Tran G1, Tarzia L2, Forbes-Mewett H3, Tran L4, Hatch M1
1Multicultural centre for women’s health, Melbourne, Australia, 2University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 3Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, 4Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
While international students experience high levels of SV/IPV, little is known about how international student women engage in help-seeking and what types of support that they need during this time. In this paper, we address this void by presenting findings from a qualitative analysis of 30 in-depth interviews with international student women who experienced SV/IPV while studying in Australia. The findings show the unique challenges of international student women’ circumstances create significant barriers to help-seeking. It further suggests the participants’ agency and resourcefulness in overcoming their specific challenges related to experiences of SV/IPV. The study demonstrates that the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate and tailored support to the specific needs of international student women survivors from SV/IPV is crucial.
Biography:
Associate Professor Helen Forbes-Mewett is a sociologist with an interdisciplinary background. She has expertise in human security, international education, migrant populations, cultural diversity and community responses to incoming groups in both urban and rural spaces. Helen has undertaken studies in Australia, UK, US and China. Helen’s work is widely published and she is an author of four books. The broad global challenge of fostering human security and thriving communities underpin her research interests. In recognition of her long-standing transnational research, Helen was recently awarded the North Star Medal of Lifetime Achievement in the A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards.