Edition 2 2016

PHOTO: Karin Holzknecht

PHOTO: Christine Crosby

whw news

A right to know
Participants in the Our Community,
Our Rights project.

Susan Timmins, Health Promotion Worker

Now in its fourth year, Our Community, Our Rights continues to empower and inspire community women
from migrant backgrounds through human rights advocacy training.

ur Community, Our Rights is a

powerful human rights forum for
migrant women in Melbournes
west and has previously involved women
from South Sudan, Burma and India.

in healthcare settings, at work and

when interacting with the police. One
workshop explored the ways women
can use new and traditional media
platforms to advocate and lead change.

deliver it. However, the program always

begins with a series of human rights
and legal rights workshops that explore
the ways women can work together to
protect their rights and influence change.

This years Womens Health West

(WHW) Our Community, Our Rights
project focused on areas such as the
Victorian Charter of Human Rights,
and legislation related to racism,
discrimination and equal opportunity.
Muslim women from the Horn of Africa
participated in the 2016 project, and
had the opportunity to discuss womens
rights in their homes, in relationships,

Every Our Community, Our Rights

project involves an extensive consultation
process with community sector workers,
service providers, ethno-specific
organisations and community women. A
consultative approach ensures projects
are tailored to the interests and concerns
of the women participating in the
project. This means Our Community, Our
Rights is a little different each time we

Guest speakers included representatives

from the Victorian Equal Opportunity
and Human Rights Commission,
Jobwatch, the Flemington Kensington
Community Legal Centre, and 3CR
radio station, among others. Staff
from WHWs FARREP program and our

Responding to childrens
grief and loss
page 6

Research into economic participation

for migrant women
page 14

Continued on page 10

inside:
Muslim womens job seeking
experiences
page 3

womens health west equity and justice for women in the west

Health and wellbeing:

a fundamental human right

About Womens
Health West

Dr Robyn Gregory, CEO and Elly Taylor, Health Promotion Manager

omens Health West is the womens

health service for the western
metropolitan region of Melbourne.
Our vision is to achieve equity and
justice for women in the west.

he World Health
Organization
defines health as
a complete state of
physical, mental and
social wellbeing, not
merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.
At Womens Health West we work
within a social model of health to
create the social and cultural change
needed to optimise the health and
wellbeing of women and girls. When
developing and delivering our mental
health and wellbeing programs we
take a social determinants of health
approach. This means that we focus
our work on activities designed
to redress the structural causes of
mental health, such as actions to
bring about freedom from violence
and discrimination, improve social
inclusion, and enhance women
and girls access to economic
resources and participation.
There are strong health economics
arguments for investing in primary
prevention initiatives around mental
health and wellbeing. Evidence
shows that prevention supports
reductions in the number of people
with chronic illness; increases in
the number of people entering the
workforce; savings in welfare support
payments; and fewer hospital,
medical and pharmaceutical costs
for a community and a nation.
Our mental health and wellbeing
programs are informed by the state
governments health policies, such
as the Victorian Public Health and
Wellbeing Plan 2015-2019, and
are aligned with the priorities of
the Womens Health Association of
Victoria. Our work is also guided
by four conceptual and practice
frameworks that include:
Human rights
Health promotion
Community development
Gender equity

Using these four frameworks

enables WHW to develop activities
that are responsive to our local
communities continually engaging
with womens stories; promoting
social justice; and challenging the
discriminatory values, norms and
practices that produce specific
health concerns, such as family
violence or racism towards Muslim
women. It also upholds an approach
to our work in mental health
and wellbeing that promotes a
womans right to health first set
out in the United Nations Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
WHW recognises that these rights
have been systematically denied
to women and we are working
to bring an end to the continuing
gender inequities that violate
these rights and impact the mental
health and wellbeing of women.
We are particularly excited about
the opportunity to help shape and
implement the upcoming Victorian
strategy for gender equality.
We are taking action at an individual,
organisational, community and
structural level. We provide a range
of programs for women from a
range of backgrounds that support
their development of skills and
knowledge to bring about change in
their own families and communities.
We are committed to leading research
activities that inform governments,
workplaces and organisations about
where and how they can change
systems, policies and processes
that reinforce discriminatory
values, norms and practices.
We invite you to read this edition
of whw news, which focuses on
our mental health and wellbeing
programs designed to empower
women in Melbournes west, and
take action to change the conditions
that negatively impact on womens
health and wellbeing. After all, health
is a fundamental human right.

Womens Health West acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work,
the people of the Kulin Nation, and we pay our respects to Elders and community members past
and present. We express solidarity with the ongoing struggle for land rights, self-determination,
sovereignty and the recognition of past injustices. We express our hope for reconciliation and justice.

whwnews edition 2 2016

We have two main programs that

complement each other allowing
us to work across the continuum from
preventing problems, to responding
to problems after they occur.

Health promotion, research and

development

Sexual and reproductive health

Mental health and wellbeing
Prevention of violence
and discrimination

Family violence services

Crisis support
Case management
Court support
Women and childrens counselling

Connect with
WomensHealthWest
Facebook
www.facebook.com/
womenshealthwest
Twitter
www.twitter.com/whwest
LinkedIn
Instagram
www.instagram.com/
womens_health_west
ISSN # 1834-7096
Editors: Karin Holzknecht, Christine Crosby,
Gert Geyer
Contributors to this edition: Alyce Vella,
Christine Crosby, Debra Wanna, Elly Taylor,
Helen, Intesar, Karin Holzknecht, Lauren
Temminghoff, Melissa, Nadine, Nirvana
Bhandary, Sally Camilleri, Saya, Scout
Kozakiewicz, Sophie, Susan Timmins, Robyn
Gregory.
Photographers: Alyce Vella, Erin Slattery,
Karin Holzknecht, Nadine, Sally Camilleri,
Scout Kozakiewicz.
Illustrations: Isis and Pluto
Design and layout: Susan Miller,
millervision@netspace.net.au
Read this edition and archives of whwnews
online at www.whwest.org.au/news/
newsletter/
Edition 3 deadline: 19 August 2016

Economic and workforce participation play

a key role in womens health and wellbeing
and in redressing gender inequity.

