To mark Refugee Week 2023, Legal Aid NSW's Refugee Service in conjunction with Think+Do Tank and Lost in Books, has launched The Ribbon, a children's book and legal educational resource highlighting the services of Legal Aid NSW.
The bilingual tale (available in Arabic, Dari, Burmese and Swahili) written by author and refugee Monikka Eliah and illustrated by refugee Hussein Nabeel is a story of hope with one powerful message encouraging refugees to reach out for legal help:
”We are not alone. For the heavy
knots we feel, there are special
hands that can try to untie them.”
The book uses the metaphor of a ribbon to explain the anxiety and stress associated with migration and to highlight how the Refugee Service can help “untie” the knots.
"I feel the ribbons tighten when the people we love are kept far away," it reads.
The Legal Aid NSW Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Network, joined by partner organisations including Settlement Services International and STARTSS, gathered during Refugee Week 2023 to celebrate the launch and enjoy a bilingual reading of the book.
Refugee Service Community Engagement Officer Nohara Odicho said the launch event was an opportunity to acknowledge the bravery of refugees.
“Imagine a family fleeing war and prosecution, forced to leave their country, search for safety and freedom and start a new life in Australia. Then they have to navigate a complex legal system and search for a helping hand. That helping hand is the Refugee Service,” she said.
The book was commissioned by the Refugee Service after Ms Odicho noticed some refugees were hesitant to take pamphlets about issues like domestic violence.
"I noticed many women were scared to take pamphlets and would put them back," she said. "From my experience coming from Syria as a refugee in 2016 I would receive resources but not read them so I wanted to create a resource that was familiar for the client."
The book will be included in welcome packs for newly arrived refugees and handed out through Settlement Services International, as well as to Legal Aid clients.
Jane Stratton, CEO of Think Do Tank, described the book as "a gift of words and illustrations that offers a beautiful story and guidance to the door of help from Legal Aid for families, women and caregivers experiencing challenges."
Over the past two and a half years, the Refugee Service has provided almost 4,500 legal services to newly arrived refugees.
You can access the English and translated version of ‘The Ribbon’ below:
View the English-Arabic version
View the English-Burmese version
View the English-Dari version
View the English- Swahili version
Read more about The Ribbon and Legal Aid NSW's Refugee Service or listen to the Refugee Service on The ABC Law Report.
The Legal Aid NSW Refugee Service team at the launch of The Ribbon