Access to Justice Community Leaders Consultation Summary Report

Background

The Karen community seeks a coordinated strategy to address community safety and youth justice  issues, enhancing understanding of the system and available support services. 

Community leaders came together to ensure that a wide range of community members could  participate through meaningful engagement and consultation sessions with the various Karen  community groups in the West. 

Who we talked to

We prioritized leaders who worked with the most vulnerable community members, especially those at  higher risk of criminal justice involvement or with limited access to existing services. All demographics  listed below were included in our sample. These included:  

• Young people  

• Youth leaders 

• Community Leaders 

• Faith-based and religious leaders 

• Community Elders  

• People with lived experience of the justice system  

• Culturally and racially marginalised women  

• People from refugee and migrant backgrounds  

• Families  

• People with a disability  

• People who speak English as their second or third language 

• People with Neuro-diverse needs

Who is involved?

Community leaders from across 14 Karen community-based organisations came together from  February 2025 to discuss strategies to ensure community safety and cohesion. Listed below are the  14 Karen community – based organisations across Melbourne’s West. 

1. Australian Karen Organisation Victoria  Branch (AKOV)  

2. Australian Karen Organisation Victoria  Branch Youth Department (AKOVYD)

3. Australian Karen Preserving Promoting  Cultural & History Association Inc. (AKP)

4. Comfort Care and Community Service

5. Hill Light Church 

6. Karuna Compassion in Action 

7. Melbourne Karen Baptist Church (MKBC) 

8. Melbourne Karen Buddhist Associatio  (MKBA) \

9. Pwo Karen Baptist Church  

10. Shepherd Centre Church  

11. St Stephen’s Anglican Church- Karen  Authorised Congregation 

12. Werribee Karen Baptist Church (WKBC)

13. Westgate Karen Baptist Community Church  (WKBCC) 

14. Werribee Karen Seventh-Day Adventist  Church

What we heard

The overall theme to emerge throughout the consultation based on the need of the community is:  

• Access and Equity  

• Informed and Participation/Ownership  

• Rights and Information  

• Community Safety and Respect  

• Economic and Social Connection  

• Community Voice and Representation

Barriers for community 

The Karen community identified the following barriers to seeking help:  

• Need for culturally responsive services and better service coordination

• Low language and legal literacy 

• Impact of war, torture, trauma, and family separation 

• Lack of access to health care information and legal rights 

• These things negatively affect mental health and wellbeing 

• Many people missed out on early intensive settlement support, which could’ve helped

• There are gaps in resettlement services particularly the restrictions and set timeframe  that services can provide assistance

What community need  

While this project began with a focus on justice, community consultation revealed a broader set of  interconnected needs including housing options, drug and alcohol services, mental health support,  disability services, and culturally appropriate early intervention and prevention programs for young people and their families in a timely manner 

Community and young people want opportunities to include: 

• Access education and training that includes mentorship with people from their cultural  background.  

• Have sustainable and fair employment opportunities where people feel safe at work. 

• Community wants to be treated with respect and dignity, have security and opportunity  to lead a better life 

• Have a safe, secure home where young people and their families can thrive. 

• Be safe and protected to use healthcare, public transport and other services. 

• Connect and engage with family, friends and the local community in ways that they  want.  

• Cultural appropriate support to deal with personal crises such as ill health, mental  health or interacting with the justice system.  

• Be heard and influence decisions that affect them.

Recommendations  

1. Access & Equity  
   To enhance access and equity for the Karen community, a coordinated, culturally responsive approach is necessary. 

2. Information and Participation/Ownership 
   Engaging communities in the design and implementation of services and programs is  essential to fostering trust, building ownership, improving outcomes, and ensuring that  decisions align with community needs and values 

3. Rights and Information 
   Increase community accessibility and awareness of existing services and the law through  production and dissemination of information through Community Legal Education (CLE),  printed material and online. 

4. Community Safety and Respect 
   Community safety and respect for community, women and young people involves a  combination of governmental, services, community, and individual actions aimed at ensuring  people are safe, their rights are protected, and they are integrated into the community with  dignity and opportunity 

5. Economic and Social Connection 
   The Karen community are more likely to access services that are co-located at community  hubs, where they can connect with a full range of supports such as food banks, casework,  legal services, family services, and social groups. 

6. Community Voice and Representation 
   Invest in community and bi-cultural workers, to ensure that services remain accessible and  culturally safe, and to guarantee that any programs or services remain a viable employment  option for the community.

Limitations 

• Project Leads are currently evaluating strategies to better engage underrepresented  demographics, particularly individuals under 18 years old, who are statistically more likely  to interact with the criminal justice system. 

• To date, neither relevant services nor the Victorian Government have conducted  consultations with the Karen community when developing youth justice approaches for  young people and their families from this cultural background. 

• Securing an appropriate venue for the project launch posed significant challenges for the  community. 

• Phase 1 of the project relied solely on community capacity and volunteerism for both  planning and implementation.

Sponsorship  

We would like to express our sincere gratitude on behalf of the Karen Community Project to the 14  Karen community and faith-based organisations, as well as to our generous donors and local Karen  business sponsors. We are profoundly grateful for their invaluable support. We would like to  acknowledge the following individuals and business: 

1. A & P Bricklaying  

2. Aye Driving School  

3. Paw Driving School 

4. Tai Yin Thar  

5. Comfort Care & Community Services

6. Poekoothay  

7. Kaw Thoo Lei Shop  

8. Kay Say Bricklaying  

9. Tree Shade Supports 

10. Pay Ther Pu Karen Ethnic Clothing

11. LCK ELECTRICAL PTY. LTD.

12. Mr Law Baw Law Mu  

13. Universe Karen Grocery 

14. G & G Virities Grocery PTY.LTD

15. Emmanuella Auto Repairs 

16. Living Hope Community Care Pty.Ltd 

17. Zun Nal Driving School 

Next steps 

We will seek funding to progress to Phase 2 of the project, which will focus on mapping community led solutions and innovative outcomes that enhance community safety, social cohesion, and overall  wellbeing through further community consultations. Community groups will be actively involved  throughout the project, co-designing the services they want and need within a culturally safe, fit-for purpose service delivery model. 

Project Contacts 

If community members, organisations, service providers, or government representatives have  questions or feedback about this project, please contact the project representatives and email listed  below. We welcome opportunities for collaboration and partnership to help advance our goals and  break down barriers in supporting our community, young people, and their families.

AH EH SOE 
Project leads 
0404 377 703 
kcpmelbournewest@gmail.com

MARK HTOOSAW 
Project leads 
0434 155 321 
kcpmelbournewest@gmail.com