City Voice article - GLBTI victims in need
Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 09:41PM GLBTI VICTIMS IN NEED
Call for more training on samse sex domestic violence
Ron Hughes
Domestic violence service providers should be trained to deal with same-sex domestic violence (SSDV) issues, a new report says.
The report also calls for the introduction of shelter accommodation for men affected by SSDV. Nothin of the kind currently exists.
A gap analysis of services for LGBTI people, One Size Does Not Fit All also recommends all mainstream providers forge links with LGBTI community organisations to ensure their practices are sensitive to the needs of LGBTI people, including the use of gender neutral and inclusive language at all times.
LGBTI community groups are urged to raise awareness of SSDV and help develop training resources, as well as advocating for the specific needs of LGBTI people in all domestic violence programs and campaigns.
"The good news is that some services have got their heads around the issue of SSDV and are aware of the need to provide the best service they can," ACON's Robert Knapman told City Voice.
"At the other end of the spectrum some services don't recognise the specific needs of LGBTI people; even though they don't discriminate they're not meeting the needs, because the experiences of LGBTI people can be very different (from the mainstream community)."
To read the full article published in the City Voice on 13 April 2011 go to:
http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/cityvoiceonline/2011/latest/pageflip.html