Research partnership
exploring Muslim
womens job seeking
experiences
Illustration: Isis and Pluto

Susan Timmins, Health Promotion Worker

A research partnership between

Womens Health West (WHW)
and the University of Melbourne
will explore the job-seeking
experiences of Muslim women
who have tertiary qualifications.

his joint research project is motivated

by strong anecdotal evidence that
Muslim women are experiencing
difficulty securing employment in their
chosen fields. This is despite having
relevant qualifications and being
proactive and determined jobseekers.
Economic and workforce participation
play a key role in womens health and
wellbeing and in redressing gender
inequity. Through this research we aim
to identify ways that assist women
to find fulfilling work in their chosen
field, to contribute their skills and
knowledge to Australian society, and
to attain financial independence.
Importantly, it is vital that our work
is informed by community womens
experiences and that their voices are
central to the research. To enable
this, researchers have conducted
individual and group interviews
with Muslim women who have:

Australian tertiary qualifications

or overseas qualifications that
are recognised in Australia

Encountered difficulties securing

work in their field of expertise

As part of this project, the University

of Melbourne has piloted a new
form of collaboration that will
provide community sector workers
with the opportunity to work at the
university under the supervision of
a senior academic. WHW health
promotion worker, Susan Timmins,
has been recruited into a newlycreated community fellow position
at the Universitys McCaughey
VicHealth Community Wellbeing
Unit. Community fellows are able to
share their expertise and exchange
ideas with academic staff, while
also gaining experience working
within a university setting.
The community fellow initiative
aims to foster engagement between

the university and community

organisations, so that research activities
are more responsive to the specific
concerns and interests of community.
It is anticipated that this arrangement
will also result in research findings
that can directly inform advocacy and
service provision in the community
sector. This model creates an important
link between research and practice,
and is expected to produce positive
outcomes for the women and children
WHW works with in Melbournes west.
This research is still in the initial stages
and we look forward to sharing
our findings and recommendations
with the sector. We are grateful
to the women who generously
shared their experiences with us.
Their personal insights have been
invaluable to this research.
For more information about
this research, please contact
SusanTimmins on 9689 9588 or at
susan.timmins@unimelb.edu.au

whwnews edition 2 2016

Behind the scenes

WHW Board

Responding to change and

achieving our goals
Dr Robyn Gregory, CEO and Christine Crosby,
Communications Manager

Over the past eighteen months Womens Health West (WHW) has
undertaken a comprehensive review of our organisational structure to
enable us to become a more nimble organisation, to better support
and develop our staff and, in turn, to enhance our response to clients
and communities at a time of exciting sector changes.

HW recognised the need to

undertake a review following a
period of significant growth that
resulted in an expansion of services and
programs and an increase in staff.
This growth has coincided with a range
of significant events that will impact
our work, our sector and the clients
and communities we work with over
the next five to ten years. These include
opportunities arising from Victorias Royal
Commission into Family Violence; the
planned co-design and implementation
of a gender equality strategy for
Victoria; and the development of WHWs
five-year strategic plan to 2020.
The organisational review was
undertaken with the support of
change strategy consultant, Linda
Betts, our staff, board and a number
of our partners. It has resulted in a
new and comprehensive leadership
structure, including the introduction
of a more outward-looking director
level, the elevation of some coordinator
roles to team leader and manager
positions, and the creation of exciting
new positions such as a senior

whwnews edition 2 2016

practice lead. We have also identified

aspirational positions to support further
growth over the coming years.
As a result of these changes, you
might have noticed a significant
increase in our recruitment. The
leadership team has worked hard to
reduce the impact on staff during this
period of change, in turn aiming for
minimal disruption to our work with
clients, partners and communities.
WHW began implementing the new
structure and recruiting into roles in
May 2016. We expect that the initial
changes will all be in place by September
2016, and look forward to introducing
you to new members of our leadership
team over the coming weeks.
This is a very exciting period for WHW,
with broad consensus among staff
that these changes are reinforcing
our commitment to creating a safe
and respectful workplace culture and
working environment, and, most
significantly, continuing to improve
how we work with our clients and
communities, now and into the future.

WHW Staff

Denise

Tess

Meredith Drinkell

Senior Intake Worker

Family Violence Crisis Refuge

Worker

Sunrise Group
Facilitator

Before joining WHW I studied

psychology for four years and completed
a thesis on alcohol-related violence
between men at licensed venues. While
this was interesting and very relevant
at the time, I have definitely changed
direction with my passions! Following
study I worked in preventative family
mental health for two years, undertaking
counselling and advocacy of young
people and their families that were at
risk of developing poor mental health.
Here I was able to dip my toe into family
violence response and then became
very eager to align my passion for
feminism, women and their safety with
more specific family violence work.

Since graduating
with a Masters
of Music Therapy
in 2012, I have
worked across
many different sectors
including disability,
mental health and early childhood
intervention. In 2015, I set up my own
private practice in music psychotherapy
under the name of Inner Sound
Therapy and have been working with
individual clients on a part-time basis.

Arriving in Australia four years ago

from Ireland, I initially lived in Canberra
and rural New South Wales. Now I
am loving getting to know the vibrant
city of Melbourne, in particular its
coffee shops and restaurants.
I have worked as a social worker for
the past ten years, mainly in the field
of child protection. I have always
had an enthusiasm for working with
children and women, supporting
them to gain safety in their lives.
Working for Womens Health West
is an exciting opportunity and I look
forward to gaining further knowledge
and being part of a great team.
I am always keen to try new experiences,
hence my recent attempt at aerial
yoga! I try my best to keep active and
social, which includes horse riding,
walking and exploring Melbournes bike
paths. I am also part of a local book
club although it is lacking important
elements of wine and cheese.

