Learn from the Breaking the Silence Initiative Community Discussion

Representatives from Freeva and Family Action joined the community discussion this week to answer the following questions:

• What are the key challenges to raising awareness about sexual and domestic violence to Black Asian Minority Ethnic Communities in your local area
• What do you most struggle with?
• What one thing would make awareness-raising activities easier?
• What Would You Do Differently to Raise Awareness about Sexual and Domestic Abuse in Black Asian & Minority Ethnic communities

What did we learn from the discussion

What are the key challenges to raising awareness about sexual and domestic violence to Black Asian Minority Ethnic Communities in your local area? What do you most struggle with?

• Providing support in different languages has different challenges
  • Funding is not always fit for purpose or sufficient to supplement the language needs
  • For organisations relying on volunteers to provide multi-lingual support, they face the challenge of not always being able to guarantee that language support will be available
  • There is the issue of misinterpretation through translation/interpretation services
  • Communication materials in a different language are not attractive if multi-lingual services are not available.
• Dealing with refusal from communities to be involved,  distribute information/leaflets, engage in conversation because of the stigmas attached to sexual abuse
• the lack of resources and funding to support the community members raising awareness and who are receiving at the front end refusal or dismissal from communities.
• Survivors needs and challenges
  • Survivors from BAME backgrounds prefer working with someone who is not from their community
  • The family dynamic is a major component within the recovery process of survivors that can be a challenge

What one thing would make awareness-raising activities easier?

• Greater Size Funding funding longer projects
• Good Relationship with funders.
• Being open to feedback from communities when tackling a secretive and stigmatised subject to work better together
• Focusing on one location, one community to test a set process
• Create networks and relationships with projects that already exist and which have trust in the community.

What would you different to raise awareness in Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Group in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland?

• Deliver projects that support more trauma-informed communities – supporting the idea of stabilisation and regulation
• Ensuring that there is some support for communities when dealing with disclosure
• Engaging with different facets of the community including greengrocers, hairdressers, beauticians, businesses so that the people who cannot use the community centres can obtain information from other places by providing training
• Be mindful with the language that we use to not deter people
• Create communication that is soft

What’s next?

The participants received the presentation and the outputs of the discussion. They were also given useful information for dissemination in their community including the links to: