2nd National Dowry Abuse Summit UNSW 22Feb 19
On 22 February 2019 ACHRH HOSTED THE 2ND NATIONAL DOWRY ABUSE SUMMIT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNSW DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND UNSW GENDER VIOLENCE RESEARCH NETWORK
Co-hosted by AWAVA, Harmony Alliance , In Touch Multicultural Centre , Good Shepherd, White Ribbon Australia, Australian Human Rights Institute UNSW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yT4APeGkfc&feature=youtu.be
Report by PhD student University of Queensland
Ms Sameema Zahara
The Second National Dowry Abuse Summit initiated by the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health (ACHRH) and supported by the UNSW Gender Violence Research Network, the UNSW Australian Human Rights Institute and the UNSW School of Psychiatry.
The Summit was held to coincide with the release of the Senate Inquiry into Dowry and Dowry Abuse Report in Australia.
Attended by 115 people , the most striking thing about the second dowry abuse summit was that it included the combined mind power of the academics, the women with lived experience, the young people from across Australia , the key service providers, the Policy makers and the Politicians, Indian community and African community representative Chaplain Duku Atuko.
From Left to Right – Assc Prof Susan Rees, Former Premier Ted Baillieu, Dr Manjula O’Connor, Julian Hill MP, Senator Louise Pratt,(Chair of Senate Hearing into Dowry Abuse), UNSW Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty.
Shadow Minister for Department of Social Services Ms Linda Burney and Dr Manjula O’Connor Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty , Chair of School of Psychiatry UNSW opened the Summit by emphasising the harmful impacts of family violence and mental health damage caused by economical abuse and newly identified abuse dowry abuse . The Shadow Minister for Prevention of FV the Hon Linda Burney was the Chief Guest and one of four Politician to speak. She made an important and landmark announcement that if elected she and ALP will implement all the recommendation of the Senate Report . Julian Hill MP was the VIP invited to speak about how he triggered Senate Inquiry into dowry abuse. He had previously attended the ACHRH ‘s First National Summit into Dowry Abuse in 2016 and heard and met actual victims of dowry abuse in Victoria and since then had researched the issue for himself. He realised that this was a very real issue and a serious threat to women’s life and health and felt we need to shine light on this unknown form of abuse in Australia . Senator Louise Pratt who chaired the Senate Inquiry into dowry abuse spoke about her surprise and shock at the extent and depth of the problem of family violence related to dowry abuse . Former Ted Baillieu spoke about his support for the campaign since 2012. He helped to put dowry abuse on the national agenda by tabling the ACHRH petition in the Parliament of Victoria in 2014 . The petition was an innovative idea to include dowry abuse into the Family Violence Protection Act of Victoria as an example of economic abuse initiative . The words of petition were included in the recommendation #156 by the Royal Commission into Family Violence report in 2016 , and now set to become a part of Victorian Legislation by August 2019 .
Dr Manjula O’Connor Executive Director ACHRH , the organisation that led the public campaign against dowry and dowry abuse in Australia in 2012 welcomed the Senate Report into dowry abuse. The report recommends the inclusion of the words dowry abuse in the family Law Act . Manjula urged the Australian Government and State Governments to support the human rights of migrant women who are being abused by perpetrators , unsupported by the immigration system and international laws that fail to protect the transnational victims , who generally are women.
Mental health of dowry abuse victims is damaged and yet there is little research to fully understand this issue said Associate Professor Susan Rees
The Summit amalgamated the intellectual , the factual with heart tugging emotional stories of trauma and damage to women subjected to financial exploitation called dowry abuse.
Ms Shalu Nigam Researcher and Lawyer from Delhi Women Development Studies Centre
The women with lived experience came from India , Sydney, Victoria, Adelaide, Brisbane dug deep into their painful deep memories , emotional reserves and found strength to explain to the world and other women in similar positions that dowry abuse is harmful to mental health , is harmful to women and men and children, and harmful to societies. Dowry abuse is seen in many migrant communities in Australia and is causing a great deal of suffering to the women. The continuing demands for funds cash gifts before , during and after the wedding is extortion and coercive .
It is important that the message is conveyed to younger generations to stop this form of abuse. The young people at the Summit were represented by contestants of Miss/Mr/Mrs South Asia Pageant and they came from all states including Western Australia.
Dowry Abuse Summit was supported by key organisations such as InTouch , White ribbon, Good Shepherd and Harmony Alliance
The Second National Dowry Abuse Summit closed with a Resolution agreed to by all the delegates
We the delegates of the Second National Dowry Summit held at the UNSW Sydney on February 22, 2019 support the Recommendations of the Senate Inquiry into the Practice of Dowry and the Incidence of Dowry Abuse in Australia and call on all political parties to implement the findings and recommendations as a matter of urgency.
