Putting a full stop to sexual, domestic and family violence

Join us for an informative conversation led by sexual, domestic and family violence survivor-advocates on the significant changes needed to address this issue in Australia.

Panellists include:

Amani Haydar: Amani is an award-winning artist, lawyer, writer and advocate for women’s health and safety based in Western Sydney.

Amani’s Mum, Salwa Haydar, was 1 of 84 women who lost their lives violently in Australia in 2015. Amani engages in creative storytelling and advocacy in honour of her mother’s life, exploring the personal and political dimensions of abuse, violence and trauma.

Amani has recently received the 2021 UTS Law Alumni Award and her memoir The Mother Wound (Pan Macmillan) was released earlier this year. In 2020 Amani was selected as a Finalist for the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Award and was named Local Woman of the Year for Bankstown in recognition of her advocacy.

She is a former Archibald Prize finalist and has had writing and artworks published in Arab Australian Other, Sweatshop Women Volume Two, SBS Voices and ABC News Online.

Lula Dembele: Lula is a passionate advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, childhood and adult domestic violence, and lends her voice to raising awareness as part of the Voices for Change program and as a Bravehearts Ambassador.

Combining lived experience and professional expertise in strategic policy and gender mainstreaming, Lula is dedicating her efforts to working on systemic and cultural change to prevent and reduce violence against women.

In 2018, Lula established the Accountability Matters Project to re-frame domestic violence from being seen as ‘women’s issue’, and to drive collective national efforts to reduce men’s use of sexual, domestic and family violence.

Debra Swann: Debra is a qualified Deaf Social Worker with 20 years of experience in the disability sector. She is currently employed as a Services Lead/Family Support Worker.

Debra holds two university degrees (MSW, BHS) and has a Diploma of Community Services (Drugs, Alcohol, and Mental Health). Her specialist skills and knowledge include counselling, advocacy, education and health promotion.

Debra is also a 2018 Churchill fellowship, which focuses on domestic abuse in the Deaf Community and the lack of services access for deaf survivors.

Cathy Oddie: Cathy Oddie is a victim-survivor of domestic abuse and rape by a stranger. She has been a Survivor Advocate for Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre since 2007 and more recently became a Survivor Ambassador for Mettle Women Inc.

In 2015, Cathy gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Family Violence which resulted in two of the final recommendations.

Cathy was appointed as a Victim Representative on the Victims of Crime Consultative Committee and as a Family Violence Lived Experience Consultant on Victoria Legal Aid's Specialist Family Violence Court Steering Committee in 2020.

The Survivor Hub: The Survivor Hub is based in NSW and dedicated to providing support and mentoring services for survivors of sexual assault and interpersonal violence. Its mentor program connects survivors with each other for support and guidance.