A new Curtin University report is calling for urgent action to better protect migrant and refugee women from family and domestic violence (FDV), warning that structural gaps exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic are still impacting some of Western Australia’s most vulnerable communities today.
The SHAKTI Project Community Report, funded by Healthway, highlights the ongoing challenges faced by women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities – such as isolation, economic hardship, emotional abuse and visa vulnerabilities, all of which were amplified during the global pandemic.
As part of the project, CALD women with lived experience of violence worked alongside researchers and frontline agencies to create and pilot the SHAKTI Self-Help and Safety Intervention (SHSI) tool.
The result is a tailored resource that empowers vulnerable WA women in these communities to recognise abuse, plan for safety and access support.
Lead investigator and researcher Professor Jaya Dantas, from the Curtin School of Population Health, said the tool can be utilised by migrant and refugee women experiencing domestic violence to educate, empower and support them.
“For many migrant and refugee women, the pandemic didn’t just increase the risk of violence – it amplified existing inequalities and made it even harder to seek help,” Professor Dantas said.
“Despite immense hardship, the women who took part in this project showed extraordinary resilience. Their insights tell us exactly what needs to be done to make services more supportive and accessible.”
Co-Investigator on the project John Curtin Distinguished Professor Donna Chung, from the Curtin School of Allied Health, said the findings show the urgent need for greater support for women from CALD backgrounds. Professor Chung was recently named a leader in her field in The Australian Research Magazine 2026.
“Culturally appropriate support is not optional – it is essential. Without it, women face greater danger, greater isolation and fewer pathways to safety,” Professor Chung said.
“Women from CALD backgrounds are still falling through cracks in the system. Our report sets out what must be done now to ensure these women are never again left without safety, information or support.”
Professor Sender Dovchin, also an investigator on the project from the Curtin School of Education, examines how challenges with language and linguistic racism impacts refugee and migrant women. Professor Dovchin was recently named a leader in her field in The Australian Research Magazine 2026.
“Women told us repeatedly that they want resources that reflect their culture, their language and their lived experiences. The SHAKTI Self-Help and Safety Intervention will work because CALD women helped create it,” Professor Dovchin said.
The SHAKTI Self-Help and Safety Intervention tool was piloted and evaluated by 58 participants, which included CALD women and FDV service providers.
The feedback received across themes included framing FDV in a more culturally acceptable yet direct manner, expanding the definitions of abuse, and using simpler and more concise English to ensure readability.
Participants also suggested various strategies for sharing SHSI with CALD communities, including upon arrival in Australia, through community groups and on social media.
The researchers are now suggesting several policy recommendations including, a review of visa support for migrant women escaping FDV, increasing financial support and transitional accommodation, increasing language learning programs, making increased provision for psychological support, providing mechanisms for navigating the legal and justice process, and the need for community education.
The SHAKTI Project was undertaken through the Curtin School of Population Health, collaborating with community agencies across Perth.
The SHAKTI Project’s academic paper, ‘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’ and can be found online here.
