Photo credit: Photo by Lahiri Supunchandra for Unsplash
Overview
Pilot Project (2019-2021)
During the pilot project the Buddhist Council of Victoria (BCV) worked with the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion Division (MASC) to deliver a pilot project to build the capacity of Buddhist faith community and leaders to effectively prevent and respond to family violence.
The BCV, The University of Melbourne and the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health partnered with the Victorian Government to support the program design and evaluation.
For more information about the pilot project visit the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health website.
https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/4018587/FINAL-Faith-Communities-Key-Lessons-Report-scroll.pdf
Health Family Relationships project (2022-ongoing)
The Buddhist Council of Victoria (BCV) is working with the Victoria State Government (Department of Families, Fairness and Housing) to build the capacity of Buddhist faith communities and leaders to effectively prevent and respond to family violence.
The project aims to:
a. Support Buddhist faith and community leaders to learn about gender equality as the driver of violence against women and how to recognise, respond and refer disclosures of family violence.
b. Support men in the Buddhist community to be active bystanders and leaders in promoting gender equality.
c. Build the capacity of community and faith leaders to lead the program in the community.
d. Support outreach workers to design and deliver workshops on topics aimed at promoting and supporting gender equality.
e. Create culturally appropriate, tailored resources to the Buddhist community providing information on preventing and responding to family violence.
f. Promote healthy, respectful relationships with children in Dhamma Clubs.
g. Support reciprocal learning between the faith sector and the specialist family violence sector.
h. Increase the use of MARAM Information Sharing Schemes by Buddhist chaplains, improving the safety of victim survivors and increasing accountability of perpetrators of family violence.
The current project (in 2025) involves:
Faith-Based Public Awareness Campaign
Our aim is to create a campaign around the principles of non-violence in Buddhism, with messaging in temples, newsletters, and social media. This can reinforce the Buddhist alignment with preventing violence and encourage community members to engage with family violence services.
The core of the campaign will be a professionally produced video that conveys the campaign’s key messages, featuring Buddhist leaders, survivors of family violence, and family violence service providers.
The campaign will be structured around the key concepts of Recognise, Respond and Refer.
In Victoria, the Recognise, Respond and Refer framework is a critical approach to addressing family violence. This framework provides a clear and structured way for individuals, organisations and communities to effectively respond to family violence while ensuring the safety and well-being of those affected.
Family violence is often normalised in some communities, with phrases like ‘conflict is always there’ used to justify harmful behaviour. The campaign aims to challenge these views, promoting the message that violence is never normal and must be recognised as harmful (Recognise). Grounded in Buddhist ethics of non-harm and non-violence, the campaign will encourage faith leaders and community members to act when they witness family violence, offering support and guidance in line with Buddhist values (Respond).Once family violence is recognised and a response is made, it is crucial to refer individuals to appropriate support services. The campaign will provide clear information on available services, helping leaders and community members know how to guide victims to the help they need (Refer).
Interactive Learning Modules
The project will develop interactive digital modules for faith leaders to engage with the content in their own time, incorporating quizzes and case studies. These can also be shared with family violence professionals to increase cultural awareness.
This learning platform will provide Buddhist faith leaders with a flexible and self-paced educational tool that deepens their understanding of family violence, its gendered nature, and available support systems. The modules will enhance their capacity to respond to family violence in their communities, while also being useful for family violence professionals to increase their cultural competency in working with Buddhist communities.
Co-Designed Referral Pathways
We will collaboratively design referral guides that Buddhist faith leaders can use to direct community members to support services. These guides should highlight culturally appropriate services, include simple language, and be accessible in multiple languages used by the Buddhist communities.
Cross-Sector Dialogue Sessions
We will create roundtable discussions or dialogue sessions where faith leaders, family violence professionals, and police interact. These sessions could focus on breaking down barriers between sectors and exploring common ground on handling culturally sensitive cases
Wide Distribution of Printed Materials Among Temples
The project will partner with Buddhist temples to include monthly articles in their newsletters, focusing on different aspects of family violence, such as recognising signs of abuse, how to approach community members at risk and Buddhist perspectives on family harmony. We will create simple, visually appealing infographics to be shared on social media and displayed in temples. Topics will include ‘How Buddhist Teachings Reject Family Violence’ and ‘Steps to Take if You or Someone You Know Needs Help’.
For more information on the project, contact the project officer Dr Praveena Rajkobal at projectofficer@bcv.org.au