Boland Parwaz is a brand new organisation that has been set up to work with victim-survivors, groups, organisations, local and international government agencies, communities and young people, to equip them with the tools and knowledge they need to bring an end to child and forced marriage in Australia and abroad. We are developing a number of innovative and survivor-led initiatives, such as: the design and delivery of training programs; youth and cultural leader workshops, the creation of culturally sensitive resources and tools in language, grassroots advocacy and social impact campaigns, films, and media and communications strategies. We will take what we learn and create to service providers and policymakers so we can advise them on specific intersectional experiences affecting women, girls and families from migrant and refugee groups and highlight the existing links between child and forced marriage and other forms of gender-based violence such as intimate partner violence. We love to collaborate, so don't hesitate to get in touch to discuss potential projects with us.

Creation of resources, tools and content in language and in culture Design and delivery of bespoke training programs in language and in culture Specialist consultations Campaign and social impact strategy/design Branding Creative communications Cultural consultancy Policy and advocacy support Participatory and action based research Young women/youth in leadership programs Community leadership/engagement activities Whole school awareness raising workshops Keynote speaking Survivor and allies networking Event support Project development Media advocacy/spokesperson

Boland Parwaz was founded by Helena Hassani in 2023 in response to the growing risk of child and forced marriage in Australia and abroad. Born in a small village in Afghanistan in the 90's, Helena always dreamed of going to school, something often threatened by continuous displacement, terrorism against her people and lack of resources. Finally settled into school in Pakistan, her life was forever changed when she was abruptly 'promised' into a marriage at the age of 11, her dreams of completing her education and going to university further out of reach. But she refused to give up..... Now settled in Australia, Helena uses her lived experience of child and forced marriage to inform her work as an Australian expert in family and gender-based violence, including child and forced marriage. She has a masters of Human Rights Law from Monash University and is a qualified men's behavioural change specialist and social worker. Helena often works at an international level and advocates for the rights of women and girls, particularly from the Hazara community. She has shared her knowledge and experience with the UN as one of four Australian delegates to the UN Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) in Geneva in 2023 and on two panels at CSW68 in 2024. Boland Parwaz is a conscious coming together of a small team of practitioners, advocates and creatives that are passionate about the prevention of child and forced marriage. This includes, consultants and collaborators who are: experienced and qualified family violence case managers, men's behavioural change instructors, mental health practitioners, human rights law specialists, child and forced marriage experts, young people, social impact producers, victim-survivors, community groups and filmmakers. Working in Dari, Hazaragi, Farsi, Persian, Urdu, Hindi and English, we offer the opportunity for wider community engagement in the prevention of child and forced marriage and new platforms for more diverse perspectives and conversations to be nurtured.