The former Iranian refugee – who arrived in Australia five years ago – had been taught to believe that family violence was a matter for the family concerned, and everyone else should just stay out of it.

"We thought that violence was just family, like private business. But now we all agree: as a bystander, if you can help you have to go and help."

Mr Tehrani, 20, was one of more than a dozen young Iranian men who graduated on Wednesday from Team Respect, a program run by Our Watch in conjunction with Whittlesea Community Connections and other agencies, with government funding.

The program aimed to introduce culturally diverse communities to family violence issues, including respectful relationships and gender equity.

Facilitator Omid Sorkhi​ said the program was adapted from the Education Department's "building respectful relationships" curriculum, but adapted for culturally diverse communities, and including a focus on settlement and legal education issues.

"Settlement can be a difficult process, and it is important to give young people the chance to learn about laws and expectations in Australia. This means talking about respect for women, new culture, rules and consequences," said Mr Sorkhi.

Jemal Ahmet​, the chief executive of Whittlesea Community Connect, hastened to add there is no evidence the Iranian community is over-represented in family violence statistics.

"We have found absolutely no evidence, and nor has anyone been able to produce any, that any community has any more propensity to family violence than any other," he said.

"It's a scourge on all of society, including the mainstream Australian population."

However, he said newly arrived communities often were not aware of the services available, or had cultural barriers to reporting family violence in their own family or others'.

Whittlesea Community Connect says that of people referred to its family violence services in the June quarter, 56 per cent were Australian born, 9 per cent were born in India, 7 per cent born in Iraq, and 5 per cent born in Iran.

Under the program, participants also took part in weekly soccer games to complement the education sessions.

Our Watch chief executive Paul Linossier said: "The inclusion of soccer in the program is important because positive values within sport, such as participation and fair play extend to the promotion of respectful relationships, gender equality, inclusion and non-violence."

Melbourne City Football Club and the Salvation Army also supported the program.