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Research Project - Justice barriers faced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women

 

 

 

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Funded by the Victoria Law Foundation, this project unpacks the range of process issues and barriers faced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women within Melbourne’s North-West when applying to the court for family violence intervention orders (FVIOs). NCLC and the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights (AMWCHR) are partnering to develop policy recommendations that enhance justice and safety for culturally and linguistically diverse women appearing before Broadmeadows Magistrates Court.

 

The study is timely as online forms become routine across Victoria and essential to the new model of pre-court engagement and resolution through the Early Resolution Service piloted at the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court from 2021. Data and reported experiences by NCLC and AMWCHR clients indicate there may be numerous barriers compounding safety risks experienced by culturally and linguistically diverse women, such as language and literacy limitations, technological and accessibility problems, and issues with the cultural appropriateness of available information.

 

In documenting barriers to participation for culturally and linguistically diverse women, this project hopes to provide important policy and practice recommendations that can integrate a client-centred approach into the functioning of the court, as Broadmeadows Magistrates Court transitions to a Specialist Family Violence Court.

 

For more information, please email Tania McKenna at tmckenna@northernclc.org.au

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