Unique family violence solutions expanding to reach more communities

Project Sitara is the first of its kind in Australia. It brings together GenWest’s nearly 40 years of experience working across family violence prevention, early intervention, response and recovery.

Project Sitara builds on the informal support networks that already exist within communities. The unique model recruits community leaders and trusted women as ‘community champions’ and gives them the knowledge, tools and connections they need to recognise family violence, respond safely and help other women in their communities to access specialist support.

Rather than expecting women experiencing violence to navigate a complex system alone, Sitara brings knowledge about that system directly into communities, in their own language.

Project Sitara harnesses the power of trusted relationships, creating a safe foundation for conversations about family violence, gender equality and healthy relationships, while building knowledge of where and how to access support.

GenWest’s Manager of Resilient Communities, Shweta Kawatra Dakin, said Project Sitara recognises and strengthens a role that women in migrant and refugee communities are already playing.

“When a woman is experiencing family violence, she will often speak first to someone she knows and trusts. In migrant and refugee communities, those trusted women can be a critical bridge to safety,” Ms Kawatra Dakin said.

“These women are already listening, supporting and helping others find safety. But navigating Australia’s family violence system can be complex, particularly when services are unfamiliar, not available in-language or do not feel culturally safe.”

“Project Sitara gives women the knowledge, confidence and connections to recognise family violence, talk about what causes it, and understand the support system – so they in turn can help other women find the support they need.”

“It means women can hear about their options from someone who speaks their language, understands their community and can help them navigate where to go next.”

Meaning ‘star’ in Hindi and Urdu, Sitara reflects the project’s purpose: helping trusted women become guiding lights for others who may not know where to turn.

The program has already been piloted with Indian women in Melbourne and Ballarat. Participants have reported greater understanding of the gendered drivers of violence, stronger awareness of referral pathways and increased confidence to intervene, educate others and challenge harmful attitudes.

Nina, a Project Sitara participant, said creating a safe space for women to speak freely is top of mind in her role as a community leader.

“We cannot expect women to talk about sensitive issues unless they feel respected, heard and not judged.

Sitara gave me confidence to have conversations that I might previously have avoided. I don’t have to have all the answers. Sometimes my role is simply to open the door, listen and help someone connect with the right support.

I see this as something we can pass on to other women. When one woman gains knowledge and confidence, she can become a guiding light for another woman. That is what Sitara means to me.”

Now, support from Minderoo Foundation will enable GenWest to take the next step with Project Sitara.

The partnership will help strengthen and expand Project Sitara with Hindi-speaking Indian communities, develop the model in another language and community, and build the evidence and implementation framework needed to support wider replication.

Dale Wakefield, CEO of GenWest, said the model had significant potential because it sees communities not simply as recipients of family violence programs, but as an essential part of the solution.

“We know preventing violence against women requires long-term commitment and approaches that recognise every community is different. Minderoo’s support will allow us to strengthen and grow the Sitara model, expand its reach, and build the evidence needed to take this approach even further, so more women can lead prevention initiatives that strengthen safety for women and children.”

“We are incredibly grateful to Minderoo Foundation for its generous $1 million commitment over the next two years. This investment is a powerful vote of confidence in Project Sitara and, importantly, in the migrant and refugee women who are leading change within their own communities.

Project Sitara is a new way of doing prevention: building lasting capability within communities while creating stronger pathways to specialist family violence support.”

About GenWest

GenWest is a specialist family violence support service and gender equity organisation. We support communities to lead safe and healthy lives by running community services and health education programs.

We deliver frontline crisis services, early intervention, recovery and primary prevention initiatives across Melbourne’s west - one of the most socio-economically and culturally diverse regions in Australia.

Our work is grounded in a gendered analysis of violence, intersectionality, and a commitment to improving outcomes for women, children, gender diverse people and communities.

About Project Sitara

Project Sitara is delivered in-language, and provides information and tools to community leaders through training and resources, and through building relationships with GenWest staff who speak their language. Community leaders can then in turn provide guidance to women in their communities who need family violence support and connect them with support services.

Project Sitara is grounded in Our Watch’s Change the Story evidence base for preventing gender-based violence. This includes information and discussions about the drivers of gender-based violence and how to address them. Ongoing support is provided to community leaders who take part in Project Sitara through a Community of Practice, ensuring sustainability and peer connection in an ongoing way.

Find out more about Project Sitara at https://genwest.org.au/what-we-do/health-wellbeing-programs/project-sitara/