Sunita Kotnala Consultant Social Policy and International Development

VAW in Australia Domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault is a criminal offence in Australia DV and Family violence continue to be a major social issue nationally National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children Support services and programs across government agencies Police Domestic Violence Liaison Officers, Multicultural Cultural Liaison Officers or equivalent across all jurisdictions

NSW Multicultural Community Liaison Officer (MCLO) Program Civilian officers to improve communication for better policing and police: Victim & language support Compliance monitoring Complaints Capacity Building Education & Training Community development Peace building activities

Key challenges for MCLO Prejudicial policing/ personal attitudes Mistrust of authority, reluctance to report crime Cultural practices and attitudes towards DV Limited understanding of Australian legal system Individual rights and responsibilities regarding DV Lager community attitudes Capacity of service providers- Government & NGO

Achievements of MCLO program Increase in DV reporting from multicultural communities Improved outcomes in courts for victims Increased budget for interpreter and language support Reduction in costs awarded by courts Improved interagency communication & collaboration Amendments to legislation & policing practice Better understanding of individual rights and responsibilities within Australian legal system

References 1. NSW Police Force Priorities for Working in a Culturally, Linguistically and Religiously Diverse Society The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their children violence-against-women-and-their-children violence-against-women-and-their-children 3. Bridging the data gaps for domestic and family violence services 4. Code of Practice for the NSW Police Force Response to Domestic Violence and family Violence