Australia Awards South and West Asia

In June 2025, Australia Awards alumni from South Asia and Mongolia came together to participate in two powerful learning sessions focused on advancing gender equity and preventing violence against women and girls. These workshops deepened alumni’s commitment to fostering safe, inclusive and equitable environments both within and beyond the workplace.

The first workshop, held on 12 June, focused on ‘Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women’, and was led by Dr Sarah Homan from The Equality Institute. Dr Homan introduced the 35 alumni participants to the concept of primary prevention—stopping violence before it starts by addressing its root causes. She also emphasised that gender inequality is the fundamental driver of violence against women and girls, reinforced by societal norms, rigid gender roles and unequal power dynamics. Participants explored the types and contexts of violence, including intimate partner violence, workplace discrimination and political violence. The session highlighted the importance of intersectionality, recognising how overlapping identities can compound experiences of violence and discrimination.

Dr Sarah Homan, who led the first session on ‘Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women’.

Bangladeshi alumna Sharin Naomi said, “Violence against women and girls has evolved. Psychological and financial [abuse] have taken new forms, often cannot be identified and remain subtle. Often these forms of violence are normalised as cultural practice.”

Alumni engaged in breakout discussions to identify individual and organisational actions they could take, such as challenging sexist jokes, promoting women’s leadership and implementing gender-transformative policies. The seminar concluded with a call to action: everyone has a role to play in creating a world where women live free from violence.

Bhutanese alumnus Tshering Sydon shared a practical tool used in his workplace. He said that they “are practicing gender-inclusive pedagogy in teaching and this has helped students understand inclusion and gender equality better”.

The second workshop (held on 26 June) focused on creating safe and equitable workspaces and explored workplace transformation. Twenty-two alumni participated in the interactive session, facilitated by gender equity specialist Sophie Gale. Sophie presented data from the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, sparking discussions on the gender pay gap, leadership disparities and sexual harassment. Alumni reflected on how organisational culture, leadership and inclusive communication can drive change.

Gender equity specialist Sophie Gale who conducted the workshop on creating safe and equitable workspaces.

Sophie and the participants shared practical strategies, including flexible work arrangements, pay equity audits and robust reporting mechanisms. Sophie encouraged participants to consider their own privilege in the workplace and how they could act as allies and active bystanders. Reflecting on how to transform a workplace into a safe and equitable space, Bangladeshi alumna Joy Prakash Barua summarised the process as, “Giving decision-making roles to people based on merit and having proper and gender-responsive complaint-handling mechanisms.”

The session concluded with a hands-on exercise, allowing alumni to commit to specific actions in their workplaces. The workshop reinforced that safe and equitable workspaces benefit everyone, enhancing productivity, wellbeing and innovation. Together, these sessions form part of Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia’s broader efforts to empower alumni as leaders of change. By engaging in these transformative learning experiences, alumni are helping to build communities and workplaces that are respectful, inclusive and safe for all.