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Barriers to Access Research Project

Migrant and refugee women’s experiences of the online family violence intervention order process 

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Conducted in partnership with the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights (AMWCHR), and funded by the Victoria Law Foundation, this project unpacked the range of process issues and barriers faced by migrant and refugee women when applying to the court for family violence intervention orders (FVIOs) using the online forms.

 

The study was timely, as online forms become routine across Victoria and essential to the new model of pre-court engagement and resolution through the Early Resolution Service piloted at the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court from 2021. Data and reported experiences by NCLC and AMWCHR clients indicated there may have been numerous barriers compounding safety risks experienced by migrant and refugee women. The research showed that the recent move to an online application and pre-court information process has made FVIOs almost inaccessible to people for whom English is not a first language.

 

​Read the full Research Report and the Findings and Recommendations below. For further information, please contact Tania McKenna at tmckenna@northernclc.org.au.

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And read about the sister project, the Barriers to Access Research Project, here.  

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