New resource to help refugee women escaping gender-based violence
MEDIA SUMMARY
Safer Futures for Refugee Women Escaping Gender-Based Violence, a first-of-its-kind toolkit by the Refugee Advice & Casework Service (RACS).
The toolkit equips frontline workers with practical tools, cultural safety guidance and best-practice recommendations when supporting refugee and asylum-seeking women at risk of family, sexual and gender-based violence.
Created by RACS, in collaboration with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and Women’s Legal Service (WLS), with funding from the Judith Neilson Foundation.
Built on extensive consultations with women with lived experience and service providers, identifying key barriers and improving safety responses.
Available now at racs.org.au/saferfutures
The Refugee Advice & Casework Service (RACS) today launched Safer Futures for Refugee Women Escaping Gender-Based Violence, a first-of-its-kind toolkit designed to help frontline service providers better support refugee and asylum-seeking women at risk of family, sexual and gender-based violence.
Developed in collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the Women’s Legal Service (WLS), and funded by the Judith Neilson Foundation, the toolkit meets a critical gap in the sector. It brings together practical tools, cultural safety guidance and best-practice recommendations to equip service providers working with refugee and asylum-seeking women experiencing, or at risk of, violence.
“In refugee contexts, the violence often begins long before a woman reaches Australia,” said Sarah Dale, RACS Centre Director & Principal Solicitor. “Many women face violence both before and during displacement. Then instead of finding relief and safety in Australia, they may encounter new forms of abuse and isolation – too often from those closest to them.”
Drawing on extensive consultations with women with lived experience and frontline workers, the toolkit highlights the compounded barriers refugee women face – including insecure visa status, financial dependency, language barriers, social isolation and fear of authorities. It offers strategies to help service providers identify and respond to risk, navigate complex legal and migration systems, and connect women to trauma-informed, culturally safe support.
“Service providers told us they needed clearer referral pathways and up-to-date information about available services,” said RACS Supervising Senior Solicitor, Isobel McGarity, who co-founded RACS’s Women at Risk Program.
“Women told us they often don’t know they are experiencing gender-based violence or where to turn for help. This Toolkit was created to bridge those gaps,” Ms McGarity said.
RACS hopes the new resource will foster greater coordination between refugee, legal, and domestic violence sectors, and ensure that no woman is left without access to safety and support.
The Safer Futures toolkit is now available for download at racs.org.au/saferfutures.
###
For media enquiries:
Hsu-Ann Khoury
Head of Engagement & Communications
Refugee Advice & Casework Service (RACS)
media@racs.org.au
Refugee Advice & Casework Service (RACS) is a nonprofit providing essential legal support and advocacy for people who have fled persecution to find safety in Australia. We help refugees, people seeking asylum, stateless individuals and those who are displaced. Our vision is of justice and dignity for and with refugees and since 1987, we've helped more than 75,000 people.
