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Assignment 1: Structural Analysis

Student’s Name

Date

University Affiliation
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Introduction

Gender-based violence is one of the leading human rights violations worldwide because it

goes beyond national, local, economic, and social boundaries. Although gender violence can

affect anyone, women and girls are the main victims of gender-based violence considering that at

least one woman for every three women across the globe experiences sexual or physical abuse at

some point in their life (Davies 2017). On the other hand, men represent the majority of

perpetrators because they are responsible for most incidents involving violence against women

and girls (Correa-Velez et al. 2020).

; Vaughan et al. 2015). Gender-based violence has lasting and devastating effects on

women, girls, and children in that it affects them psychologically, emotionally, and physically.

The culture of silence exacerbates gender violence, which in turn undermines the autonomy,

security, dignity, and health of victims (Piper & Stephenson 2019). Victims experience

reproductive health, emotional, sexual, and physical consequences characterised by sexually

transmitted diseases, trauma fistula, unsafe abortions, unwanted and forced pregnancies, or

death. Globally, approximately 35% of women experience sexual and/or physical violence in

their lifetime. At least 7% of women experience sexual assault perpetrated by someone other

than their intimate partners, although intimate partners are involved in about 38% of women

murders in gender-based confrontations (The World Bank 2019).

Notably, gender-based violence has significant economic and social costs, on top of its

devastating effects on victims of sexual and physical assault and their families. It is critical for

both developed and developing nations to address this issue considering that its affects women

and girls regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds (Tappis et al. 2016). In the context of
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Australia, previous studies have overlooked and under-researched the prevalence of gender-

based violence against refugee and immigrant women (Asgary et al. 2013; Jensen 2019). In spite

of the increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups, prior studies

conducted on gender-based violence have excluded immigrant and refugee women, girls, and

children. For this reason, different organisations such as Shakti Australia are committed to

providing culturally specialised services for children, communities, and women of colour,

particularly those of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian origins. In 2015, the Australian

government declared gender-based violence as a national crisis in light of the widespread

prevalence of sexual and physical abuse committed against women and girls (Davies 2017;

Murray et al. 2019). At least a fifth of all Australian women experienced sexual abuse whereas

about a third of all Australian women experienced physical assault. Hence, the primary goal of

this paper is to provide a structural analysis of gender-based violence as a relevant social issue

addressed by Shakti Australia and identify a framework for action.

Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) revolves around harmful actions perpetrated against a

person on basis of their gender. The phrase violence against women is interchangeable with

gender-based violence because of the widespread acknowledgement that men inflict most gender

violence on girls and women. There are different forms of gender-based violence such as

economic, psychological, physical, and sexual harms, including manipulation, arbitrary

deprivation of liberty, coercion, and other types of assault committed in private or public. In this

regard, gender-based violence takes several forms like “honour crimes”, female genital

mutilation, child marriage, sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence. It is deeply rooted in
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detrimental norms, abuse of power, and gender inequality, which makes it not only a severe

infringement of human rights, but also a life threatening protection and health concern. In times

of crisis, migration, and displacement, the issue of gender-based violence profoundly rises for

girls and women characterised by gender violence faced by refugee and immigrant women

during the asylum seeking process (Freedman et al. 2013). Although both men and women

experience GBV in Australia, girls and women are the majority of victims among all people of

concern from gender violence, which is a gendered act inflicted on women and girls. In

Australia, statistics show that an intimate partner murders one woman every week while

domestic violence is one of the key factors in cases involving homelessness. Gender-based

violence in Australia has significantly increased over the last two decades due to the victims’

culture of silence. This makes violence against women and girls a universal and timeless issue

(Jensen 2019; McAlpine et al. 2020). In the Australian context, gender-based violence qualifies

as a silent epidemic signaled by the increased cases of gender inequalities, domestic violence,

sexual assault, and physical violence perpetrated against women (Piper & Stephenson 2019).

