Highlights
- The City of Whittlesea - an outer northern local government area - saw at least six suspected suicides with disturbing similarities in 2 years
- Victoria police are being urged to investigate a spate of suicides of South Asian women
- Advocates are urging for the urgent implementation of the Coroner’s recommendations
Frontline support groups such as not-for-profit Christian organisation, the Brotherhood of St Laurence has been organising a series of events in recent months in the Whittlesea area, aimed at getting women out of the house and into the community.
Baljinder Kaur says that attending the events have helped her connect with other women in similar circumstances to her as well as allow her to learn about the basics of Australian laws.
"With this group I learned how important it is to talk... even just to talk makes a difference."
Madhuri Maskey is the coordinator of the Family Violence Prevention Group at the Brotherhood of St Laurence.
Such activities more critical than ever after the local community was rocked by six suspected suicides of women - five understood to be mothers - all from similar ethnic backgrounds.
"We are providing that safe space for women to come together and share their experiences; it's hard for women to share their experiences in the first instance, so we do organise some activities so they feel comfortable, they know each other"
A coronial investigation into four of the deaths last September found more accessible and culturally appropriate support services were needed for South Asian women living in the area.
A working group, spearheaded by Rachel Hughes, a Suicide Prevention Officer at the Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, has been working behind the scenes to tackle the issue.
"We've been working closely with the women in those Indian specific groups, particularly the family violence women's groups. And we'll be making sure that we're continuing to do that suicide prevention training, but also on the ground, working with those women's groups to support that reduction of social isolation"
Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to look for ways to improve access to support services for South Asian women in the area.
Victoria Police have yet to commit to allocating Family Violence Investigation Units to investigate suspected suicides of migrant women in the area, in circumstances where family violence or social isolation may be contributing factors.
Chris Howse is from the Whittlesea Community Connections Community Legal Service, who first brought the apparent suicide cases to the attention of the Coroners Court of Victoria and is urging Victoria Police to apply the Coroner’s recommendations.
"In light of what the coroner wants Victoria Police to do - has recommended Victoria Police to do - Victoria police, where women have died by suicide and family violence is associated with those deaths, need to rule out murder.
That's one of the reasons why the coroner has no doubt recommended that the family violence Investigation Unit attend and investigate these deaths"
In a statement, Victoria Police told SBS News it:
“welcomes any opportunity to improve the police response to family violence,” and is "reviewing the coroner’s recommendation to assess the practicality of varying the existing current model for investigating intentional deaths.”
SBS’ series on Domestic Violence See What You Made Me Do premieres 8:30pm Wednesday 5 May. Watch on SBS or stream free on SBS On Demand.
The three-part series continues weekly on 12 & 19 May, and repeated at 9.30pm Sundays on SBS VICELAND
