Season 2 Episode 16: "We have to remember who we are advocating for": An interview with Aboriginal domestic violence leader Ashlee Donohue

Partnered with a Survivor: David Mandel and Ruth Reymundo Mandel

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In this episode, Ruth and David yarn with Ashlee Donohue – a proud Dunghutti woman born and raised in Kempsey, NSW. Ashlee is an Author, Educator, Advocate and speaker around the anti-violence message. Ashlee is currently the CEO of Mudgin-Gal Aboriginal Corporation – Women’s Centre, which is for Aboriginal women run by Aboriginal women. Ashlee was a keynote speaker at the 2021 Safe & Together Institute Asia Pacific Conference on the burning question of coercive control criminalisation.

During the interview Ruth and David talk with Ashlee about:

• Her thoughts on the criminalisation of coercive control in Australia, and the the pros and cons of this for Aboriginal communities
• The need for one single defintion of domestic violence
• The decision making process for Aboriginal domestic violence survivors accessing services like calling the police can be very different than white or CALD survivors.
• The importance of listening to the stories of Aboriginal survivors
• The need for cultural safety in the responses to domestic violence in the Aboriginal community

Read Ashlee's memoir: ‘Because I love him’ a personal account of love, motherhood, domestic violence and survival.
Watch the video "Change Your Ways" : Australian Men Speak about Domestic Violence

Other related episodes you may be interested in:
Season 2 Episode 15: She is Not Your Rehab: A global invitation to men to end abuse of women & children through radical self-responsibility & healing

Season 2 Episode 13: An Interview with Courageous Fire: Reparations & the Unique Experience of Black Domestic Violence Survivors
Season 2 Episode 7: ‘Radical Resistance to the Status Quo’: A Look Behind the Scottish Coercive Control Law with Dr. Marsha Scott
Season 2, Episode 2: Coercive Control Laws: A discussion with investigative repo

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Check out David Mandel's new book "Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to transform the way we keep children safe from domestic violence."
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