It is essential that we take an intersectional approach to prevention work to better understand the intersecting systems of oppression that impact on people within our diverse communities. Meaningful inclusion means understanding, recognising and addressing the unique drivers of violence that affect LGBTQIA+ people from different cultural and faith backgrounds.
We’re proud to share a recording from our recent workshop on Prevention with LGBTQIA+ multicultural and faith communities, presented by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) and Safe and Equal. The recording features the opening presentation and panel discussion. The focus on strengthening engagement with LGBTQIA+ people from multicultural and faith communities is a critical step in building inclusive, community-led approaches to preventing gender-based violence.
La Trobe Research Fellow Dr Innocent Mwatsiya delivered a powerful opening address on how capitalism, racism, and patriarchy intersect to shape systems of oppression—including homophobia and transphobia—as legacies of colonisation.
Innocent was joined by experts from Switchboard, Rainbow Health Australia, Zoe Belle Gender Collective for our panel session. Our panel explored shared goals and advocacy opportunities across multicultural, faith-based, and LGBTQIA+ organisations. They also shared examples of good practice and provided tools for deepening community engagement and reflected on the existing evidence-base.
We hope these inspiring, essential perspectives and lessons help support your own intersectional prevention work.
More information
This workshop was delivered as part of the Connecting Communities program, a partnership program between the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) and Safe and Equal to support the learning and professional development needs of a network of organisations working with multicultural and faith-based communities to prevent family violence, through the Victorian Government’s Supporting Multicultural Communities to Prevent Family Violence Grant Program.