Arman Abrahimzadeh is an Iranian-Australian anti- domestic violence campaigner based in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, co-founder of Zahra Foundation Australia .

Biography

Abrahimzadeh and his family migrated to Australia from Iran in 1997. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a housewife. Along with his sisters, Atena and Anita, and their mother Zahra, he lived in an abusive home and in constant fear that their father, Ziaolleh, would harm or kill them. In 2009, they were forced to flee their family home, becoming homeless before being referred to domestic violence shelters. After 12 months of threats and stalking, on 21 March 2010, Abrahimzadeh's father Zialloh finally carried out his threat and killed his mother Zahra, during

Persian New Year Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

celebrations at the

Adelaide Convention Centre The Adelaide Convention Centre is a large convention centre on North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia. It was the first purpose-built convention centre to be built in Australia. History The convention centre was des ...

, in front of hundreds of witnesses.

Advocacy

Abrahimzadeh, along with his sisters, Atena and Anita, founded Zahra Foundation Australia in 2015 to support victims of domestic violence, including

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

family violence, and to create opportunities for economic empowerment. Abrahimzadeh has been a key influential figure in shaping public policies and changes in legislation in relation to domestic violence in South Australia. He regularly speaks at forums discussing family violence and

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

, and he is involved with a number of not-for-profit groups in this sector. He has appeared on the current affairs series 7.30 on the ABC Television. He is an ambassador for the

White Ribbon Campaign The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls. It was formed by a group of pro-feminist men in London, Ontario in November 1991 as a response to the École Polytechni ...

in Australia and

Our Watch Our Watch, formerly Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, is an Australian organisation that exists to help prevent violence against women and their children. Founded in mid-2013 with Natasha Stott Despoja as founding ...

Recognition

He has been named 2015 Allan Sloane Young Citizen of The Year, 2016

Young Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territ ...

for South Australia, and the 2017 City of Charles Sturt Young Citizen of The Year. He was awarded a

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in June 2018.

Other roles

He is a former Australian representative in

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

, and works in design and construction.

Awards

Legacy of Zahra's death

The Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Service (WDVCAS) was established in July 2015, as a response to the

coronial inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...

into the murder of Zahra. Funded for two years by the victims of crime levy, the services provide information, legal advice, support and representation relating to intervention order. The service is accessible via Victim Support Services in Adelaide,

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta i ...

, Port Augusta,

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...

and Berri. The service won the 2021 Law Society of South Australia Justice Award, and continues to operate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrahimzadeh, Arman Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Anti-domestic violence activists Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Iranian emigrants to Australia