Abstract
Refugee women and children have been identified by the United Nations as among the most vulnerable groups in the world. This kit was developed by the Centre for Refugee Research at UNSW in response to a need identified by workers with newly-arrived refugee communities. A community development model was used in the research and pilot phase of the project. Bilingual workers conducted focus groups with women from newly-arrived refugee communities from Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and Sierra Leone. The material from these groups is used extensively in the kit. The manual outlines eight training sessions, with background material, activities and a Powerpoint presentation. Sessions 1-3 cover the refugee experience, resettlement and the special needs of refugee women. Sessions 4-5 address domestic violence, with the emphasis on the unacceptability of violence in every country and culture and on the intersection of many forms of discrimination experienced by refugee women, of which domestic violence can be one. Sessions 6-8 deal with caring for women and for workers, services available, and further information about the nine communities represented in the project. The DVD contains segments on the refugee experience prior to and after arriving in Australia, with the voices of many of the women from the focus groups.