be explored in a practical and sensitive way, and to show that there is a safe and welcoming community of women, from the same cultural background and also within the broader Australian community, to support women and their children to find safety and peace. It starts with trust, and Ashiana hopes that this workshop starts conversations, not only for those who were able to attend, but also those within their families and networks who were unable to do so.

Our special thanks go to our speakers who generously donated their time on the day and their organisations, including:

Anna Farrant, Manager, Family and Domestic Violence, Centre for Women’s Safety & Wellbeing
Tinashe La, Office Manager and Chair, Advisory Group for Refugee and Migrant Communities in WA, Centre for Women’s Safety & Wellbeing
Marnie Williams, Senior Supervising Lawyer, Women’s Legal Service WA
Sanna Pervez, Senior Social Worker, Family & Domestic Violence, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services
Samar Mouawad, Counsellor & Creative Arts Therapist, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services.

We were honoured to have Councillor Evia Aringo of the City of Swan who spoke with the women attending about the importance of lived experience and the availability of new financial supports for women experiencing family violence, including paid domestic violence leave, and funds to help women leaving family violence. The Honourable Zaneta Mascarenhas MP, Federal Member for Swan, also found time in her busy schedule to attend the workshop and we thank her for her support.

We would like to thank our wonderful interpreters, Fahima Jamy and Roya Ansari, who made sure all our attendees could participate in the workshop and we could bridge the language barriers that keep refugee and humanitarian communities isolated from support. In traditional Ashiana style, we would also like to thank the wonderful Nasrin Ahmad who prepared some delicious Afghan catering and Shakira Barekzi and Farah Sakhie who kept our spirits high with their music.

Above all, for those who courageously shared their personal stories and and for those who listened with generosity, we thank you.

One of Ashiana’s objectives is to bring people together, to be a bridge to supports within the same cultural communities, and within the broader Australian community, for people from refugee and humanitarian backgrounds so that they can feel seen, feel welcomed and find their own pathway to a peaceful home. It has been Ashiana’s great honour to host this series of workshops for women with this objective in mind, and we thank all our members and volunteers for their help and enthusiasm in making this a reality, led by our fearless, insightful and compassionate leader, Chairperson of Ashiana, Dr Mary Nangrahary.

If this article or workshop has raised any issues for you or someone you love, you can speak with:

For emergencies:

Police 000
To contact a local police station (where not an emergency), call 131444

Hotlines:

1800 RESPECT (1800737732) which is a national, 24 hotline

131114 for Lifeline

1800 007 339 for the Department of Communities Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline

1800 000 599 for the Department of Communities Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline

1800 551 800 for Kids Helpline (5-25 years)

1800 199 888 for Sexual Assault Resource Centre

For access to information about services available in a range of areas, visit:

Centre for Women’s Safety & Wellbeing’s services directory at https://cwsw.org.au/directory/

For legal support:

Legal Aid WA Domestic Violence Support Unit 9261 6804
Women’s Legal Service WA Phone: (08) 9272 8800; Country free call: 1800 625 122
Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre: 9440 1663 (Mirrabooka) 9301 4413 (Joondalup)
Fremantle Community Legal Centre 9432 9790
Gosnells Community Legal Centre 9398 1455
SCALES Community Legal Centre (Kwinana, Rockingham) 9550 0400
MIDLAS Community Legal Centre (Swan) 9250 2123
Circle Green Community Legal 6148 3636

For support with counselling, wellbeing and support when accessing other services:

Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Service 93455335
Luma Multicultural Women’s Advocacy and Support 9328 1200
Ruah Centre for Women & Children 137824
Patricia Giles Centre for Non-Violence 9300 0340

For information about family violence and other forms of abuse in various languages, the Federal Department of Social Services has produced these resources: