Mounties Listen to Women's Plight

WHERE governments have failed them, Fairfield’s Assyrian Resource Centre have found a saviour in Mounties.

The centre has been applying for government funding to pay for a female youth worker to add to its staff but haven’t been able to secure grants for the project.

Fortunately for them, Mounties have come to the party with almost $35,000 under the Community Development and Support Expenditure program.

The money is part of $590,000 which was presented to charity organisations, schools and hospitals in Liverpool and Fairfield by Mounties president Kevin Ingram recently.

Resource centre director Paul Gorgees said having a female youth worker would be invaluable to young women in the local Assyrian community.

“There are certain things our young women would never talk about with a man,” he said.

“The new youth worker will focus on domestic violence and women’s health issues.

“If a young woman had recently been married and was having relationship difficulties, for example, she would never speak to a man about that.

“A female worker will be much better able to help with a whole range of issues we can’t help with at the moment.”

Atour Ashak, who volunteers at the centre, agreed.

“As a female, we like to talk to another female,” she said. “In our culture it is difficult, and sometimes forbidden, to talk about certain things with a man.”

Article courtesy of Fairfield Advance. First published 23 August 2006. Since the printing of this article, the Assyrian Resource Centre has interviewed applicants for the Assyrian Female Youth Worker position. The new worker is to start in October 2006.

Posted: 18/09/2006