The Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council is seeking volunteers to participate in two upcoming events as part of the state government-funded family violence prevention project that was rolled out in late 2019. The project aims to initiate discussions and raise community awareness about the impact of family violence. The project aims to ensure members of the Sikh community feel safe in their home and neighbourhood.
The Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council (VSGC) received $120,000 from the Victorian government for a family violence prevention project in November 2019.
The council is now appealing to community members to participate in the focus groups and training sessions being organised to initiate discussions on communication material and raise community awareness about the personal and social impact of family violence.
In an interview with SBS Punjabi, the VSGC secretary, Jang Singh Pannu said the council is seeking volunteers for two groups that will be further segregated based on age and gender.
“As a part of our family violence project, we have organised two different events ‘Sikh Focus Groups’ and ‘Happy Family, Happy Society – Training Session’,” Mr Pannu said.
“The purpose of the focus group programme is to start a conversation with youth, men and women on the issue of domestic and family violence, and to get their feedback on how to share information about the preventive measure within in the Sikh community.”
Mr Pannu said the project’s main aim is to ensure members of the community feel safe in their home and neighbourhood and can rely on fellow members for guidance and assistance to prevent family violence whenever required.
“Everyone plays an important role in shaping attitudes and behaviours in their communities, so they can be in a unique position to address, prevent and respond to family violence,” he said.
“We aim to increase the understanding of some behaviours and practices that support violence against women and other forms, through our training sessions.”
These focus groups will be facilitated by inTouch – a state-wide specialist family violence service https://intouch.org.au/ and the training is facilitated by Kulturbrille https://www.kulturbrille.com.au/ on behalf of the Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council http://www.vsgc.org.au/
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 787 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
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