“Stuck Due to COVID”: Applying the Power and Control Model to Migrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Family Domestic Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

TL;DR

This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened domestic violence for migrant and refugee women in Western Australia, using the Power and Control Model to analyze their experiences.

Contribution

The study applies the Power and Control Wheel to migrant and refugee women's FDV experiences during the pandemic, revealing systemic barriers and pandemic-specific impacts.

Findings

The pandemic exacerbated existing domestic violence through isolation, economic control, and visa vulnerabilities.

Government measures had mixed effects, sometimes enabling FDV and sometimes reducing its impact.

Systemic issues like immigration policies and FDV service provision acted as barriers to help-seeking.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had acute and lasting gendered impacts around the world, with UN Women declaring a shadow pandemic of violence against women. This study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant and refugee women’s experiences of family domestic violence (FDV) in Western Australia (WA) using a community-based participatory research approach. Thirty-eight interviews and two qualitative surveys conducted with 27 women were included in the analysis. Interview and survey data underwent reflexive thematic analysis informed by the Power and Control Wheel, generating three themes and ten subthemes: (1) the facets of violence women experienced (isolation; economic violence; emotional violence; visa vulnerabilities; fear and uncertainty), (2) the systemic enablers of FDV and barriers to seeking help (FDV service provision; the immigration system), and (3) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and government measures on women and family (enabling FDV; reducing the impact of FDV; COVID-19 paled into insignificance). While for some migrant and refugee women, government measures facilitated access to support for FDV, our findings show that for others, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and became part of the violence they had already experienced. Recommendations for tailored FDV and other support during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed, including the expansion of family violence provisions for all visa types.

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