Supporting survivors of family violence in migrant and refugee communities

This year, Spectrum was proud to take part in Respect Victoria’s 2024 Walk Against Family Violence, held in Birrarung Marr on 22nd November.

After the Walk, we met up with Integration and Family Services Team Leader Ashwaq Mohamed, to talk about Spectrum’s participation in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and hear some insights into working with survivors of family violence in refugee and migrant communities.

Top: Spectrum Team Leader Ashwaq Mohamed (centre left) and team members during our Walk planning and discussion session. Above: Spectrum at the Walk Against Family Violence.

 

Ashwaq, you’re a leader of a very busy team, supporting newly-arrived families. So why do you think it’s helpful to take time to participate in events like the Walk Against Family Violence?

One way to answer this, is that I have an Ubuntu approach – I am, because we are. It highlights the importance of community, of shared responsibility and mutual respect. As an NGO supporting Settlement services, we must stand in solidarity with communities [and community organisations] to raise awareness. When done together, we can amplify voices, especially those with lived experience.

Many of the crowd at the Walk today were there on behalf of women and children who did not survive family violence, or who are still enmeshed in it, and so who don’t have a voice.

Gender-based violence, and family violence particularly, doesn’t discriminate.

But being out there on that walk, there weren’t a lot of people that looked like me. So for me to be part of that was really important – I’m also representing those Muslim women, black women, who are experiencing or have experienced or worked with family violence. And they need to know that there’s people like us, that do care about this topic.

And that do exist in these spaces and services that can help them.

I feel like, whatever or whoever you personally represent, being there and taking part in the Walk and the 16 Days of Activism, is so important.

There’s people at home who might see it online, or on the news, and they’re in the middle of experiencing family violence, and it might stick with them. It normalises that [gender-based violence doesn’t discriminate], but that the messages of support are also for you, too. I don’t want anyone to feel like they’ve seen this type of activism or heard about support services and gone ‘well, is this for me and my people or is it not?’ and that’s why it’s important for all of us to be out there – the visual impact means something to them.

We know that gender-based violence does impact all Australians. When working with migrant and refugee communities, are there are unique challenges to addressing gender-based violence?

It’s a big question. When working with collectivist cultures (see below), there can be a sense of ‘this is our business, this is their business’ – that our problems should stay in the house. A feeling that you’re being disloyal if you were to tell someone else outside of your community. That impacts a lot of clients that we service, and often people [without lived experience] might not be conscious to that. But our front-line staff members here at Spectrum relate to this… when we’re supporting clients, it’s something we’re able to look for.

I think it’s important for all practitioners to walk into that room, knowing what their own values are, their own morals that they’re taking into the room when they first go to see that client. It’s important to always approach the situation with empathy. To be curious. Not labelling or attacking the woman. Not making the client feel small for being part of a situation she didn’t choose for herself, that she didn’t think she was going to be in. Imagining you were in the client’s shoes.

Some of our clients have fears even of using interpreting services, because the interpreter may be someone that they know. That they might tell someone else. They don’t want to become stigmatised. So being mindful of the other, systemic barriers that our clients face, when their circumstances are already a barrier.

There’s grief and loss in terms of deciding to leave – they’re not just deciding to leave an abusive relationship, they’re probably deciding how to leave a whole community, a whole rich culture, something they’ve always known since they were a child.

It’s a misperception to say that leaving an abusive relationship is easy or something freeing for many survivors. So getting access to resources and having trust in the workers that are supporting them, is major for a client.

Statistically, we know that it takes around six attempts to finally leave an abusive relationship. We also know the time after leaving a violent relationship or environment are when women are particularly vulnerable.

It’s a long process. While we’re working towards a long-term, safer, better solution…we’re working to rebuild the client’s confidence in herself.

Knowing that [statistically] they might go back to that relationship, even to defuse the added risks faced by leaving, we’re working to help them understand… do they know what to do when they are ready to leave that situation? Who is there to help? It’s giving them confidence that they can do this, when they’re ready.

Above: Spectrum Case Manager Selam, Team Leader Ashwaq and Community Engagement Officer Reham at Respect Victoria’s Walk Against Family Violence

 

As workers, we don’t have control over people’s lives or choices. We only have control in terms of the support and messages we put out there, the resources we give them to manage risks, and empowering them for when the day comes. Honouring and recognising that they’ve shared their narrative and trust with us. Being really mindful of that.

What we can control is things like, educating on what safety in relationships looks like. Giving them an understanding of the process like, here’s what our communication will look like – if I call you at home, here might be some particular codes that we could use [so they can share information with me safely]. Helping manage the situation as it is, and going – how can we move forward together, from here? There’s definitely more of a success rate when they, the client, decides that yes, they’re ready to do this. That’s a message that we’re trying to get across to them… equipping them so that even if they go back, it gets easier to leave.

It’s a client-centred approach. Knowing that it’s a story where we don’t know what the end would look like, is part of both the clients and workers’ self care. But we’re in it together.

If someone is worried about, or supporting a friend or relative who may be experiencing family violence, what would you tell them?

It’s a tough one [for anyone] to see someone going through that, going back to that situation. And there’s a duty of care when it comes to children. Confidentiality is a sticky one that we have to be open about. There’s things that we can’t keep to ourselves, for their safety.

But number one, don’t judge them. And number two, ask for help.

Watch out for behavioural changes, watch out for people’s social cues. Give them the space to talk, a space that’s safe. Let them know you’re concerned, and give them information on where to go. And in general, just have open dialogues [with people you care about]. Don’t ever assume everybody is feeling good, you know? Check in. Always check in.

When it comes to addressing gender-based violence, individually or on a wider scale, these raw and honest conversations are heavy but necessary. The statistics and realities we discussed are too urgent to ignore. Preparing for the 16 Days of Activism and the Walk Against Family Violence brought us together in a shared commitment to raise awareness and inspire action for change.

 

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