Preventing violence against migrant and refugee women
2 minute read
Women from migrant and refugee backgrounds are impacted not only by sexism and gender discrimination, but also by experiences of racism and other forms of oppression at individual, community and structural levels.
Women who face multiple forms of discrimination may experience violence more frequently, or of greater severity.
Structural inequalities and discrimination intersect with gender inequality to exacerbate violence against women from multicultural communities.
This happens in a range of ways. For example, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds may experience a range of barriers to seeking help, such as:
reluctance to seek support due to fear of racist assumptions about their culture, religion or ethnic background, or fear that seeking help could jeopardise their visa or protection applications
financial dependence on violent partners. Women on temporary visas, such as student or work visas, are often ineligible for social security payments. Women from multicultural communities also experience other kinds of financial insecurity, including discrimination and racism in the labour market
social isolation due to a lack of family or social supports and language barriers. Women from multicultural communities are also more likely to live in outer suburbs or regional areas, where access to transport and services is limited.
Women from migrant and refugee backgrounds also might experience other forms of racist and gender-based violence, including:
public abuse, for example, women wearing hijabs may be subjected to verbal or physical abuse in public spaces
underpayment and exploitation in the workplace
racially derogatory sexual harassment.
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Work in partnership with relevant community-based organisations. If you are engaging multicultural communities that you’re not already familiar with, you may not fully understand the specific local dynamics, histories and social connections. Collaborating with community-based and grassroots organisations helps to ensure voices are heard, represented and actively involved from the outset. Genuine co-design is key to effective and inclusive prevention work.
Adopt consistent and strengths-based language that is relevant to multicultural communities. Use strengths-based approaches which focus on promoting healthy relationships and successful settlement, rather than solely on violence prevention.
Ensure that prevention strategies are accessible and culturally appropriate. Tailor prevention initiatives to different cohorts, including age groups, to achieve long-term impact.
Ensure you have allowed enough time and resources to tailor your activities to multicultural communities. This requires planning, flexibility and consultation.
Be clear about the focus of your prevention activity and consider why you want to work with a particular migrant and refugee group. For example, is it because community leaders have raised the issue? Do you or your partners have good relationships with that community and think there will be support for the project? Or is it because you assume this group is more violent or less supportive of gender equality than other groups? Make decisions based on evidence and consultation with a range of stakeholders.
Be realistic. Understand that communities may be facing a range of critical issues. Work with them to identify the priorities.
Support women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to be champions and leaders in their own communities and to play a lead role in planning, implementing and evaluating prevention activities.
Explore opportunities to engage men from migrant and refugee backgrounds as influential agents of change. This can challenge existing narratives and create more inclusive prevention strategies that resonate with multicultural communities.
If you are not a member of the community, it’s important to undertake regular self-reflection on your own unconscious biases and consider the assumptions, experiences and privilege you might be bringing to the work.
In addition to ensuring your prevention activities are inclusive, diverse and equitable, it’s also important that your organisation is working towards the same goals. Achieving diversity, inclusivity and equity will look different in practice depending on your organisation.
Learn how to respond to resistance and backlash and set your prevention initiative up for success.
