Domestic Violence Campaign for people from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds

Today I am launching an important $500,000 national campaign to increase community awareness of domestic violence in non-English speaking background (NESB) communities.

Starting this week, the campaign will appear in ethnic media as an information insert in newspapers and an advertisement on ethnic radio.

The campaign will provide information about the damaging effects of domestic violence and its impact upon individuals and families.

Domestic violence is a serious social issue. It is one of the most common forms of abuse and assault in Australia and affects families from all cultures and communities.

The Commonwealth Government is increasing the amount of information available to people from non-English speaking backgrounds through this campaign. We need to make sure that all parts of the community understand the damage that domestic violence inflicts on families.

The campaign is strongly supported by a wide range of religious leaders, who have signed an Interfaith Declaration against domestic violence, which is included in the press insert.

Information is also included for individuals and families about where to go to get help.

Thirty eight ethnic newspapers will have messages targeted to thirteen different language and cultural groups over 5 weeks.

Radio advertisements will be broadcast in nineteen different languages on ethnic radio stations.

Languages include Arabic, Mandarin, Bahasa, Russian, Bosnian, Spanish, Cantonese, Tamil, Thai, Greek, Tongan, Hebrew, Tagalog, Turkish, Hindi, Vietnamese, Italian, Yiddish and English.

The campaign is another national project funded under this Government’s $50 million Partnerships Against Domestic Violence initiative.

Taking a national leadership role in the prevention and reduction of domestic violence is part of the Commonwealth Government’s broader strategy for strengthening families and building healthy and safe communities.

For more information on Partnerships Against Domestic Violence visit the Partnerships website.