Refugee women who have experienced violence face additional obstacles

Almost a third of refugee women who came to Australia in the last five years have experienced some form of violence from their partners, in line with national rates, but face an additional set of concerns.

The study, conducted by the University of Wollongong and Settlement Services International (SSI), released on Thursday, assessed a culturally sensitive domestic violence detection process for women using five refugee settlement centres (four in Sydney and one in regional New South Wales).

The first of its kind in Australia, the project found that residential screening helped women speak up and get help.

Universal screening for intimate partner violence means asking short, reasoned questions about current or recent experiences of being abused by a partner.

Nearly 355 women aged 18 to 80, from 24 countries, took part in it.

The largest group came from Iraq, followed by Syria, China, Afghanistan and Iran, with most of them having been in Australia for less than five years.

“Women who come to Australia through forced migration experience high levels of domestic violence, as do all Australian women,” Jo Spangaro, a professor of social work at the University of Wollongong, told AAP.

“However, they are more likely to remain in abusive relationships and are less likely to report their experiences, which increases their vulnerability.”

The government-funded post-arrival safety and health research project was conducted in several languages, including Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Chinese and Vietnamese.

Participants answered confidential questions such as “how did your husband/partner or ex-husband/partner do something that made you feel afraid, controlled your daily activities, or threatened to hurt you?”

About 30 percent of people surveyed reported some form of physical, verbal or coercive violence.

The most frequently identified form of domestic violence was control, followed by fear, threats and physical violence.

The 32-page report found that language barriers, lack of knowledge about Australian laws and services, visa insecurity, strained community relationships and migration vulnerability are just some of the additional challenges that refugee women face.

According to co-researcher and head of the Women, Equality and Domestic Violence Unit at SSI, Astrid Perry, for most of the women who took part in the study, it was their first time encountering such a sensitive topic.

They considered the care provided by the employee and talking to someone in her own language to be the most important factors enabling discussion about domestic violence.

“The purpose of this study was to determine whether asking such questions is acceptable in communities where women have a harder time disclosing domestic violence and typically, research shows, only seek help in crisis situations,” Dr. Perry said.

“Early intervention is more effective than reacting to a crisis.”

In 2022-2023, one woman in Australia was killed every 11 days by a current or former partner, and this number is estimated to have doubled in 2024 after a series of high-profile deaths.

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