“Helping Ourselves, Helping Each Other”: Lessons from the Aboriginal Women against Violence Project
Keywords:
Aboriginal women, Violence prevention, Community development, Human servicesAbstract
Aboriginal women in Australia experience unacceptable levels of interpersonal violence despite more than a decade of concerted effort by both government agencies and non- government organisations. This article reports on the evaluation of the Aboriginal Women Against Violence Project (AWAVP), a peer-mentor program informed by Indigenous community development and empowerment principles. These principles, shaped by cultural knowledge, led to the creation of space for Aboriginal women to speak and hear experiences of violence, disrupt the dominant professional (white)/client (black) relationship and challenge white services to improve their work with Aboriginal women. The article argues for a stronger policy and program focus on community development to support Aboriginal women in their efforts to live free of violence. It aims to enable mainstream (white) practitioners to reflect on, and engage in, empowering practice with Aboriginal women in relation to violence.
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