Kate
24 Hour Crisis Response Worker

After finishing my Bachelor of Arts

and Social Work (with Honours) in
2015, I worked across a couple of
roles in mental health and family
violence research; however, I found
myself feeling a little distanced from
the real world and craving human
interaction. I decided to take the leap
from research into direct client practice
and am fortunate enough to have been
welcomed by Womens Health West!
I bring with me my extensive knowledge
of family violence, skills in critical
thinking and a passion for feminist
social work. Off-duty I enjoy sewing,
reading, yoga, endless cups of tea and
rummaging through second-hand stores.

So naturally I was absolutely rapt

to secure a role at WHW within the
refuge team. During my first six weeks
here I have learnt so much from my
experienced and welcoming team, and
I look forward to building my skills in
supporting women in family violence
situations. Outside work I am a lover of
travelling, music, food, reading and great
conversations with my friends and family.

I was interested in working at WHW

because of the wide variety of services
they offer to women across Melbournes
west. As a feminist Im passionate about
equality and knew that being part of
such an empowering organisation could
develop and hone my therapeutic skills
in a meaningful way. Working as a group
facilitator for the Sunrise has been an
incredible experience and I have been
able to see firsthand how effective the
program is for each of the women. I
am excited to continue learning and
growing through being part of Sunrise.

SAVE THE DATE!

Its almost time for our annual general
meeting and we want to make sure you
save the date.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016.
4:306:30pm
Venue: Footscray Community Arts Centre
Follow us at www.facebook.com/womenshealthwest
for news and further information.

whwnews edition 2 2016

Responding to childrens
grief and loss
Helen, Nadine, Maria, Melissa and Saya,
Childrens Counsellors

Trauma is the word often used in relation to the impacts of family violence on children; however, the
grief and loss associated with changes to family and relationships in the wake of family violence might
sometimes be misunderstood, or less attended to by family and professionals supporting children.
W Steele and C Malchiodi: Trauma Informed Practices with Children and Adolescents

hildren can be traumatised

by violent or non-violent
incidents. Separation from a
parent through divorce or foster
care, a family members terminal
illness or sudden death, exposure
to family violence or sexual abuse,
witnessing drug use, house
fire, flood, drowning, murder,
suicide, and school violence can
all be traumatising incidents.
Trauma reactions are different from
reactions relating to grief or loss,
and can overpower grief reactions,
so tend to be the main focus
when supporting children who
have experienced family violence.
But as the quote from Steele and
Malchiodi explains, it is equally
as important to support children
in their grief and loss as in their
trauma. Grief and loss shatter
what we thought our life was
going to be like and the meaning
we had constructed for ourselves,
our family and our future.

whwnews edition 2 2016

Grief versus trauma

Grief reactions

Trauma reactions

Grief generally does

not affect identity

Trauma generally attacks, distorts

and disfigures our identity

Grief guilt says, I wish I would,

or would not have

Trauma guilt says, It was my

fault. I could have prevented
it. It should have been me

In grief, dreams tend to be

of the person who died

In trauma, dreams are

about the child themselves
dying, or being hurt

Generalised reaction is sadness

Generalised reaction is terror

Grief reactions can stand alone

Trauma reactions generally

also include grief reactions

Reactions to grief are more

generally understood by the public

Trauma reactions, especially in

children, are less understood
by the general public

In grief, pain is related to the loss

In trauma, pain is related to

the tremendous terror and
an overwhelming sense of
powerlessness and fear for safety

In grief, a childs anger is

usually not destructive

In trauma, a childs anger

often becomes assaultive (even
after non-violent trauma,
fighting often increases)

Children experiencing grief and loss

need reassurance and clear, ageappropriate explanations about the
changes that have happened within
their family as a result of family
violence. It is important to be sensitive
to the range of responses that your
child might experience, such as:

Feelings of sadness
Anger
Lots of worries
Confusion
Guilt
Jealousy
Withdrawn behaviour
Changes in eating or sleeping
Headaches or school refusal

Children might not be able to articulate

what they are feeling through words,
so it is helpful to be curious and ask
questions about childrens behaviour
and what might be driving it. For
example, you might ask, I wonder if
you are finding it hard to sleep because
you are worried about something?

Common themes of grief and loss

when children have experienced
family violence:

Sadness around missing dad and

perhaps his side of the family

Missing activities shared with dad

Grief and loss around how the

child imagined their family to be/
feeling different from other families
Feeling frustrated with a lack
of control or privacy when
seeing dad (supervised visits)

Helpful tips to support your child:

Access your own counselling support

so you are best placed to support
your child. It is healthy to show
your child that you are sad too and
to name this emotion. This helps
children to know that all emotions
are okay, and can be managed.

Be patient in assisting your child to

accept the loss. You might need to

have the same conversation many
times about what is happening.
Explain why the violent parent is not
living with you and reassure them
of the facts of the situation. It is
important to be honest, as well as
considering what information the
child needs to make sense of their
situation, depending on their age.

Remember that children also

communicate without speaking; for

example, through their behaviour,
their art, their play. Try to be attuned
to what your child is saying without
their words. Perhaps you could be
curious by suggesting some words for
them and asking whether that is right.

Creative ideas to support your

children through grief and loss:
Free drawing, painting, and craft:
Allow a space for your child to express
themselves creatively. Rather than
interpreting their artwork, ask them to
explain it to you and be prepared for
distressing images to be expressed.
Memory box: Reassure your child
that the parent who used violence will
always be their parent; for instance
by encouraging them to collect
photos, write or draw memories.
Reflective reading: Reading a story
about another childs experience of
loss of a parent, including through
divorce, might help your child
understand their own feelings. You
could use this reading time as a time
to be curious about your childs unique
experience and how they feel.
Creating a ritual: Explore different
options such as lighting a candle and
saying goodnight to the parent no longer
living in the home. Another option might
be regularly checking in by asking your
child how their favourite toy is feeling
about the loss/absence of the parent.