We also support the establishment of a working group to explore the viability of implementing domestic and international approaches, advocacy and strategies to address dowry abuse.
Media Coverage
February 14. 2019 . The Drum Thursday The panel discusses the government withdrawing its “big stick” legislation, the final report of the Senate inquiry into dowry abuse and NRL culture.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-14/the-drum-thursday-february-14/10813846
Feb 22, 2019 . National summit shines light on dowry abuse – The World Today – ABC Sarah Dingle.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/worldtoday/national-summit-shines-light-on-dowry-abuse/10837914
OUTCOME
A working party has been formed with the aim to forward the above Resolution. The following members are participants of the Working Group
- Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health (ACHRH)
- AWAVA
- Harmony Alliance
- In Touch Multicultural centre
- Gender Violence Research Network UNSW
- Good Shepherd
- UNSW Dr Susan Rees
- White Ribbon Australia
A video production is on progress and thematic analysis of the meeting is being conducted
1ST NATIONAL ANTI-DOWRY SUMMIT IN MELBOURNE
Co-hosted with Overseas Medical Graduate Association(OMGA)
13 DECEMBER 2016
Is it possible to continue the tradition of dowry without harm
Dr Manjula O’Connor – Executive Director, ACHRH
The Participants who were invited guests, luminaries and VIP s had to put their heads together and answer the question – is it possible to continue the tradition of dowry without harm and how to help those who are current victims of dowry abuse and in the future.
We heard from speakers from India, South Sudan, and other African communities; interstate participants based in Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne all contributed to discussion on “coercive dowry related demands” and associated domestic violence as being practiced in many ethnic communities of Australia. The need to break the culture of silence around dowry was palpable in the room. Politicains included Julian Hill MP, Tim Wilson MP, Shadow Minister for Prevention of FV Georgie Crozier , Police Commissioner Dean McWhirter, academics, Psychiatrists, Doctors from the OMGA.
Summary of the proceedings by Dipanjali Rao
Australia’s first anti dowry summit held in Melbourne yesterday renewed calls for a national law against dowry extortion. Organised by ACHRH, the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health, the summit gathered academics, legal professionals, service providers, politicians and members of the medical community in a workshop setting to talk about dowry and its impact, and how the system could better prevent violence and help survivors.
The practice of dowry is an ancient tradition whereby a bride brings an agreed amount of property or money to her husband on their marriage. If a marriage ends, the husband usually keeps the valuables.
It is not known how widespread marriage dowries are in Australia, but the practice remains common in south Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Dr Manjula O’Connor from ACHRH called for a federal law against dowry demands.
“We want laws that make it a civil or a criminal offense to extort dowry,” O’Connor said. “We can’t ban dowry, but we can prevent people from making such demands,” she said.
“The problem is the dowry is given in India and it is left in India with his parents… but the marriages are breaking up in Australia. So it is creating a lot of judicial kind of issues.”
Dean McWhirter, Assistant Commissioner of Victoria Police, who opened the event, said that Victoria Police have identified that the police force needs better education on the issue on dowry demands, especially in relation to incidence of family violence. He called for detailed research into the incidence and prevalence of dowry.
The forum also heard from a survivor who talked of her abuse at the hands of her ex-husband and in-laws
in the face of escalating dowry demands. The system failed her, and she spent three days and nights at train stations, unable to go home because the police slapped an intervention order against her based on an allegedly false report of violence by her ex-husband. She and her family ended up paying $45,000 to her ex-husband’s family in addition to the wedding expenses, and she has been unable to recover $50,000 plus worth of her jewellery.
Acknowledging the bravery of the survivor in speaking up, Greens MP and spokesperson for Family Violence Nina Springle said that community support and education on this issue is paramount. However, we could do more by way of understanding communities, she said.
“Victoria is lacking in our understanding of cultural competence, and the fundamentals of collectivist and individualist cultures, and how challenging it is for these two spectrums account the needs of survivors from collectivist cultures to interact,” she said. There may be a need to change the structural responses to cultural issues like dowry to take into account.
Recommendation 156 from the Royal Commission Against Family Violence was made as a result of a submission by ACHRH. It recommended that the examples of family violence be amended to include dowry related abuse. The Andrews Labor government in Victoria has committed to implement all the recommendations of the Royal Commission.
The results of the workshop at the anti-dowry summit will form part of a research project on dowry by Swinburne and Melbourne University.
OutCome
Continued pressure to have Rec 156 turned into Law through research, education, lobbying and media campaign
