Victoria Police have launched a suite of videos in multiple languages to encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to seek help if they experience family violence.
Assistant Commissioner for Family Violence Command, Dean McWhirter said the videos had been released to remind everyone in the community that Victorian Police continued to help people who felt unsafe.
“If you or a member of your family does not feel safe, there are people you can talk to and support services available to help you,” Assistant Commissioner McWhirter said.
“Everyone in our community should have information about the services available to them, especially in these particularly stressful times,” he said.
“Family violence is an underreported crime, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds may face additional barriers in reporting this crime to police.”
Assistant Commissioner McWhirter said language barriers could mean people didn’t have access to information or felt too intimidated to get the help they needed.
“These videos help raise awareness that family violence is a crime, help victims understand who they can speak to for support, and let victims know that they are not alone,” he said.
“If you are concerned that a family member or friend is experiencing family violence, take the time to check in on them in any way that is safe for you, and safe for them.”
The new videos were currently available in 12 languages; Arabic; Burmese; Chinese; Dari; Farsi; Greek; Italian; Punjabi; Macedonian; Turkish; and Vietnamese.
Assistant Commissioner McWhirter said they would soon be available in a further 14 languages, including Hindi; Pashto; Khmer; Korean; Japanese; Serbian; Sinhalese; Spanish; Tamil; Thai; Malay; Somali; Russian; and Polish.