PHOTOS: Nadine

Supporting children through grief

and loss

whwnews edition 2 2016

Womens health services

to lead primary prevention action
Elly Taylor, Health Promotion Manager

This article is a revised version of one first published in the Council to Homeless Persons Parity magazine May 2016 edition,
titled The Royal Commission into Family Violence: Recommendations and Responses.

Due to a number of high profile family violence homicides of women and their children, and increasing
public pressure for action, the Andrews Government established Australias first Royal Commission into
Family Violence. In its landmark report, the Commission found that Victoria leads the nation in integrated
family violence response, and recognised the leading role womens health services have played in
implementing primary prevention policy, practice and service innovation.

he Royal Commission into Family

Violence report findings exposed an
over-burdened, chronically underfunded service system experiencing
unprecedented levels of demand
for specialist family violence and
homelessness services. The report outlined
several recommendations to respond to,
and ultimately curb, the current demand
for specialist family violence services,
while also identifying the need for a more
sustainable, integrated and coordinated
approach to the service system. Among
the recommendations to achieve a more
coordinated response, was greater action
and investment in preventing violence
before it occurs, or primary prevention.
Womens Health West (WHW) has long
advocated for a whole-of-government
approach to primary prevention in
Victoria, while separately delivering
a coordinated response to the everincreasing demand experienced by
specialist family violence services. In our
submission to the Royal Commission
into Family Violence, we noted that
primary prevention requires different
strategies, expertise and action, and it is
significant that this has been recognised
by the Commission in its report.
At WHW there is a dedicated team, and
strategy, delivering health promotion and
primary prevention actions to redress
gender inequity, which is internationally

whwnews edition 2 2016

and nationally recognised as the primary

driver of mens violence against women.
WHWs commitment and expertise in
primary prevention has seen us leading
the development and implementation
of Preventing Violence Together: The
Western Region Action Plan to Prevent
Violence Against Women (PVT). This
program was Victorias first regional
action plan and partnership dedicated
specifically to the primary prevention
of mens violence against women in
Melbournes west. PVT is a collaboration
of 18 partner organisations, which
includes local government, community
health, primary care partnerships,
state government, Victoria Police,
sexual assault services, family violence
response and Aboriginal family
violence services. PVTs visionary plan
is to create communities, cultures
and organisations in the western
region that are non-violent, nondiscriminatory, gender equitable, and
that promote respectful relationships.
Over six years PVT has successfully led
the commitment to organisational
change and primary prevention actions
across the PVT partner organisations.
A five-year project evaluation found it
has supported an increase in skills and
commitment of partner organisation
staff to implement, support and develop
gender equitable practices, policies and
services. Partner organisations have also

Western region partner organisations launch the

Preventing Violence Together (PVT) action plan.

With the support of WHW, this regional

partnership approach has served as
a successful mechanism to enhance
organisational commitment and
collaborative practice and provided an
opportunity for program partners to
be change agents through promoting
gender equity in their workplaces.
While there were only three
recommendations in the Commissions
report that were related to the
prevention of mens violence against
women before it occurs, they were very
strong recommendations. Following
further work required to implement
the recommendations, they will
provide an opportunity to build on
the primary prevention work achieved
by initiatives such as PVT, and by the
womens health network in Victoria.

Global research has shown that

violence prevention action has more
impact when it is led by feminist
womens health services that have
gender equity as core business, and
years of institutionalised primary
prevention expertise. The Victorian
womens health program has worked
to mainstream gender equity across the
various sectors and settings that they
work with for nearly three decades.
Victorias womens health services
received recognition for their significant
work in prevention on 22 April 2016,
when the Minister for the Prevention
of Family Violence, the Hon. Fiona
Richardson MP, announced that $1
million in funding was to be allocated
to the womens health sector to lead
primary prevention work across the
state. Each regional womens health
service has been allocated initial
funding to support work underway
on leading regional action plans.

This announcement is a strong

recognition of the role womens
health services play in leading in
primary prevention action. It also
provides a mandate to lead primary
prevention work across the state.
With the Commissions recommendation
that the state primary prevention plan
be guided by the forthcoming Gender
Equality Strategy, WHWs extensive
work in this area and comprehensive
submission to the state government
further ensures that we are wellplaced to influence the theoretical
and practice frameworks that informs
the upcoming Statewide Family
Violence Action Plan on primary
prevention now and into the future.
You can read the Royal Commission
into Family Violence report
online at www.rcfv.com.au

PHOTOS: Scout Kozakiewicz and Karin Holzknecht

developed strategies to increase womens

leadership and participation in decision
making. There is also a demonstrable
increase in staff understanding of how to
effectively engage men in the prevention
of mens violence against women.

As part of the consultation period, the

Commission heard that womens health
services have played a substantial role in
building regional partnerships with local
government, specialist and community
organisations, and most now have
published regional prevention plans
(Royal Commission: VI Prevention, p. 45).

whwnews edition 2 2016

PHOTOS: Karin Holzknecht, Sally Camilleri

A right to know

Project participants explore the ways women

can work together to protect their rights.

Continued from page 1

family violence and communications
teams also presented to participants.
When asked to reflect on the
workshop series, women who
participated in the program said:
I learned quite useful things about what
human rights are and what the laws are in
Victoria, as well as what my rights are if I
experience discrimination, because I am
a woman, or because of race or religion.

I learnt some actions to stop the racism

against me or othersI have the right
to practice my culture and beliefs.

We gained knowledge on how to identify

family violence and where to seek
help, or what to doI learned that
abuse isnt just hitting physically, it is
a lot deeper and different than that.

Its really interesting and I am glad to

sit among women and have discussions,
important and necessary ones that
we dont have in our everyday lives.

These comments reflect the experience

of the fourteen women who participated
in the workshops. All of the women
said they felt more confident because
of their new knowledge, and will share
it with others in their community.

