Equity in Safety: Improving Access, Experience and Outcomes for Migrant and Refugee Victim-Survivors of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
Tracks
Prince Room: In-Person and Online
Monarch Room: In-Person Only
Jacaranda Room: In-Person Only
| Monday, November 24, 2025 |
| 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM |
Overview
Gulnara Abbasova, Head of Domestic and Family Violence Prevention and Response, SSI
Speaker
Gulnara Abbasova
Head of DFSV Prevention and Response
SSI
Equity in Safety: Improving Access, Experience and Outcomes for Migrant and Refugee Victim-Survivors of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
Presentation Overview
Migrant and refugee victim-survivors face unique systemic barriers to achieving safety, compounded by cultural, institutional and structural inequities. These barriers restrict their ability to seek help, disclose abuse, and access necessary supports.
From a deep mistrust of services and institutions due to experiences of racism and discrimination, to poor service responses and rigid service options that undermine agency, and the combination of personal experiences, cultural stigma and community shame – these significant barriers render services inaccessible and intimidating, exacerbating feelings of isolation, and undermine safety and wellbeing.
Supporting migrant and refugee victim-survivors to overcome these barriers requires services to implement culturally responsive practice in an intentional and sustained fashion as a service level and systemic imperative. This must be underpinned by investment in both the diversity of the workforce and the uplifting of capabilities of the workforce as a whole, as well as enabling service design and leadership.
Beyond equity, embedding cultural responsiveness in service responses is a matter of quality, safety and trust.
From a deep mistrust of services and institutions due to experiences of racism and discrimination, to poor service responses and rigid service options that undermine agency, and the combination of personal experiences, cultural stigma and community shame – these significant barriers render services inaccessible and intimidating, exacerbating feelings of isolation, and undermine safety and wellbeing.
Supporting migrant and refugee victim-survivors to overcome these barriers requires services to implement culturally responsive practice in an intentional and sustained fashion as a service level and systemic imperative. This must be underpinned by investment in both the diversity of the workforce and the uplifting of capabilities of the workforce as a whole, as well as enabling service design and leadership.
Beyond equity, embedding cultural responsiveness in service responses is a matter of quality, safety and trust.
Biography
Gulnara Abbasova is the Head of DFSV Prevention and Response at Settlement Services International. She brings over 20 years of experience in public policy and strategy across civil society, government and intergovernmental organisations. Gulnara previously led the national multicultural peak body, and established and led a national migrant and refugee women’s alliance. Gulnara served on the advisory groups to develop The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, and The National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Domestic and Family Violence. She is a Board Director of NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters).
