Hearing her voice: Report from the kitchen table conversations with culturally and linguistically diverse women on violence against women and their children
Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Social Services) 2015
From 24 October 2014 to 12 March 2015, CALD women leaders hosted 29 kitchen
table conversations throughout Australia with women from more than 40 ethnic
and cultural backgrounds to discuss violence against women and their children.
The hosts invited women from their networks and communities and provided a
culturally appropriate and accessible setting, supported by DSS.
The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the key issues and some
suggested responses raised by participants in the conversations. The findings of
the consultation process will inform implementation of a National Plan.
Themes from the kitchen table conversations:
- Understanding Australia’s laws, rights, cultural norms and new arrivals
- Gaining familiarity with and knowledge of support services
- Enhancing the availability and accessibility of support services
- Resolving immigration status and eligibility for support services and payments
- Reducing women’s isolation and promoting community participation
- Recognising cultural beliefs and norms about gender and marriage
- Building the capacity of community and religious leaders
- Raising professional standards in interpreting and translating
- Improving police interventions
- Engaging and educating CALD men to inspire behaviour change
- Recognising the intersectionality of issues for CALD women
Access report (PDF) here: Hearing Her Voice kitchen table report