Our Community, Our Rights

advocacy projects
Following the Our Community, Our
Rights workshop phase, the women
break into small groups to design and
deliver their own advocacy projects.
This year, participants designed

whwnews edition 2 2016

three projects that aimed to support

the health, wellbeing and safety of
women in their communities.
Project 1: Understanding and
improving the settlement experiences
of Muslim Women from the Horn of
Africa
This project aims to reduce the isolation
and uncertainly faced by many Muslim
women from the Horn of Africa in their
first years living in Australia. The group
consulted 20 community women, asking
them about the challenges they faced
during settlement and what would
help them during this time. Following
this consultation, the project group
members invited local service providers
to a lunch event, where they discussed
the findings of their consultation and
proposed ways that community women
and service providers might
work together to support
women to settle into their
new lives in Australia. The
women in this project group
will continue to liaise with
settlement services and
seek funding to implement
a social support and
information sharing group
for Muslim women from the
Horn of Africa, beyond their involvement
with Our Community, Our Rights.
Project 2: Safe spaces for Muslim
women resource kit
This project aims to support Muslim
women who experience, or fear
experiencing, harassment on the street
because they are visible targets for those

10

who hold racist, anti-immigration or

Islamophobic views. The women in this
group took inspiration from Womens
Health Wests decision to place a sign
in our front window that identified
our office as a safe space for Muslim
women, and invited women to come in
if they were feeling unsafe on the street.
This group aspired to create a larger
network of safe spaces by developing
a Safe Spaces for Muslim Women
resource kit, including signage. This
group will liaise with local community
agencies, encouraging them to register
for a kit and to identify their workplace
as a safe space for Muslim women.
Project 3: Harassment of Muslim
women is unacceptable
This project group coordinated a forum
for politicians, policy makers and service
providers to encourage
discussion and raise
awareness about the
impact that Islamophobia
and public harassment
has on the health,
safety and wellbeing
of Muslim women. The
group brought together
agencies and individuals
who could work with
community women to reduce violence,
racism and discrimination and to send
a clear message that the harassment
of Muslim people is unacceptable.
For further information on Our
Community, Our Rights, please visit
whwest.org.au/rights or contact
Susan Timmins on 9689 9588.

Sunrise Womens Groups

Supporting the health and wellbeing of women

living with a disability or mental health condition
Lauren Temminghoff, Health Promotion Coordinator

Living with a disability or mental health condition can present many barriers to managing health and
wellbeing. Womens Health Wests Sunrise womens groups are working to support women in Melbournes
west to overcome these barriers.

ver 55 women living in Melbournes

west are involved in a Sunrise
womens group. Each of these
women identify as living with either a
disability or mental health condition,
and participate in Sunrise to build
friendships, learn about staying healthy
and, most importantly, have fun.
Every fortnight women come together
as part of a Sunrise womens group,
and some women have built on the
friendships they develop in the group
by catching up between groups as
well. The group also provides an
opportunity for the women to regularly
decide on a calendar of events they
would like to take part in. This can
include a range social outings and
activities that are relevant to supporting
their health and wellbeing.

Encouragement to try new things

I have suffered from depression for many years. Earlier this year, as part of my
treatment, I went to live in a rehab facility for a few weeks. The worker at rehab
suggested that I join the Sunrise womens group because she thought it might be good
for me to meet new people, as I didnt know many.
At first I was hesitant, but now I am very grateful that I have joined the group, and I
look forward to it every fortnight. We do lots of different activities. I have never enjoyed
doing craft activities in the past, but when we do craft in the Sunrise group, I love it; it is
one of the best activities we have done.
The Sunrise group has given me the encouragement to try new things and I love it.
I think I would be lost without this group. I am so glad my worker suggested that I join
Sunrise because now I have so much more confidence.

Dawn, Sunrise member

New members are always welcome,

so if you, or a woman you know,
are interested in joining one of our
Sunrise Womens Groups, please
contact Lauren on 9689 9588 or
lauren@whwest.org.au. We look
forward to hearing from you!
To see a copy of our latest calendars
please visit whwest.org.au/sunrise

There is now a Sunrise womens group for women who are carers of a
person with a disability. This group meets fortnightly on a Tuesday at the
Melton Library. Contact Lauren if you are interested in coming along,
by phone on 9689 9588 or by email at lauren@whwest.org.au.

11

whwnews edition 2 2016

PHOTOS: Sally Camilleri

Our four Sunrise womens groups

meet in Laverton, Wyndham Vale,
Melton and Sunshine each fortnight.

Joans Place
A safe space for women and children of
Melbournes west
Christine Crosby, Communications Manager

whwnews edition 2 2016

12

Illustration: Isis and Pluto

Womens Health West has managed a refuge for women and children in
Melbournes west since 1982. Joans Place is named after the late Joan Kirner,
former Victorian Premier and staunch womens rights advocate, and is one of
two womens refuges in the west.

here is growing demand for access

with more than 120 women and
children staying at Joans Place
each year. At the refuge, women
and children can access specialist
services that support families to create
a new life free from violence.
Petra and her three children*
experienced family violence for more
than ten years. Recently she and
her children found refuge at Joans
Place. She spoke to Christine about
how staying at the refuge helped
her and her children start again.

Christine: How did you feel when

you arrived at the refuge?
Petra: I was scared and stressed,
but I felt we were safe. The kids
were confused, and after I spoke to
them and they saw the environment
they understood this was going
to be a safe house. It took a
while for them to be happy.
Christine: Can you describe
your life at the refuge?
Petra: I was there for about two
months. I shared one room with the
kids. There were bunk beds for the
kids and it was hard to put them to
sleep. Sometimes they didnt want to
go to bed, because they had fear in
them, they wondered if everything is
going to be okay. My kids tended to
act out, rather than talk about it. They
would be really silly and screaming.
Sometimes I had to bribe them to go
to bed because there were three other
families living in the rooms next door.
There are four families living together
in one house. It is very difficult to
share a house at a time when we
all have our own personal stress.
It would be great if we had access to
a separate unit, even a one bedroom
unit, with your own small kitchen. It
would allow you to have privacy and
not worry that you are disturbing
anyone. I was the one with the most
kids and so we created a lot of noise.
Sometimes my children kept people
up because they would not go to bed.

