A community-led family violence initiative in Melbourne’s western suburbs is set to expand into more migrant and refugee communities after receiving philanthropic funding.
Project Sitara, run by family violence support provider GenWest, trains trusted community members to recognise violence, support women and connect them with specialist services.
The project’s “Sitaras” – meaning star in Hindi and Urdu – include respected leaders who can offer support in a woman’s own language and help her navigate services that may otherwise seem unfamiliar or culturally unsafe.
Chitra, an Indian migrant community member and one of dozens of Sitaras, recently received a late-night call from her son’s friend. The boy said his father was threatening his mother and asked what he should do.
Chitra told him to contact police before speaking to his mother, who said her husband had threatened more serious violence if she went to authorities. Wanting to help while remaining aware of her own safety, Chitra sought advice from family violence specialist Shikha Makker.
After being advised about the next steps, Chitra drove to the woman’s home, collected her and her dog, and encouraged her to tell police everything she could. She accompanied the woman as officers connected her with Safe Steps and Orange Door.
“I felt so proud. Just a small step of mine changed her life completely and now she’s separated. The man has moved away and she is doing good,” Chitra said.
She continues to provide emotional support, telling the woman she is doing the right thing. “She became so confident. Before she was shivering and now she has became so independent,” Chitra said.
Project Sitara builds a bridge to safety
Shweta Kawatra Dakin, GenWest’s manager of resilient communities, said the initiative provided “a critical bridge to safety” for migrant and refugee women.
“These women are already listening, supporting and helping others find safety,” she said. “But navigating Australia’s family violence system can be complex, particularly when services are unfamiliar, not available in-language or do not feel culturally safe.”
The programme allows women to hear about their options from people who speak their language, understand their communities and can help them decide where to seek assistance.
Nina, the first Sitara recruited, is a respected Indian community leader in Point Cook. She said women were more likely to discuss sensitive issues when they felt listened to and were not judged.
“I don’t have to have all the answers, sometimes my role is simply to open the door, listen and help someone connect with the right support,” Nina said.
Ms Makker said many migrant women wanted more than a list of services. They also wanted to understand what would happen when they entered a specialist family violence service, including what questions would be asked and how risk information would be assessed.
She regularly brings Sitaras together to provide training, support and guidance on their own safety. The leaders, she said, had begun reminding one another to consider their personal safety when supporting others.
Ms Kawatra Dakin said the project was also helping to challenge patriarchal attitudes in migrant and refugee communities. Mothers-in-law and aunts, she said, often had the social standing to influence norms across generations.
“We are changing mindsets towards gender equity,” she said. “It’s generational change.”
Funding from the Minderoo Foundation will allow Project Sitara to extend its work to more migrant and refugee communities across Victoria.
Minderoo chief executive John Hartman said ending family and gender-based violence required investment in prevention and support for communities to lead change.
“Project Sitara is supporting migrant and refugee women that already do this safety work, with the evidence, frameworks and connections to help prevent violence before it occurs in their communities,” he said.
