Azita Abdollahian named Baulkham Hills Woman of the Year
It doesn't matter if she’s tending to tresses at her Castle Hill hair salon or filling her role as a vice president of Hills Women’s Shed, Azita Abdollahian is always ready to listen if it means tackling domestic violence.
Hills Shire
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It doesn't matter if she’s tending to tresses at her Castle Hill hair salon or filling her role as a vice president of Hills Women’s Shed, Azita Abdollahian is always ready to listen if it means tackling domestic violence.
Determination to protect women and stop perpetrators from reoffending has earned Ms Abdollahian the Baulkham Hills Woman of the Year award, along with the Women of the West business category.
The Iranian refugee, who is also completing her psychotherapist degree, is passionate about helping homeless people in The Hills with her role at the Shining Light Foundation.
“Homelessness isn’t in the form of people sleeping in the park but lots of people do couch surf and they’re so proud, they don’t want to talk about it,’’ she said.
Just like homelessness, there is often the perception that domestic violence is not prevalent in The Hills.
“It’s a huge problem,’’ she said.
“Women are talking about it. If it’s not themselves, it’s someone they know.
“It might not seem like violence but it is. I have some women who don’t tell their husbands how much they pay for their hair. It’s obvious the woman is under the pressure of the controlling relationship. Violence is not just physical.”
The Castle Hill resident fled Iran with her husband and two daughters, then aged two months and five years, in 1999.
After years of being trapped in an abusive marriage, a police officer in Newcastle prompted her to leave her husband.
Ms Abdollahian wants more counselling for perpetrators who are likely to reoffend.
“The violence moves from one woman to another woman it you don’t take care of the men,’’ she said.
“This should be in the form of educating men and ask them to protect the family and protect the women. Instead of taking them to jail, take them into counselling.”
She said receiving her accolade at the NSW Women of the Year Awards breakfast ceremony at the ICC Sydney last week helped keep her work “on track” and proved “she made it”.
“When I came to Australia I couldn’t speak English, I didn’t have any friends, family, support — nothing,’’ she said.
“It was a strange place and foreign country and to be able to feel this is home, it took me a long time and hard work.
“I’m on the right track to making a difference.”