Domestic and family violence, coercive control and exploring ideas and practices of prevention for migrants and refugees in Victoria

‘Migrant and refugee’ is a term used to capture a significant part of the Australian population, including those born overseas (29.1% of the Australian population, 31% of the Victorian population) (ABS 2021; State of Victoria 2021). It also describes the Australian-citizen children of parents born overseas (48.2% of the Australian population, 49.1% of the Victorian population) and those who hold temporary visas (such as international students) (ABS 2021; State of Victoria 2021). This means that this is both a diverse and dynamic group rather than a formalised category. This is particularly important in conversations around domestic and family violence (DFV) and primary prevention. While primary prevention ‘aims to shift the underlying drivers of violence against women – the systems, structures, norms, attitudes, practices and power imbalances that drive this violence’ (Our Watch 2021:55–56), the specificity of the structural, social, economic and political context for migrant and refugee populations is widely varied. This poses important considerations, then, for the specific focus on primary prevention of coercive control for migrant and refugee women and communities more broadly in Victoria, including in the context of the present study. This study involved 2 phases. First, it sought to capture the state of knowledge on coercive control for migrant and refugee women via an examination of the extant empirical and grey literature in Australia and internationally. Second, it sought to work with men and women across Victoria who identify as migrants or refugees, and key stakeholders, to explore coercive control and the role of and opportunity for primary prevention.