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Indian Women's Family Violence Project
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The Indian Women’s Family Violence Project commenced in early 2019 and concluded in April 2021. Extra funding has been provided to extend the Project's integrated service model to include all women on temporary visas who are experiencing family violence in Melbourne's North West - now the Safe Landing Project which you can read about here.
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Giving migrant women legal options and a pathway to safety
Family violence is pervasive in the Victorian community and not limited to any single group. Recent migrants are more vulnerable to family violence due to factors like social isolation, limited English proficiency, unemployment, trauma and patriarchal beliefs from their original country. Women on temporary visas are more vulnerable again due to their dependency on perpetrators and extended families for economic security and the right to remain in Australia. The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence acknowledged the experiences of migrant and refugee women and how they differ significantly from non-migrants. The Federal Government’s Second Action Plan 2013-2016 recognised that ‘learning more about violence against these groups of women is critical if we are to make violence against all women stop’.
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A successful model of support and legal assistance
This pilot program has been successful in deepening our understanding of these issues within the Indian community and developing a highly successful service model. This coordinated response combined migration and family law legal advice, together with community engagement and community education demonstrates the way forward for increasing the safety of these highly vulnerable women and their children. The program methodology also captured the voices of women and enabled them to identify strong policy and system reform priorities for both the Victorian and Federal Governments. Please see the full report for detailed information on the pilot program’s outcomes and the model used throughout the pilot program
Project information here. Read the Media Release here.
Read the Indian Women's Family Violence Project findings and recommendations here.
Go to the summary of the findings and recommendations here.
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