The culture of silence, in this sense, centers on the fact that victims of gender violence are

conflicted, uncomfortable, afraid, and ashamed to speak out. This further extends the prevalence

of gender-based violence in Australia, whereby vulnerable groups such as migrant and refugee

women and children experience physical assault, sexual abuse, and other forms of violence

(Correa-Velez et al. 2020). In this context, Shakti Australia has devoted itself to women’s

empowerment and protection, particularly migrant women exposed to gender-based violence.

The application of the aspect of gender-based violence helps to examine and conceptualise

violence inflicted on women and girls within the broad gender-based framework as addressed by

Shakti Australia. It involves examining gender stereotypes, disparities, inequalities, and power
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imbalance between men and women as key factors contributing to gender violence. Notably,

current patterns of gender-based violence in Australia are associated with social systems and

social institutions, including the interplay between different factors such as race, class, sexuality,

ethnicity, gender inequality, cultural constructions regarding gender roles and power inequalities

(Correa-Velez et al. 2020; Davies 2017). This phenomenon provides a better understanding of

gender-based violence experienced by immigrant groups and refugees in Australia. According to

Kuskoff and Parsell (2020), the prevalence of gender-based violence in Australia is attributable

to the dynamic gender relations, roles, consideration, and issues. Gender violence against

women has become a critical gender-based issue embedded in the wide system of discrimination,

marginalisation, gender violent crimes, and patriarchy. It is a key cause of psychological

morbidity in Australia characterised by gender violence against migrant women because of the

refugee crisis (Freedman 2016; Keygnaert et al. 2012). The ongoing refugee crisis worldwide has

resulted in insecurity and vulnerability of asylum seekers, refugee, and migrant women to sexual

and gender-based violence (Ghafournia & Easteal 2018; Vromans 2018).

Framework for action

Shakti Australia is a non-profit organisation founded in 2011 to promote women’s

empowerment, development, and most importantly domestic violence awareness, intervention,

and prevention. It provides specialised, culturally oriented services for migrant and refugee

families, children, and women of colour, particularly those from Arabic, African, and Asian

backgrounds. In simpler words, Shakti Australia serves refugee and migrant women of Middle

Eastern, African, and Asian origins (Shakti Australia 2021). It strives to empower children and

women to not only enjoy their responsibilities, choices, and rights, but also live a dignified life
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without fear of violence or abuse. This organisation is committed to facilitating and promoting

wellbeing and safety of children and women through practical interventions premised on

preventing all types of gender-based violence, oppression, and discrimination. Shakti Austria

promotes and protects human rights of children and women by advocating for social change

within communities and families. It has roots in the United Kingdom and New Zealand signaled

by Shakti Aid, which provides multifarious services through several culturally specialised safe

houses in different areas. Shakti Austria has offices and offers services in NSW and Victoria run

by Shakti Ethnic Women’s Support Group Incorporation (NSW) and Shakti Ethnic Women’s

Support Group Inc. (Melbourne) respectively. The Shakti Community Council supports Shakti

Australia to provide culturally competent services for refugee groups of colour and advocate for

social change in an effort to eliminate cultural oppression, honour-based violence, dowry abuse,

under-age and forced marriage, marginalisation, and gender-based violence. Shakti Australia

offers community programs and services to more than 40 refugee and migrant communities

through Shakti Migrant & Refugee Women’s Support Group New South Wales Inc. and Shakti

Migrant & Refugee Women’s Support Group Melbourne Inc. (Shakti Australia 2021).

On a different note, Shakti Australia facilitates and ensures the wellbeing of Australian

refugee and migrant communities by providing culturally appropriate services and initiatives

with culturally suitable settings in order to promote multiculturalism and eliminate gender-based

violence in Australia. It recognises all migrant and refugee communities as significant

contributors to the economy and community. The organisation plays a vital role in creating a

violence-free society that does not tolerate gender violence perpetrated against migrant children

and women. Shakti Australia not only condemns all forms of racism, oppression, discrimination,

and gender-based violence, but also fosters sustainable community development by empowering
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migrant children and women of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian origins. That said, Shakti

Australia applies the Victorian Government’s Multi-Agency Risk Management (MARAM)

framework for action to promote meaningful social change aimed at eliminating all types of

gender-based violence perpetrated against women and children. The MARAM framework, in

this context, refers to the Victorian government’s approved family or domestic violence and risk

assessment and management model adopted in September 2018 (Government of Victoria 2020).

