My Blue Sky

by Anti-Slavery Australia

(NGO)

img

My Blue Sky uses new technology to deliver a specialist service dedicated to preventing forced marriage in Australia.

Project implemented: November 2015

Project goal

To prevent forced marriage through awareness raising, specialist legal assistance and referrals to relevant services.

delivering on

why is this project important?

My Blue Sky prevents forced marriage and improves access to justice and safety for vulnerable women and girls.

Key steps to make it happen

1Law introduced

MBS is conceptualised to increase awareness of the criminalisation of forced marriage and improve access to justice.

2Design and consultation

Anti-Slavery Australia consults government and community organisations to develop the best content for the website.

3Launch in Nov 2015

MBS launches the website including a section for 7-14 year olds, illustrative stories and safe, tech savvy ways to seek help.

4Further translations

MBS commissions further translation of flyers and parts of the website. Resources are available in 14 community languages.

5Knowledge Hub

MBS launches a new digital Hub to consolidate access to current resources, events and projects on forced marriage.

6Inaugural Conference

MBS convenes a national conference to explore Australia’s protective and preventative response to forced marriage.

impact to date

94 people
provided with ongoing advice and legal representation
40 300
Page views on My Blue Sky
3000+ flyers
Distributed to schools, government and community organisations
34%
of Anti-Slavery Australia’s total clients in 2017 were people at risk or in forced marriages

Increase in ongoing representation

Increase in contacts and requests for help

Increase in number of clients getting help to leave forced marriages safely and rebuild their lives

Increased community awareness of forced marriage through training sessions to service providers and community organisations

Increase in attendance and engagement with the NSW Forced Marriage Network, which supports awareness raising and builds collaboration between government and civil society organisations

Using web-based and emerging technology, the My Blue Sky website delivers legal assistance and referral information to any person in, or at risk of, forced marriage.   

Vulnerable people can call, email, text or message Anti-Slavery Australia privately for free legal and migration advice through My Blue Sky’s website and social media platforms. 

Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to forced marriage and the My Blue Sky website includes relevant content for everyone including children as young as seven years old. This amplifies access to justice by explaining the law and connecting people to available support services.     

My Blue Sky also contains useful information and resources for teachers, health professionals and other service providers and is supported by access to e-learning and face-to-face training as well as multi-lingual flyers in 14 different community languages. The My Blue Sky platform is being continuously improved through review and evaluation. 

collaborating organisations

related projects

ICT for Social Impact Project in India by Swinburne Business School
17 SDGs in 2018 – a year of awareness raising activiti... by United Nations Association Victoria and Deakin University
Promoting the Advancement of Women Everywhere by Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia Pty Ltd
We’re all in this Together by Healthy Cities Illawarra (HCI) and University of Wollongong (UOW)
Kwale Cotton Project by Business for Development
Pathways to Politics Program for Women by University of Melbourne
Economic empowerment for women in Tanzania by Australian Volunteers program
The Individual Deprivation Measure Global Program by Individual Deprivation Measure
AICD’s Governance Diplomacy Program by Australian Institute of Company Directors
Wanzauni Livelihoods Improvement Project by Anglican Board of Mission
Adult literacy schools in PNG by Anglican Board of Mission
Willing to Work by Australian Human rights Commission
Global goals for local communities by Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA)
Anti-Racism: It Stops with me campaign by Australian Human Rights Commission
creating the capacity for people to invest space with meanin... by Place Agency at the University of Melbourne
ChildFund Pass It Back by ChildFund Australia
Business & Sustainability Forum Series by United Nations Association of Australia (WA)
Thriving Communities Partnership by Thriving Communities Partnership
Day At The Zoo by City West Water
Delivering sustainable development through infrastructure by Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA)
SDG National Forum by Fatouma TOURE
Green Star – Communities by Green Building Council of Australia
Achieving gender balance in water utilities by Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA)
SDG Toolkit for Systems Thinking and Collaborative Approache... by Australian Council for International Development
Women in MBA (WiMBA) by Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong
Transforming Australia: SDG Progress Report by National Sustainable Development Council
Financial Inclusion Action Plan by Good Shepherd Microfinance
International Legal Training Program by McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer

Does your organisation have a project to include?