After a panicked call in the middle of the night from her son's friend roused Chitra from her slumber, she jumped into action.
"He told my son, 'My dad is threatening my mum and everyone, my mum is shouting and screaming, what should I do?'" says the trusted Indian migrant community member.
Chitra told the boy to contact police and then spoke to his mother.
The woman's husband had threatened more severe violence if she went to police, she says.
"She said, 'I'm very scared.'"
Wanting to help but understanding her boundaries, Chitra called family violence specialist Shikha Makker for advice.
Both are part of Project Sitara, a community-based solution for preventing and responding to family violence in migrant and refugee communities in Melbourne's western suburbs.
Chitra is one of dozens of "Sitaras", which means star in Hindi and Urdu, a trusted community champion equipped with knowledge, tools and connections to recognise family violence and respond at an early stage.
"Being a Sitara, I need to think of my safety as well," Chitra says.
After being advised by Ms Makker about the next steps, Chitra drove to the woman's house, collected her and her dog, and suggested she should tell police everything she could.
She then accompanied her as police connected the woman with family violence services Safe Steps and Orange Door.
"I felt so proud. Just a small step of mine changed her life completely and now she's separated. The man has moved away and she is doing good," Chitra says.
"I am always connected with her, I emotionally support and always pick up the call, any time, and I say, 'You are doing the right thing'."
"She became so confident. Before she was shivering and now she has became so independent.''
The initiative by family violence support provider GenWest has been running for four years.
It aims to give women from migrant and refugee backgrounds "a critical bridge to safety", says manager of resilient communities Shweta Kawatra Dakin.
''These women are already listening, supporting and helping others find safety," she says.
"But navigating Australia's family violence system can be complex, particularly when services are unfamiliar, not available in-language or do not feel culturally safe.
"It means women can hear about their options from someone who speaks their language, understands their community and can help them navigate where to go next."
The first Sitara recruited for the project, Nina, is a highly-respected Indian community leader in Point Cook.
By speaking their language, listening and slowly earning their trust, many women have opened up to her over the years about their struggles.
"We cannot expect women to talk about sensitive issues unless they feel respected, heard and not judged," she told an event in Werribee on Thursday.
"Sitara gave me confidence to have conversations that I might previously have avoided.
"I don't have to have all the answers, sometimes my role is simply to open the door, listen and help someone connect with the right support.
"When one woman gains knowledge and confidence, she can become a guiding light for another woman. That is what Sitara means to me."
Ms Makker, the family violence specialist, says many migrant women want more than a list of available services.
They want to know the experience for a victim-survivor if they step inside a specialist family violence service, she says.
"They want to know what happens, what questions are asked, how workers assess risk information."
Part of her role is ensuring the Sitaras are safe, and she brings the leaders together regularly to train them, provide solidarity and empower each other.
"After some sessions, I didn't have to remind them about their safety," she recalls.
"They started reminding each other about their safety, interrupting other people and saying, 'Hey, remember it's about your safety as well'."
Ms Kawatra Dakin says the program has led to social change within these communities, with many women now understanding patriarchal structures.
"We are changing mindsets towards gender equity," she says.
"These are mother-in-laws, these are aunts, they have social capital within their culture to change the norms of patriarchy because they are themselves victims of patriarchy.
"It's generational change."
The project recently received philanthropic funding from Minderoo Foundation, which will allow it to expand to more migrant and refugee communities in Victoria.
"I remember one year ago we said the vision is to have community champions in every language group, in every'' local government area, Ms Kawatra Dakin says.
"Tell me that will not solve prevention of gender-based violence. How can it not? It is the community-led solution and this is how we will attack this problem because this problem is not going anywhere."
Minderoo chief executive John Hartman believes if Australia is serious about ending family and gender-based violence, it needs to invest in prevention and allow communities to lead change.
"Project Sitara is supporting migrant and refugee women that already do this safety work, with the evidence, frameworks and connections to help prevent violence before it occurs in their communities," he says.
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