The primary objective of MARAM is to promote the welfare and safety of all people living in

Victoria by ensuring the availability of effective and culturally appropriate services regarding the

identification, assessment, and management of family violence. In short, the MARAM

framework creates a widely recognised and accepted system of identifying, analysing, managing,

and understanding domestic violence (Government of Victoria 2020). It serves as a blueprint for

professional and organisations committed to providing community services and initiatives to

address family violence and gender-based violence in general. It comprises of various aspects of

service delivery such as identification, assessment, and management of family violence,

including prevention, intervention, recovery, collaborative practice, and safety planning.

In a practical sense, the MARAM framework promotes the safety of victims, ensures the

representation of numerous experiences, keeps perpetrators of gender violence in view and holds

them accountable for their actions, and maintains consistency in the application of the framework

across different organisations (Government of Victoria 2020). Notably, Shakti Australia uses

several fundamental pillars of the MARAM framework. A common understanding of family

violence is the first pillar under MARAM framework leveraged by Shakti Australia to provide

information about domestic violence and gender-based violence inflicted on women and

children. It allows the organisation to elaborate on the factors contributing to the widespread
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prevalence of gender violence in Australia. Although the pillar of shared understanding of family

violence concerns itself with keeping perpetrators of gender violence in view, Shakti Australia

primarily works with migrant and refugee communities of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian

origins rather than perpetrators. In practice, it is difficult for the organisation to apply the

principle of common understanding of gender violence experienced by children, girls, and

women. Evidence shows that law enforcement bodies have silenced Shakti Australia and other

like-minded organisations for using the term gender-based violence and referring groups

vulnerable to gender violence. Statutory agencies, in this regard, are pushing for language change

in the use of the term “domestic violence” in favour of terminologies such as predominant

aggressor, mutual participant, and family harm, which downplays the seriousness of the issue

and conceals its gendered nature. In the context of Australia, the definition and adoption of the

term “family violence” does not adequately encompass distinct forms of gender violence

inflicted on migrant and refugee women and children (Murdolo 2015).

Moreover, collaborative and consistent practice is another pillar under the MARAM

framework used by Shakti Australia to assess the severity of family violence risk and apply

structured professional judgement to empower victims of gender-based violence. As revealed by

Shakti International (2018), Shakti Australia experiences numerous challenges when applying

the principle of collaborative and consistent practice due to the discrimination, marginalisation,

and criticism subject to non-profit organisations devoted to eliminating gender-based violence by

law enforcement agencies. Silencing makes it difficult for Shakti Australia to not only create

awareness and condemn all forms of gender violence, but also collaborate with the police. The

other pillar leveraged by Shakti Australia under the MARAM framework entails responsibilities

for risk evaluation and management, including the manner in which specialists and organisations
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define their commitment to promote practice consistency. Although Shakti Australia does not

entirely apply the MARAM framework in practice, it engages migrant and refugee women,

children, and other communities vulnerable to gender-based violence in a personalised, sensitive,

and respectful manner. The organisation supplements the MARAM framework with several

practice themes like the control wheel, power, capitalism, colonisation, feminism, women’s

empowerment, and gender equality. Shakti Australia neither concentrate on early assessment,

prevention, and intervention of gender violence nor works with perpetrators. It does not focus on

the entire family system considering that it primarily concerns itself with addressing gender-

based violence against immigrant women of colour and the interplay between institutional,

social, societal, cultural, and individual factors in gender violence. The organisation

acknowledges the social and cultural importance of gender roles and marriage, which explains

the reasons behind the culture of silence, when it comes to gender-based violence victims’

reluctance to speak out. Social isolation, gender inequality, patriarchy, capitalism, economic

inequality, social and religious institutions, acculturation, gender roles, and other sociocultural

factors increase the vulnerability of migrant women to gender-based violence (Ghafournia &

Easteal 2018; Murray et al. 2019).

