Education, empowerment and communication are three ways we can equip ourselves to address the daunting subject of Domestic Violence (DV). The Tamil Women’s Development Group (TWDG) aims to do just that through Light in My Window, a social media campaign launched this November in Sydney, Australia.
Despite its prevalence, there are many in the Tamil community who are unable to address DV due to a range of cultural barriers. These barriers include, cultural taboos, social isolation, language barriers, financial dependence, immigration status, fear of leaving a violent relationship, family and community attitudes and many more.
Domestic and Family Violence is emerging as a major area of concern within the South Asian communities in Australia. Statistics indicate that most women from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, including the more vulnerable, recently arrived economic and humanitarian migrants, face more barriers in accessing services.
Light in My Window addresses this community need and also takes on a global and national perspective. It draws attention to the impact of DV on the lives of families. It provides a platform for friends, families, and communities to deliberate more openly about DV and its consequences, thereby heralding the hope for community solidarity toward ending DV across the Tamil Diaspora and beyond. This campaign is all about making our communities safer by raising awareness, informing the community about available resources, facilitating community-level responses and advocating for improved service delivery.
The Light in My window campaign has been launched as a lead up to the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to 10 December - Human Rights Day. This is the time to galvanize action by both men and women to end violence against women and girls around the world.
#TWDGlightinmywindow – MAKE A PLEDGE!
Help shed more light on Domestic Violence by making a pledge!
“This light symbolizes the support to end domestic violence creating a safer community for all.”
At home, at work, with family and friends, or in the wider community, we can all do something to help reduce stigma around Domestic Violence and start the conversation and make way for more people to seek help and support.
What do you have to do?
- Display a candle with the Light in My Windowpledge card in your home / work place / school / university / places of worship etc. The purple pledge card will reflect the purple colour signifying the 16 Days of Activism period: November 25th to December 10th.
- Take a photo or video of your display and send it to tamilwdg@gmail.comso that we can post it on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/twdgsydney/. You may wish to show yourselves in the photo or video.
- Share your photo or video pledges widely and spread the word on your own social media network.
We aim to present the sight of a lit candle to start the conversation and to indicate to victims that they are supported, that abuse is not tolerated and that we have a commitment to working together to create safer homes and communities. This is a simple and meaningful way for us all to be a part of speaking against Domestic Violence.
The TWDG Light in My Window Campaign represents a personal commitment to fostering respectful relationships, taking a unified stance that Domestic Violence is not acceptable in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and homes and collectively lighting the way to peace in our hearts, our homes and the world.
Let’s all unite to raise awareness and break the silence!