Sharing the bathroom was hard. My

youngest daughter didnt want to go; I
would bribe her just to have a shower.
I did use a lot of services available at the
refuge and through Womens Health
West. It was easy to access support that
helped me deal with my situation.

Having access to
counsellors, makes you
feel stronger, because
you know there is support
for you. You feel like you
can get somewhere.

Christine: How did having access

to specialist family violence staff
help you and your children?
Petra: Mishelle, the childrens support
worker, was a very good help. They have
a room for the kids at the refuge where
they can do after school activities. She
spent time with them and did a lot of
activities there. This really made them
happy. You can see they feel safe.
I would talk to my social worker,
Amanda, about the kids. They didnt
want to go to school because they
worried something would happen to me
while they were gone. Having access to
people like Amanda, and counsellors,
makes you feel stronger, because you
know there is support for you. You
feel like you can get somewhere.
I did seek counselling for my children
while at the refuge and after we
moved out. They were happy to see
the counsellors at Womens Health
West. Sometimes they couldnt wait
to be there. It took a couple weeks
to make a difference, but they were
happy. The childrens counsellors also
helped if I was having trouble with
the kids. They gave me some ideas.
Christine: How did you change
while you were in refuge?
Petra: For me as a mother of three,
waking up and sending them to school

13

and coming back to the refuge, I could

start seeing myself. I could brush my
teeth, brush my hair, look in the mirror.
Before, I could not even look at myself,
because I was with the violence and
dealing with that. You remember you
are a human too, so it was time to look
after myself. I felt I was alive again.
Christine: How did Womens Health
West family violence staff prepare
you for life outside the refuge?
Petra: When I was at the refuge I
started thinking about things I could
do. I had a conversation with Amanda
saying I wanted more from my life.
When I left the refuge I started a
course in childrens services.
They helped me find a house. Its tough
to figure out where you are going to
go and you have no money. But with
my social workers help it became
possible. We have been living in the
same house now for eight months.
Christine: How is life for you
and your family now?
Petra: When I got married I had
confidence, but then living with him
I lost it, because he always cut me
down. I was blank, I had no answers.
My family would try and tell me what
to do and ways they can help, but
I wasnt all there. It was like I had
nothing to say. Now Im out there telling
people what Im doing, what I need.
You think your ex might not find you
but one time he did. I went to the
police station straight away. I learnt
that there are services, you dont
have to live with it. I worked with
my social worker and I have a safety
plan, I know what I need to do.
Sometimes I look in the mirror and
I am proud. I think about where
I was and where I am now. I am
doing a course, I have a home, I
am moving on with the kids.
*Some details have been
changed for safety reasons.
For more information on our family
violence services go to whwest.
org.au/family-violence

whwnews edition 2 2016

PHOTO: Christine Crosby

Research promotes economic participation

for refugee and migrant women

Nirvana Bhandary, Health Promotion Worker

t can be difficult for refugee and

migrant women to find paid work,
manage money and effectively access
financial services in Australia. This
can create barriers to their economic
participation, including paid employment,
running a small business, taking part in
training or education, and negotiating
with agencies and services about
bills, fines, concession allowances,
welfare benefits and taxation.
Economic participation therefore
has a significant impact on womens
sense of agency, health, safety and
wellbeing. WHW has designed and
implemented numerous financial literacy
programs with women from refugee
and migrant backgrounds over the
past ten years. These programs aim to
build womens confidence, skills and
ability to navigate complex financial
systems and institutions in Australia, and
enhance their economic participation.
Through our extensive work with
refugee and migrant women, we
came to understand that multiple
factors can diminish, as well as
enable, migrant and refugee womens
economic participation, and that

whwnews edition 2 2016

these factors interact at structural,

community and household levels.
So, in partnership with Victoria
University, in 2015 WHW began a
research project to explore the barriers
and enablers of refugee and migrant
womens economic participation, and
identify actions required to increase
womens financial independence.
During this ten-month project,
the research team:

Reviewed the recent literature on

factors that impact on womens
economic participation, and
policies, programs and practices
that foster economic participation

Consulted with 60 women from

Farsi-speaking, Tibetan, Oromo,
Karen and South-Sudanese
communities in Melbournes west,
and with staff from community-based
organisations, to better understand
their perceptions and experiences

Developed a research report that

includes recommendations for
future resource development,
advocacy and program initiatives

14

to be undertaken by government
and community sectors.
On 17 May 2016 we launched the
Promoting economic participation
and equity for women from refugee
and migrant backgrounds research
report and resources in Footscray.
The event was a celebration of
this important project, a chance
to hear from community women,
and an unveiling of the report and
resources to the community sector.
Halima Mohamed, a Somalian
community leader, shared her
experiences in engaging with African
communities and establishing a sewing
and English course for newly-arrived
women in the west. The thoughts
she shared were inspiring: when you
empower a woman, you empower
a community. Halima shared the
stage with the CEO of the Scanlon
Foundation, Anthea Hancocks, who
provided funding for this exciting project,
and WHWs CEO, Robyn Gregory.
Poni Peters, a community settlement
worker, then shared her experiences
in working with refugee and migrant
women in the west. Confirming what
the research found, she highlighted
English language barriers and lack
of employment opportunities as
the major challenges women face
to economic participation.

Images: Alyce Vella

New research by Womens Health West (WHW) and Victoria University

has found that sexism, racism and strict government systems and rules
are among the barriers facing migrant and refugee women attempting
to negotiate Australias financial and educational systems and accessing
employment opportunities.

Poni was integral in establishing a

driving program in the Werribee region
that has greatly enabled womens
economic participation. Refugee and
migrant women have been able to
access more jobs, manage multiple
responsibilities and receive legal
education as a result of learning to drive.

