A Small Home For Wounded Women

As the growing concern of domestic abuse has increased due to the wake of COVID 19, in not only underprivileged communities but as well common households, the interest of women’s health and safety is in question. However, in the small local suburb of Mount Druitt, lie’s a women support centre, House of Sakinah, that is dedicated to supporting women and their troubles. House of Sakinahs describes its mission as “ to serve and provide professional support to all women in safe and pleasant surroundings, encouraging healthy and safe relationships focusing on strengthening families.”

The poster of House of Sakinah in Mount Druitt SAFA KHAN

Established in 2013 under the Auspices of Charity Australia International to provide for Muslim women in crisis situations and help develop networking among Muslim women. Speaking to a volunteer for this organisation, and local resident, Tooba Ahmed, described it as a “non funded organization that supports domestic violence cases against women.”

When asked about the process of getting these women off the road and into a safe home she stated, “we listen to their cases, most of the time the client is referred to us through a social worker and they will tell us their story and we will provide them with whatever they need, including shelter, food, accommodation and health services. We try and get them back on track as soon as possible. For every client we get we try our best to uphold anonymously, to keep them safe and protect their privacy. Some of them escape from their situations and are worried that their past will find them again and in doing so we try and prevent that from happening.”

Ahmed continued to comment on the culture of the home, and some of the ups and downs she faced whilst volunteering at this shelter, “We also organize small mini-events, and give all funds to the organization. All of it is done through the help of local volunteers and most of us are ladies working full-time sometimes, or we have retired or taken a break due to COVID, some of us are doctors, students, full-time parents, we all come from different backgrounds and cultures. It’s actually a really nice place to get to know more people. Sometimes it’s a really shocking place to learn about some peoples stories like you know you hear stories about some people and you’re shocked at how they got through it.”

According to an article published by The Guardian, “In July, a survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology revealed almost 10% of Australian women in a relationship had experienced domestic violence during the coronavirus crisis. Two-thirds of the women said the attacks started or became worse during the pandemic. For women with previous experience of physical or sexual violence, 50% said the abuse had become more frequent or severe since the start of the pandemic.”

With women leaving homes and finding refugee in the unlikeliest of places, House of Sakinah has three locations, with the help of women both old and young to help those in need, with every and any requirements they ask for in order to heal. Ahmed concluded that “it gives me a fulfilling feeling and peace, and despite all the worries and stress that comes with organising and planning these things out, I’m still happy and willing to help these women heal.”