Galiwinku Womens Space Aboriginal Corporation First Nations

Who we are

Galiwin’ku Women’s Space (GWS) began in Galiwin’ku as a space dedicated to supporting and empowering women on Elcho Island. It is led by Yolŋu women and supported by the wider community. In 2022, it expanded its programs to the neighbouring community of Gapuwiyak.

The organisation aims to reach as many women in East Arnhem Land as possible with safety, support, and education. Its services bring together Yolŋu law and Balanda law, which is the Yolŋu word for non-Indigenous people and their systems. GWS describes its approach as:

• Gurruṯu-centred, working through gurruṯu, the Yolŋu system of kinship, care, and responsibility, to better understand and respond to family violence
• Client-led, giving women the knowledge, support, and safety to find their own way through their experiences
• Two worlds, developing a service model that meets both cultural and community needs

GWS mainly serves women and children from Galiwin’ku, including families who split their time between town and remote homelands. Their family members, both men and women, also benefit through outreach and case support. The organisation relies on funding from government and other supporters, and has faced closures and disruptions due to funding shortfalls.

What we do

GWS works across three main areas: support for women and children, programs for the wider community, and support for LGBTQIA+ Yolŋu people.

Women and children
These services focus on early intervention, which means acting before violence gets worse, as well as crisis support and healing.

• Crisis accommodation in the new building will house up to 16 people in six rooms. It will offer a safe place to rest, meals, and shared facilities such as a kitchen, laundry, and garden.
• Case management, which is ongoing, planned support for each person, is being developed by staff and members. It will offer immediate help for women and children at risk, such as safety planning and food packs, as well as longer-term support.

Family and community

• Community education helps everyone understand the causes of domestic and family violence, so the community can lead its own change. Members have already run sessions on recognising violence for senior students at the local school.
• Community events include an annual International Women’s Day “Ladies Night Out”, held since 2017. GWS also takes part in workshops, markets, school camps, and expos.
• Young Women’s Camp Fire Night Program brings teenage girls together around a campfire to talk about relationships, consent, and violence. The program will resume once GWS moves into its new building.
• Community laundromat is planned for the new building, giving everyone in the community access to industrial washing machines and dryers.

Yolŋu Pride Family
In 2022, GWS started a wellbeing program for Sistagirls, a term used in some Aboriginal communities for transgender women and gender-diverse people. It has since grown into the Yolŋu Pride Family, which supports LGBTQIA+ people across North East Arnhem Land, who face very high rates of violence.

• Weekly Pride Nights offer a safe, inclusive space to share information about physical, mental, and sexual health.
• Awareness events, such as an annual event in May, share information about family violence affecting LGBTQIA+ people.
• Grassroots goals include creating an LGBTQIA+ education centre in Galiwin’ku, building career pathways, and improving access to culturally appropriate health services.

GWS members also speak at family violence forums and conferences around Australia, sharing their experience and building confidence.