Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria

Welcome ECCV's new Chairperson Abiola Akinbiyi! Abiola is a community leader and advocate with over 20 years’ experience working in the health sector, and with CALD and NFP organisations. Abiola takes over the role from Eddie Micallef, who stepped down as Chair but who will remain on the ECCV Board as a director. Eddie has worked with ECCV for close to 25 years, including nine years as Chair and six as Deputy Chair. ECCV thanks Eddie for his immense contributions over the past three decades. Find out more here: eccv.org.au/board

Last week, ECCV visited Shepparton as part of our work supporting and empowering people with disability from migrant and refugee backgrounds. We were delighted to meet with local bicultural workers, who are facilitating self-advocacy workshops for people with disability as well as their families and carers as part of our statewide Power Through Knowledge project. We also met with Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District Inc CEO Sam Atukorala and Intereach Local Area Coordinator Melissa Elliott to share insights and explore future opportunities for collaboration. Multicultural communities face unique challenges and barriers in regional and rural Victoria, so it was brilliant to hear directly from locals about what they need and how ECCV can provide meaningful support and advocacy.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a global day to focus on the huge effort we all still need to make to defeat racial prejudice in all its forms. Combating racism has been a core value for ECCV since our founding in 1974. Sadly, as members of multicultural and multifaith communities, we know all too well that the rise of anti-migrant and anti-refugee rhetoric at home and abroad is fueling racism. We need to stand up and speak out more than ever. Just last year, ECCV collaborated on a research report with Victoria University and the Islamic Council of Victoria which revealed that the vast majority of racist incidents go unreported. In a survey of more than 700 Victorians, more than 75% reported that they had experienced racism in the last 12 months, but only 16% reported it. This goes to show how far we have to go not only in stamping out racism, but in supporting those who experience it. This #IDERD - and everyday - as the voice of multicultural Victoria, we stand with our diverse communities to create a fairer, more inclusive Australia.

Nowruz, meaning "New Day" in Farsi, is a historic festival with roots in Zoroastrianism. The festival marks the arrival of new beginnings and spring in the Northern Hemisphere (autumn in the Southern). Nowruz has brought diverse communities together since ancient times, and is currently observed by more than 300 million people in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as many other countries. ECCV wishes a happy Nowruz to all our friends across Victoria! ??

Happy International Women's Day! This #IWD, let's march forward to close the gender pay gap, to end gendered violence and to empower women and girls across Victoria to thrive, no matter where they were born or what language they speak. Migrant and refugee women make up the majority of the aged care and disability workforce in Australia. Migrant and refugee women do the bulk of the work caring for our country's most vulnerable. It's time to make sure they get the care they need in return.

??? Ramadan is a sacred pillar of Islam that is devoted to reflection, self-discipline and deepening one's spiritual commitment. It is also a time for community, where people come together to generously share food and faith. ECCV wishes Ramadan Kareem to our Muslim friends across Victoria! May this holy month bring you and your loved ones hope, connection and spiritual fulfilment.

ECCV recently made a submission to the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-34. Through our consultations, ageism and the undervaluing of older people were identified as key factors behind elder abuse. For seniors from migrant and refugee backgrounds, there are additional factors relating to language and culture. To address this, older people must be valued, supported, empowered and proactively included in society, regardless of their background. Read our submission here: https://lnkd.in/gZ7EyujD

?? ??? Language is identity. It's culture, heritage and community. Today is International Mother Language Day, a day to celebrate linguistic diversity, and promote the importance of preserving our native languages! There are more than 260 languages spoken in Victoria. Below are just some of the languages spoken by the ECCV team. We believe preserving languages is vital to ensuring that our communities can communicate in their mother tongues and pass down rich cultural and linguistic traditions to future generations.

ECCV CEO Farah Farouque will be speaking at a special edition of BSL Talks next month ahead of International Women's Day! Farah will appear alongside two esteemed scholars of social policy and sociology, Emeritus Professor Bettina Cass and Professor Kay Cook. Held by our friends at the Brotherhood of St Laurence and hosted by Dr Dina Bowman, this online forum will reflect on the progress (and lack of progress) in the 50 years since the publication of the Henderson Commission of Inquiry into Poverty, and explore what’s needed to tackle gender inequality in Australia. ?? Thursday, 6 March ???12pm - 1pm ?? Online Find out more and register here: https://lnkd.in/gEr6SB8X

There is no place for Islamophobia or racist violence of any kind in our diverse community. ECCV wholeheartedly condemns the abhorrent attacks on two Muslim women wearing hijabs in an Epping shopping centre. If you have experienced or witnessed Islamophobia, you can seek support and information on how to report it from the Islamic Council of Victoria, Islamophobia Register Australia and Action Against Islamophobia. The Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission also has a Community Reporting Tool that allows you to report racist incidents without having to go through a formal process. Find out more here: bit.ly/4hGL4SZ