ECCV is empowering older people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to find their voice and say no to mistreatment and neglect.
For more than a decade, ECCV has been delivering culturally responsive community education programs to raise awareness of elder abuse among older Victorians from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Our Elder Abuse Prevention project began in 2012 and continues to grow to this day.
In collaboration with Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV), the project delivers targeted community outreach and information sessions to seniors groups, exploring how to identify, address and prevent elder abuse.
Elder abuse is defined as any act causing harm to an older person that is carried out by someone they know and trust, such as a family member, relative or friend. The abuse can take many forms. It may be financial, physical, social, sexual or psychological, and can include mistreatment and neglect.
ECCV recognises that communicating with seniors from multicultural backgrounds is complex, and often most effectively achieved by engaging bicultural workers who act as trusted sources of information for the whole community.
That’s why ECCV continues to run our Elder Abuse Community Educator Training program for bicultural workers and community leaders.
This flagship ECCV program is vital to addressing and preventing elder abuse in multicultural communities across the state. Seniors from migrant and refugee backgrounds experience unique and compounding forms of disadvantage that place them at greater risk of elder abuse.
After graduating from the training program, ECCV supports bicultural educators to deliver in-language workshops with seniors in their own communities to raise awareness of elder abuse and equip older people with the information and tools to seek help.
ECCV’s Ageing Well Lead Hayat Doughan is familiar with the problem of elder abuse, having observed it both in her own Muslim community as well as through her previous work as a case manager and community development worker in the family violence prevention sector. She now delivers education sessions to seniors’ groups as well as carer groups.
Hayat says that elder abuse is a subject fraught with shame that is often not talked about openly in Muslim and Arabic-speaking communities. This is tied to a fear of judgement from the broader community as well as to the concept of respecting one’s elders, which is foundational to the Muslim faith and many Arabic-speaking cultures.
“Training and empowering bicultural workers to speak directly to their communities is the most
effective way,” explains Hayat. “This not only raises awareness of elder abuse, but also educates the community on available services and appropriate referrals to access ongoing support.”
In Hayat’s view, elder abuse causes serious, lasting physical and mental harm, and “we can’t wait for seniors to call a number or go online.”
“We have to go out into the community and reach the people that way. We need to empower them with knowing where and how to get help and offer our support if they ask for it,” she says.
Bicultural educator Kaltun Ali Bobe says that elder abuse was barely spoken about or even heard of in her Somalian community, where elders are highly respected and cared for.
Despite being an early childhood educator, Kaltun attended ECCV’s bicultural community educator training last year because she wanted to broaden her knowledge on elder abuse and positively contribute to her community.
“Before starting the session, I had no knowledge about elder abuse. It was a completely new area for me,” says Kaltun.
“During the session, I learned about the various types of elder abuse, such as physical, emotional, financial, and neglect. I also learned about the warning signs, as well as the importance of reporting and intervening.”
In May 2025, ECCV held another round of our Elder Abuse Community Educator Training program. The two-day program was attended by six community leaders, who represented the Italian, Filipino, Turkish, Spanish and Sinhalese communities, and who will go on to educate people in their own communities about elder abuse prevention.
In 2024, 12 people graduated from the ECCV training program. Participants reported an overall improved understanding of elder abuse and available services.
This year alone, ECCV has delivered 24 elder abuse awareness information sessions, with close to 800 participants. More than 5000 people have engaged with ECCV’s elder abuse prevention content online.
Where to find support
If you or someone you know is experiencing elder abuse and want to know what their options are, call the Seniors Rights Victoria helpline on 1300 368 821.
For nationwide assistance and access to resources in 20 languages, visit the Australian Human Rights Commission website or call 1800 353 374.
Find out more about ECCV’s Elder Abuse Prevention project and book an information session for your organisation or seniors’ group here.
Leaps and bounds: ECCV’s elder abuse work grows
In June, ECCV is releasing five new translations of our elder abuse prevention brochures. The newly added languages – Burmese, Dari, Farsi, Italian, and Somali – expand the reach of these important resources produced in collaboration with Senior Rights Victoria.
Now available in 22 languages, the brochures help seniors from multicultural communities understand what elder abuse is, different forms it can take, and where to seek help.
Graduates of ECCV’s bicultural community educator training program contributed to developing the materials, sharing insights and stories gathered through work in their own communities.
For bilingual educator Golsum Ramezani, in-language resources are essential to educating her community. As coordinator of the North Dandenong Neighbourhood House (NDNH), she has become a trusted leader for Farsi, Dari and Hazaragi speakers who travel across Melbourne to attend her programs.
“Elder abuse can happen to anyone. But in my community, because of shame and cultural sensitivity, people are not willing to share what happens to them in a group setting,” Golsum says. Yet, in a few instances, seniors have talked to her privately about the abuse they were facing at home.
“Initially, I had no idea but since I attended ECCV training, I feel it is very important to make people aware of elder abuse.”
Find out more and download ECCV’s elder abuse brochures here.
This article was published in the
June 2025 edition of Golden Years.