It's a complex and distressing issue, and cuts across all social and ethnic groups.However several horrific cases in the Australian Indian community have been widely reported in recent times, raising questions about the prevalence of domestic violence in the Indian community specifically. Do cultural practices such as arranged marriage, the joint family and dowry systems have an impact on the family violence in the Australian Indian community? And do new migrants to Australia have different perceptions of what constitutes family violence? SBS Punjabi Executive Producer Manpreet K Singh set out to answer these and many more questions in The Enemy Within, a special report on family violence in Australia's Indian community. For legal reasons some names have been changed and some voices have been altered, so that the victims can't be identified. And a warning, the report contains material that may be distressing to some listeners. If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit In an emergency, call 000.
This documentary was first published in January 2013. Since then, The Enemy Within has gone on to win many national and international awards including the UNAA Media Award 2013 in the category “Increasing Awareness of Women’s Rights and Issues”, Legal Reporting Awards 2014, and two awards at the NSW Premier's Multucultural Awards 2014. It was also named as a finalist at the prestigious Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
Here is a podcast of the first episode of this documentary, in which we take a close look at how family violence manifests itself in the Australian Indian community. We hear gut-wrenching stories from many victims, some of whom even contemplated suicide...We ask - why do they continue to live in such violent relationships...why don't they walk away? In this episode, you hear from four victims and the sister of a victim who is now deceased.
Hear the remaining episodes in Punjabi, and the English version of this award winning documentary
The Enemy Within Episode 2
