Australia defines domestic violence as an act of violence that occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or harm the other.
Amy Dhewayani is a Senior Trainer of Human Rights and Laws in Australia, specifically for the CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) community, and also a specialist worker in domestic violence.
She says that in 2015 alone, one domestic violence event occurred every two minutes in Australia.
"I haven't got a rough calculation up until last year but I can confirm that one woman is killed every week and one in three women experience physical violence every week," says Mrs. Dhewayani.
Indonesian women also do not escape the risk of the domestic violence.
Mrs. Dhewayani says that for the Greater Brisbane area only, every two months there is one Indonesian citizen who experiences domestic violence.
"The number does not include Australians with Indonesian backgrounds," she adds.
Mrs. Dhewayani says that these women follows their partners to live in Australia but do not have any knowledge of what to do and where to ask for help when they experience domestic violence.
"They are not equipped with the proper knowledge and even still carry the culture or knowledge of their respective nationalities with them," she explains.
In 2015, one domestic violence was recorded every two minutes. - Amy Dhewayani, Senior Trainer of Human Rights and Laws in Australia.
Based on this, the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney together with the Caring Is Culture (CIC) community, chaired by Amy Dhewayani, conducted a counselling on "Women's Rights in Australia" on on June 13 in Brisbane.
According to the Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, Heru Hartanto Subolo, this sharing of knowledge is carried out to prevent incidents of domestic violence against Indonesian citizens. It is also planned to be carried out on an ongoing basis so that it is expected to reduce the occurrence of cases of domestic violence against Indonesians living in his working area which includes New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.
Listen to the full conversation in this podcast.
