Young Muslim women interview Sex Discrimination Commissioner

On 5 December 2008 the Australian Human Rights Commission invited a group of young Muslim women to interview the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick for a future community radio segment that the young women will develop themselves. The young women are participating in the 'Young Muslim Women’s Short Animation Film Project' coordinated by Paula Abood who is the Community Cultural Development consultant for the Bankstown Area Multicultural Network Inc (BAMN). This project is partly-funded by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australia Council for the Arts, under their Arts Initiative with Muslim Australians.

The purpose of the interview with Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick was multipronged and mutually beneficial. The young women had a chance to learn about what the Sex Discrimination Commissioner does, and to make a connection with the Commission - an organisation who could potentially provide them with assistance throughout the course of their lives.

As well as answering some sophisticated questions about how the Commission can support women who experience more than one type of discrimination, such as race, religion and gender, the Commission learned how to better engage with communities in need and Muslim young women in particular.

The interview was a fun learning experience for all and an opportunity for the Commission to build better community relationships at the same time as supporting young women to represent their own thoughts and ideas, while learning a great new skill in radio production!  The Commissioner was impressed by the women's numerous achievements and by the initiative they had taken to visit her and seek answers to their well thought out questions.

Get more information about the Arts Initiative for Muslim Australians.

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