Refugee and Migrant Stories

Manjula Datta O'Connor is a clinical psychiatrist and Chair of the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Family Violence Psychiatry Network. She is a clinician, researcher and advocate and works closely with community in the prevention of family violence.

Born in Iran, Pirooz Jafari migrated to Australia in mid-1990s as an ambitious photographer. His experience of witnessing violations of human rights of every imaginable kind throughout his childhood, adolescence and young adult life in Iran ignited a passion in him to pursue legal studies and Pirooz graduated as a lawyer in Australia in the summer of 2003. Pirooz has since worked in various community-based organisations and statutory bodies and he now runs his own consultancy. Forty Nights is his first literary fiction novel.

Rosemary Kariuki OAM is the multicultural community liaison officer for the Campbelltown Police, specialising in helping migrants who are facing domestic violence, language barriers and financial distress. In 2021, Rosemary work was recognised with the Australian of the Year – Local Hero and NSW Local Hero awards. Rosemary’s own experiences have inspired her to help migrant women connect with a community, combating the isolation that comes with moving to a new country. A documentary about her work, Rosemary's Way, was released in 2021. In 2008, she helped start the African Women’s Dinner Dance, an annual event now attended by over 500 African women from all over New South Wales. In 2022 she received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the multicultural community.