What We Do

Our Services : Information and Education Project

This project is being funded by The Big Lottery Fund for a period of three years. One of the principal aims is to campaign for the development of policies and practices which take into account the particular issues which impact on black/minority ethnic women experiencing domestic abuse as well as the barriers that they face when accessing mainstream support services.

During this year the project will:

• Facilitate Domestic Abuse Awareness Raising workshops with Black/Minority ethnic women in community settings.
• Provide training to Voluntary and Statutory sector workers on the issues related to forced marriages, domestic abuse and other types of honour based violence against women.
• Provide advice and information about domestic abuse and implications for Black/minority ethnic women.
• Deliver domestic abuse prevention workshops in High Schools.
• Facilitate placements for High Schools (4th,5th and 6th years Pupils), Community Education, Social Work and Social Care students. (link to placement information)
• Shakti will also proactively highlight the plight of Black/Minority Ethnic women who have no recourse to public funds i.e. no access to Housing and Welfare Benefits when their marriages break down due to domestic abuse.
• Launch Shakti’s website targeting women victims of domestic abuse and professionals working in the sector.
• Develop publicity material to increase uptake of Shakti’s Information and Education service. Every local authority, health board and police domestic abuse unit will be targeted.

In highlighting these issues we also challenge mainstream perceptions of the ‘perfect Asian, Chinese, Indian and African family’ as well as challenging our own communities who may deny or silence the very existence of abuse in order to keep up appearances. Shakti’ service deals with the consequences and human costs of all of this but our primary aim is to promote Zero Tolerance to abuse at every level.

If you are interested in organizing training sessions about Domestic abuse and the experiences of Black/Minority Ethnic women please the Information and Education Officer at info@shaktiedinburgh.co.uk.

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