My Rights – My Future: forced marraige

New Learning & Teaching Resource

A new learning and teaching resource relating to forced marriage has been made available on the mybluesky website: https://www.mybluesky.org.au/learn-more/resources/

My Rights – My Future forced marriage

A Kit of Learning and Teaching Materials and support documents for Australian Secondary Schools: Issued April 2016

Together with nine pilot schools, and numerous government and non-government organisations, ACRATH  (Australian Catholic Religious against Trafficking in Humans) participated in an Australian forced marriage Pilot Project in 2015. This Pilot Project was funded through the Australian Attorney-General’s Department. The resource Kit, My Rights – My Future forced marriage, is one result of the Pilot Project.

Australian secondary school teachers and staff are invited to use this Kit of materials, however, the following recommendations need to be carefully considered prior to so doing:

• Training is required prior to using the learning and teaching resources of the Kit. ASA (Anti-Slavery Australia) offers an eLearning tool on their ASA website in relation to forced marriage. This is free and the training takes approximately 20-30 minutes
• It is critical that the culture of the students be respected at all times
• Teachers considering using the Kit are strongly advised to speak with school leadership and the school’s Student Welfare staff prior to commencement
• Teachers and school staff need to be familiar with Appendix One of this Kit – Protocols and Procedures, in terms of student safety and welfare. The school’s own policies and procedures, along with the education sector authority’s policies, also need to be considered
• For further information and reproducible materials in a number of languages visit www.ag.gov/forced marriage

Disclaimer: Please note that this Kit, and all content documents, is a resource giving you basic information about the topic of forced marriage as it applies to awareness-raising and education in an Australian secondary school setting. It does not cover the whole of the relevant law regarding this topic, and it is not a substitute for professional advice. You should also note that, because the Kit, and its content documents, avoids legal language wherever possible, it might include some generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions, or important qualifications. In most cases, your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.