The launch of the Queensland Eidfest Association initiative on Domestic Violence awareness within the Muslim and Sikh communities took place last Saturday during the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month at Griffith University’s Centre for Interfaith and Cultural Dialogue.>
The Hon. Tracy Davis MP, Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services was in attendance to launch the program.
As part of a nationwide campaign targeting domestic violence among religious communities this project also aims to encourage victims and witnesses to report cases of abuse.
“We have collaborated with the Sikh and Hindu communities and will be distributing posters to all mosques and temples across Queensland and northern New South Wales,” said Ms Yasmin Khan, Eidfest’s president.
Ms. Khan said, “I believe this is first for Australia and possibly the world, where these three faith groups have come together to work on a domestic violence project.”
“It was important to bring these faiths together as their cultural traditions were very similar, especially across sub-continental countries, such as Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.”
The campaign is a series of four posters that will be sent to every Mosque, Gudhwara and Temple across Queensland and community groups that work with migrant women. The initiative has garnered much attention with the posters being sent around the world via social media.
The design and concept of the posters was Ms Khan’s idea and they have been praised by community groups and the Queensland Police Service. Chief Superintendent Allan McCarthy from Brisbane South Region said, “This is the best campaign I have seen in over 30 years of policing.”
Some of the posters are being translated into other languages to gain a wider reach.
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Posters creating awareness (click on image to enlarge) |
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