Practice model

To achieve its organisational objectives, vision, and mission, Shakti Australia uses the

direct case model and the direct intervention model. In this context, the organisation adopts the

direct intervention practice model because it is action-focused and revolves around practical

plans, empowerment, and advocacy. This practice model enables the organisation to achieve its

immediate and long-term goals. It allows Shakti Australia to provide culturally appropriate
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services and community interventions to migrant and refugee women and children of Middle

Eastern, African, and Asian origins exposed to gender-based violence. The direct case model, for

this reason, enables organisation to focus on migrant and refuge women and children as the main

victims of gender-based violence (Vaughan et al. 2015). It facilitates constant women’s

development, empowerment, and commitment to gender violence awareness, intervention, and

prevention. Evidently, Shakti Australia applies the direct case model and direct intervention

model in its efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of migrant women and children. It enables

victims of gender violence, particularly sexual abuse, physical assault, and domestic violence to

live a life of dignity consistent with human rights. Shakti Australia offers culturally competent

services and community initiatives founded on the direct intervention model.

Through Shakti Migrant & Refugee Women’s Support Group New South Wales Inc. and

Shakti Migrant & Refugee Women’s Support Group Melbourne Inc., the organisation provides

24/7 support services for women in violent and abusive situations, including refugee women

experiencing gender violence (Dieterich, Felice, O’Sullivan & Rasmussen 2013). The two

member organisations also enable Shakti Australia to leverage the direct case model when

providing drop-in services to women of colour facing domestic violence and other forms of

gender-based violence (Shakti Australia 2021). The organisation provides direct safety planning

services and community interventions to empower women to exercise their responsibilities and

rights while ensuring that all refugees live without fear of violence. Furthermore, Shakti

Australia uses the direct intervention model to advocate against all forms of gender-based

violence in an attempt to promote the wellbeing and safety of Australia’s refugee and migrant

communities through culturally appropriate services across different cultural settings. In practice,
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the direct case model allows Shakti Australia to work closely and directly with women and

children experiencing gender violence. Funding plays a critical role in the effectiveness and

success of the direct intervention model applied by the organisation to achieve its objectives

(Dieterich, Felice O’Sullivan & Rasmussen 2013). In this regard, Shakti Australia receives

funding from individual donors, allied not-for-profit partners, private trusts, and government

agencies that believe in the organisation’s mission and vision. Its funders include the Victorian

Multicultural Commission, Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, Families and Housing,

Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), Parramatta City, Knox City Council,

and Dandenong City Council (Shakti Australia 2021).

Conclusion

Gender-based violence is a pertinent social issue affecting women and children

worldwide. One in every three Australian women experiences sexual abuse and/or physical

assault in their lifetime. Numerous organisations in Australia are committed to eliminating the

issue of gender-based violence perpetrated by men against women and children. One of these

organisations is Shakti Australia, a non-profit organisation that provides culturally appropriate

services and community interventions for immigrant communities and individuals of colour

facing gender-based violence, discrimination, and cultural oppression. Shakti Australia facilitates

women’s empowerment, development, and family violence awareness, prevention, and

intervention. It applies the Victorian Government’s Multi-Agency Risk Management (MARAM)

framework for action to promote positive social change aimed at condemning all forms of

gender-based violence perpetrated against women and children. On the other hand, Shakti
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Australia utilises the direct case model and the direct intervention model to offer culturally

competent services for refugee communities of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian origins.
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References
Dieterich, C.M., Felice, J.P., O’Sullivan, E. and Rasmussen, K.M., 2013. Breastfeeding and

health outcomes for the mother-infant dyad. Pediatric Clinics, 60(1), pp.31-48.