Along with the research report and

a plain English summary, WHW
has developed two factsheets to
assist refugee and migrant women
to better understand important
Australian financial systems.
The first factsheet focuses on how to
engage with Centrelink, Job Active
and the Australian Taxation Office, and
the second factsheet focuses on the
role of Ombudsmen. Both factsheets
are in simple English, and have been
translated into Farsi and Karen.
All resources can be downloaded
from whwest.org.au/
economicparticipation
For further information on this research
project, please contact Sally Camilleri on
9689-9588 or sally@whwest.org.au

Economic participation
barrier: Systemic racism
and gender roles
Someone really hurt me so much when
I went Centrelinkas soon as they saw
me with my hijab on, that I wear black
long dress and everything and I ask some
questions, [a male staff member] turned
around to me saying you Muslim people,
you dont know what you are doing, you
dont do the right thing. How come you
do this? And I thought, Im here for
something, he shouldnt be saying that
to me. So I just turned back to him and
I got his name, and then I went back
and I complained. I got a response from
the Centrelink manager an apology.

Oromo research participant, 2015

Some have been here ten years and are
still looking for employment in their
chosen profession there is underlying
racism at a systemic level, but not having
local networks is a huge barrier, I see
this particularly for women from Iran,
Afghanistan, some African countries,
Sri Lanka and India. The range of
qualifications is amazing; for example,
a mathematics lecturer, professional
dressmakers, business administration.
Some women have qualifications in
Australia and are well on the way to
having their skills but barriers persist
The experience is often that women
with English as a second language do
not even get to the interview stage.

Economic participation
barrier: Inadequate
English language and
vocational training
They understand people have aspirations
and they move in to exploit it. WHW has
already done work with women about
dealing with utility companies doing doorto-door sales. But theres other forms
of sales too now like educational tools
or programs that are bogusand where
people are signing up to contracts, ending
up with a massive debtif they get a bad
credit rating that goes on their record,
there are long-term consequences in
terms of getting a loan or getting work in
certain industries. A lot of unscrupulous
agencies are moving in and education is
a big onebut there are others as well
mortgage brokers who target women
Oh, you want to buy a house, dont you?
We can forge some pay slips for you.

Service provider research

participant, 2015

Service provider research

participant, 2015

15

whwnews edition 2 2016

Partnership with Sunshine Hospital

improving service response to FGC
Intesar, FARREP Worker

Womens Health Wests Family and Reproductive Rights Education

Program (FARREP) is working alongside Western Healths Sunshine
Hospital to increase knowledge about female genital cutting (FGC)
among healthcare staff.

FARREP

s goal is to continually
improve and develop
culturally sensitive and appropriate
sexual and reproductive health services
for women and girls impacted by FGC.
This can only be achieved in partnership
with mainstream specialist health services
and through training professionals
delivering the health services to women
and girls who have experienced FGC.
Over the past year, Womens Health
Wests FARREP worker conducted four
professional development sessions at
Sunshine Hospital for 48 healthcare
professionals. The sessions were
delivered with the hospitals nursing
education manager and involved
nurses, midwifes and doctors.
Sessions were delivered during the
day and night, so Sunshine Hospital
staff could access the training
regardless of their work roster.
The sessions developed by the FARREP
worker provided healthcare professionals
from Sunshine Hospital with the
opportunity to learn about the social and
cultural aspects of FGC. This included the
opportunity to learn about and discuss:

whwnews edition 2 2016

Definitions of FGC

Data on the percentage of

women living in the west who
come from countries with high
prevalence practice rates of FGC

Cultural reasons cited for

the practice of FGC

Different types of FGC

The impact of migration

and settlement on FGCaffected communities

The FARREP program is currently in

the process of developing a one-page
fact sheet for nurses, midwifes and
doctors working in pre- and postnatal care. The fact sheet will detail
information about the history of FGC,
why it is practiced, and how to initiate
discussion with women receiving
pre-natal and post-natal care.
For more information, visit
www.whwest.org.au/farrep

I feel better equipped to

approach parents about
their intention with their
female child and be
able to give appropriate
information and support.

Health care
professional,
Sunshine
Hospital

Health implications of FGC

Victorian laws regarding the
illegal practice of FGC

16

ILLUSTRATION: Isis and Pluto

Countries with high

prevalence practice rates

Featured publication

Caught Between Two Cultures: A

young African womens sexual and
reproductive health program manual
In 2014 Womens Health West FARREP worker, Shukria Alewi, led
a series of community consultations across Melbournes west with
members of different African communities known to have high
practice rates of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), such as
those from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan.
The consultations explored community
perspectives about the sexual and
reproductive health of young African
Australian women. Fifteen community
members were consulted including
community leaders, mothers, a female
academic and a male religious leader.

aimed to enhance their confidence,

independence and capacity to make
informed decisions about their health
and wellbeing now and into the future.
Caught Between Two Cultures: A
young African womens sexual and
reproductive health program manual has
been developed as a valuable resource
designed to assist professionals delivering
similar sexual and reproductive health
education programs to young African
women aged between 16 and 25.

The consultations identified that young

African women who have undergone
FGM/C require a tailored sexual and
reproductive health project that responds
to their different health, safety and
wellbeing needs. The Caught Between
Two Cultures Project was developed
as a response to this need, made
possible by the generous support of the
Victorian Womens Benevolent Trust.

The project included the delivery of a

program for young African women that

Puberty, menstruation and

respectful relationships

Contraception and pregnancy

Sexually
transmitted infections
and cervical cancer

Body image and skin

bleaching and toning

Sexual decision-making,
consent and FGM/C

Leadership and advocacy

The manual also provides information

on good facilitation techniques, the
importance of cultural sensitivity,
working with interpreters, and
creating a safe and supportive
learning environment.

