My name is Juana and I am a social worker from Brisbane, Australia; I have worked in the area of domestic violence and sexual assault with women from non-English speaking backgrounds for about 7 years. I have also worked in the area of labour rights for women and young people.

I was born in Papua New Guinea (my mother is Tolai and my father is a New Islander) and came to Brisbane when I was 3 years old. I completed undergraduates in Social Work and Psychology and a Masters in Social Work at the University of Queensland.

Besides working in Brisbane, I have volunteered in Colombia and Kenya in the area of gender based violence and HIV/AIDS. Recenlty I worked in Mongolia, whereby I worked (for one year) with the National Centre Against Violence (NCAV). NCAV is the national domestic violence and sexual assault service in Mongolia. Its services range from providing counselling, safe shelter, legal services, community education and advocacy. I learnt a lot about how the historical, political and economic context affected the lives of women and children and how contemporary Mongolian society tackles the issue of gender based violence.

I have recently moved to Melbourne to take up the position of direct service manager at the Immigrant Women's Domestic Violence Service. I've been here for one and half weeks; so I am only new. I will keep updating my profile as time progresses.