Primary Prevention of Violence Against Immigrant and Migrant Women in Australia

A new report titled 'On Her Way: Primary prevention on violence against immigrant and refugee women in Australia' has been released by Carolyn Poljski, with support from the Multi Cultural Centre for Women's Health in Australia. 

The report makes a number of recommendations:

• A solid evidence base on the prevention of violence against immigrant and refugee women needs to be developed.

• A representation of influential and respected immigrant and refugee community leaders—female, male, youth—from a range of backgrounds are required to publicly denounce violence against women and contribute to community education efforts;

• Immigrant and refugee women and their representative groups and organisations should be the instigators of cultural change and spearhead violence prevention efforts, whilst collaborating with all identified community leaders to collectively advocate for an end to violence against women

• Leadership development programs should be utilised in violence prevention efforts

• Violence prevention initiatives must deliver constructive messages about, and present positive images of healthy relationships, families and communities

• Consultation with individual immigrant and refugee communities is essential to ensure that violence prevention messages, visuals, language and strategies are tailored to each community

• Utilisation of a variety of communication and social marketing strategies

• Direct participation programs are needed to capitalise and expand on the messages of communication and social marketing strategies

• Efforts designed to prevent violence against immigrant and refugee women should be the responsibility of, or greatly involve multicultural and/or ethno-specific agencies and organisations

• Organisational capacity to address violence prevention could be achieved through the delivery of professional training and resources, and through collaborative networks, to facilitate dialogue about strategies and lessons learned from violence prevention efforts

• Workplace interventions, such as greater workplace regulation and monitoring, training for employers and information sessions for employees

• Relevant legislation and policies that may affect immigrant and refugee women’s experiences of violence need to be identified, reviewed, amended, created or ratified

You can access the full report 'On Her Way: Primary prevention on violence against immigrant and refugee women in Australia' Poljski, C.  2001.  MCWH.  Melbourne.

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