A human rights advocate's speech will be translated into two languages at a Wodonga event aimed at connecting the Border's culturally and linguistically diverse women.
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The Women's Empowerment Forum, run by the Albury Wodonga Ethnic Communities Council, will be addressed by Fadak Alfayadh.
The Melbourne-based community lawyer came to Australia from Iraq 15 years ago with her family and has become a public speaker.
Community advocacy officer Jodie Farrugia recently started with AWECC and said the person previously in her role had met Ms Alfayadh at a conference in the city.
"Fadak offers a perspective of someone who has worked her way through systems and structures to a point where she is now a lawyer, human rights advocate and public speaker," she said.
"She delivers a strong message and we thought she would be a great person to inspire our women.
"She will talk about the process she went through to find her own voice, and the barriers she could see as someone coming from a refugee background and, as a child, the barriers she could see for her mother."
Ms Farrugia said the address would be translated for some of the Bhutanese and Congolese women present, with a panel discussion to follow.
"Because language is a barrier, we can do a lot of work around talking with them and advising them where they can go if they need help," she said.
"We want them to understand what the services are and build trust in those services.
"The idea of coming together in a space exclusively for women is really important to deliver this."
IN OTHER NEWS
The Women's Empowerment Forum is an initiative of AWECC's 'Infinity Project' and is sponsored by Border Trust through community funding from White Ribbon.
As part of the Infinity project, another forum will be held later this year for men on the topic of respectful relationships.
On Saturday, there will be a number of service providers represented, including Centre Against Violence and Wodonga police.
"This forum isn't saying somehow women in multicultural communities deal with more issues around being safe," Ms Farrugia said.
"This is across the board, but we're hoping this forum will be accessible and allow women to build relationships.
"We want to hear from different women about what is going on in their communities."
- The free forum takes place on Saturday from 2pm at Hothouse's Butter Factory Theatre at Gateway Village in Wodonga. To register email Jodie at jodie@awecc.org.au.
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