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 reporter and author Jess Hill

Now available! Mapping the Perpetrator’s Pattern: A Practitioner’s Tool for Improving Assessment, Intervention, and Outcomes The web-based Perpetrator Pattern Mapping Tool is a virtual practice tool for improving assessment, intervention, and outcomes through a perpetrator pattern-based approach. The tool allows practitioners to apply the Model’s critical concepts and principles to their current case load in real

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."