The manual provides an overview

of a seven-day program with
activities and resources covering:

For any questions about the project or

the manual, please contact Shukria on
9689 9588 or shukria@whwest.org.
au. The manual can be downloaded
at whwest.org.au/CBTC-manual

order form
Womens Health West Publications

Order by mail

This form may be used as a Tax Invoice for GST purposes

Order Form Tax Invoice
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Communications Worker
Womens Health West
317 319 Barkly Street FOOTSCRAY VIC 3011

Order by fax

03 9689 3861

Order by email

info@whwest.org.au

Order by phone

03 9689 9588

Payment

Please send payment with your order or we can

invoice you. Cheques payable to: Womens
Health West

Caught Between Two Cultures Manual

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A range of brochures and fact sheets are available from our web site
www.whwest.org.au/resources

17

whwnews edition 2 2016

EVENTS Notices
Conferences

Upcoming dates

2016 Global Indigenous Womens Conference

16 August

International
Youth Day

17 September

Australian
Citizenship Day

21 September

International
Day of Peace

410 October

Mental Health
Week

11 October

International Day
of the Girl Child

13 October

Islamic New Year

11 November

Diwali Festival of
Lights

12-14 September 2016

Stamford Grand Adelaide Beach Hotel, Glenelg, South Australia
The 2016 Global Indigenous Womens Conference is hosted by The National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Womens Alliance and Indigenous Conference
Services (Australia) with a great line up of speakers from around Australia
and internationally. The aim is to provide a platform for Indigenous women
to celebrate their achievements in life within their home, family, community
and workplace. The event will focus on empowerment, strong leadership
and self-determination globally. More information and registration at www.
indigenousconferences.com/#!2016-womens-conference-main-page/c1zfc

Prevalent and Preventable:

International conference on
violence against women
19-22 September 2016

Remembrance Day

Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide

This conference will bring together a diverse group of people including service
workers, community advocates, policy makers, researchers, government/nongovernment and other professionals from around Australia, New Zealand, the
Asia Pacific, Europe and beyond, to discuss ways to prevent violence against
women and children. The conference will have a particular focus on prevention;
that is, on long term social change strategies to address the underlying and
deeply entrenched drivers of this violence, as a complement to response
efforts. More information and registration at conference.awava.org.au

16 November

Sisters Inside Inc.: Is Prison Obsolete Conference

17 November

1921 October 2016

Royal on the Park, Brisbane
Forget reform. It is time to talk about abolishing prisons in society. So whats
the alternative? The Is Prison Obsolete conference will initiate and support the
development of innovative and creative responses to issues affecting women
in prison throughout the world. It will provide an opportunity for individuals,
organisations and governments from across the globe to come together
and share information. Women who have been in prison are encouraged
to attend. This event is FREE for any woman who has been in prison. More
information and registration at sistersinside.com.au/conference2016.htm

Inaugural National
Multicultural Womens
Conference 2016
Influencing Change:
Vision and Impact
3-4 November 2016
Parkroyal Parramatta, Sydney
This national event is an
outcome of an innovative
partnership between
Settlement Services International (SSI) and the Federation of Ethnic
Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA), which will provide a holistic
perspective towards shaping a shared vision and driving change for multicultural
women. More information and registration at www.nmwc2016.com

whwnews edition 2 2016

18

SAVE THE DATE:

Womens Health
West Annual
General Meeting
and Debate
Anniversary of
first Reclaim the
Night March
International Day
for Tolerance

donations
Debra Wannan, Finance Officer
Sophie, Crisis Accommodation Coordinator

omens Health West extend our warmest thanks for the

following contributions from beginning March 2016 to
end of May 2016. These much-appreciated donations and
grants help us to enhance our programs and services. Every
donation goes straight to assisting women and children.
Donor

Donation

Impact for Women

Mothers Day gifts

Sea Breeze Quilters

Quilts, baby jumpsuits

and childrens shoes

Quenos

$700 vouchers for women

and children in refuge

Donor

Type

Magistrates' Court
of Victoria

11 x court ordered
donations

$4,300

Court Services Victoria

Sunshine Court
Fund Donation

$1,500

Danny Pearson
Member for Essendon

Donation from
International
Womens Day
fundraising

$975

Clare Keyes-Liley
and Anna Morrison

Donation from
International
Womens Day
fundraiser

$2,530

Sunshine Marketplace
(Vicinity Centres)

Donation from
Mothers Day
fundraiser

$1,827

Hobsons Bay Womens

Referral Service

Donation

$1,803

TOTAL

$12,935

Donations to Womens Health West are tax deductible and

much appreciated! To donate online, visit
www.whwest.org.au/about-us/donations

PHOTO: Erin Slattery

Amount

The staff and board of Womens Health West were greatly saddened to
hear of the passing of Gainore Atkins. Gainore is fondly remembered as
a salt of the earth WHW board director who served this organisation
with passion and verve from 20062010. Gainores son Nick, and friend
and colleague Narelle, visited the office recently to present our CEO,
Dr Robyn Gregory, with the remaining funds from the Hobsons Bay
Womens Referral Service, which Gainore founded. Thank you Nick
and Narelle for coming by and swapping stories with us. We feel very
privileged to have received these funds in Gainores memory.

Membership form

All women living, working or studying in the western

metropolitan region of Melbourne are eligible for
membership of WHW, as are organisations whose client
base includes the western region.

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

CONTACT DETAILS

Individual Voting Member

(woman who lives, works or studies in the western metro region)

A D D RE S S

NAME
S U B UR B P O S T C O D E

 rganisational Member
O
(organisation in, or whose client-base includes, the region)

PHONE (W)

PHONE (H)

O R G A N I S AT I O N

(Individual members only)

E M A I L A D D RE S S
C O N T A C T P ER S O N

(This person is also eligible to attend and vote at our Annual General Meeting)

S I G N A T URE D A T E

POSITION

 ssociate Non-voting Member

A
(individual or organisation outside the region)
Membership is free. To apply, fill in this form and mail to: Womens Health West
317319 Barkly Street, Footscray VIC 3011

whw in the news

Womens Health West

317-319 Barkly Street
Footscray 3011
phone
fax
email
website

womens health west equity and justice for women in the west

9689 9588

9689 3861

info@whwest.org.au

www.whwest.org.au