intouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence

19/05/2026

Last week we launched our evaluation findings for the Legal Pathways To Recovery (LPTR): From Pilot to Practice at Parliament House. This program was created and implemented by the Women’s Legal Centre at intouch.

The LPTR program consisted of free, weekly live webinars offering legal information to migrant and refugee women and gender-diverse victim-survivors experiencing family violence, with written and aural translations in over 60 languages.

We addressed a key gap in the broader service system where there are significant barriers to legal information for migrant and refugee victim-survivors. intouch lawyers ran all the webinars to give participants confidence in their own decision-making, find greater agency and comfort in having accessible resources at their fingertips.

Some impactful quotes from our participants:

“My husband tried to use the law against me and the webinar helped me understand how to use the law to protect myself.”

"It meant that I could do the [divorce application] process myself afterwards, which saved me so much money. Otherwise I would have needed to get a private lawyer and I can’t afford that."

“[The webinar] helped me a lot. My mental health wasn’t good at the time, and it helped encourage me to go to therapy knowing that it was covered under Financial Assistance Scheme.”

At the launch, our findings and learnings were facilitated by consultant Lydia Phillips, who highlighted the positive impact of this program. We were also joined by influential leaders who supported this work, including The Honourable Sonya Kilkenny MP, Attorney-General of Victoria and Fiona McLeay, Commissioner of the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner.

Thank you to the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner for funding and supporting this work.

Image credit: Alex Talbot, Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner

17/05/2026

Today is International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination (IDAHOBIT).

For LGBTIQA+ migrant and refugee women and gender diverse people, family violence is often shaped by multiple structures at once — race, culture, sexuality, gender, faith, language and visa status. These may be protective factors against family violence, or they can make seeking safety more complex and risky.

In Victoria, 33% of LGBTQIA+ people from multicultural backgrounds report experiencing unfair treatment based on ethnicity.*

Family violence workers and services must move beyond assumptions, challenge stereotypes, recognise bias and create space for people to express their identity and need for safety on their own terms. Culturally responsive, inclusive family violence support matters.

If you are a LGBTIQA+ migrant or refugee woman or gender diverse person experiencing family violence, you are not alone. Support is available.

📞 Call 1800 755 988
🕘 Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm

If you need urgent help, call 000.

intouch is a Rainbow Tick accredited organisation.

*Pride of Our Future Strategy 2022–2032

11/05/2026

Today we’re supporting Safe and Equal's Are You Safe at Home? Day by asking one simple but powerful question: “Are you safe at home?”

In a 2021 national survey of 1,392 migrant and refugee women, 40% said they had told no one about the abuse they experienced, mainly due to fear, stigma in community, mistrust of systems, and visa, immigration or child custody concerns*.

But when migrant and refugee women do speak up, 84% turn to a friend or family member first*.

That’s why this question matters.

Safe and Equal’s resources are available in 15 languages, helping more communities start conversations that could change or save a life.

Explore the videos, information on recognising abuse and the practical conversation guide at www.areyousafeathome.org.au. Share with your friends, family, colleagues and community.

We acknowledge that we’re working within a system that doesn’t always consider the needs of marginalised groups, and speaking out isn’t necessarily the safest option. We encourage those who really need support to find a trusted person. We believe all people deserve to be safe, respected and valued, regardless of where they are from, the language they speak or the visa that they're on.

Confidential support is available. Please call our intake team at 1800 755 988, Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.

*Data source: Segrave, Wickes & Keel (2021), Migrant and Refugee Women in Australia: The Safety and Security Survey, Monash University.

29/04/2026

“Employment is a pathway to independence, dignity and recovery. If we are serious about addressing family violence, we must remove the systemic barriers that prevent migrant women from accessing meaningful work.”
— CEO Tania Farha, intouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence

A new national report, Activate Her Skills, by the Australian Multicultural Women's Alliance - AMWA in partnership with SSI - Settlement Services International highlights a critical link between skills recognition, employment and safety for migrant and refugee women.

More than 340,000 women in Australia are working below their qualifications, not because of capability, but because of systemic failure.

When women cannot access meaningful work, they are more likely to remain financially dependent and trapped in violence.

This is not just a workforce issue. It is a safety issue.

We support the report’s call for:
• Faster, fairer and more affordable skills recognition
• Targeted support to navigate assessment pathways
• Greater coordination across regulatory bodies
• Employment pathways that are culturally safe and accessible

Read the full report here:https://activateaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ActivateHerSkillsReport.pdf

28/04/2026

If you’re attending Women Deliver, please come to the Gender, Settlement & Women side event on Thursday 30 April, featuring our CEO Tania Farha.

The panel discussion will look at settlement not as a problem to be managed, but as a space where gender-responsive policy, investment and coordination can accelerate equality outcomes, strengthen peacebuilding efforts, and unlock women’s leadership locally and transnationally.

Followed by a facilitated open conversation, attendees can engage with real-world insights and solutions that:
• Advance women’s economic participation and decent work
• Strengthen prevention and responses to gender-based violence
• Expand access to housing, justice, and social protection
• Elevate the leadership of migrant, refugee, and diaspora women in shaping communities and contributing to peace across borders

📆 Thursday 30 April
🕢 7:30am-9:00am
📍 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Meeting Room 217

Register to the side event now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdpU_DeetB-gH03jd6o4Qcmz4X2DtgCNhQ0yqzzA5THdGm4uA/viewform

This side event is organised by Settlement Council of Australia and Australian Multicultural Women's Alliance - AMWA.

Women Deliver is the world's largest conference focused on gender equality, health and the rights of girls and women.

16/04/2026

Navigating travel after family violence and separation can be difficult and complicated. At intouch, we discovered a gap in the family violence and legal sector for culturally accessible information about rights and obligations when travelling with your child after separating from your partner.

So, we created four travel-specific resources for migrant women experiencing family violence.

Now, women will know what to do if:

- Travelling Overseas With Their Child
- Applying For Their Child’s Australian Passport
- They're Worried the Other Parent Will Take Their Child Overseas
- Travelling Or Relocating Within Australia

To read the full resource pack, please visit our website: https://intouch.org.au/about-our-legal-centre/ -support

Please share these resources with your clients and networks and use them as tool to support women navigating separation and parenting arrangements.

We thank the Victoria Law Foundation for their generous grant support.

If you are in danger, please call 000 or contact Safe Steps on 1800 015 188, available 24/7. If you require guidance or general support, we can help through Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm on 1800 755 988.

The material in this post is a general guide only. It is not legal advice. Please seek legal advice about your specific situation. Separation, family dispute resolution and court processes take time, often months and years depending on your circumstances.

13/04/2026

Attend our next webinar: How Social Connections Help You Understand and Find Emotional and Financial Safety

Creating a life in a new country is brave and no one should do it alone. Learn how everyday connections can support emotional and financial safety, especially for migrant and refugee women.

What you’ll learn:
* How connections with others can help you find information and support
* Recognising safe, respectful, and trustworthy people
* Understanding why it can sometimes be hard to ask for help
* Learn how everyday common spaces (like schools and libraries) can help find support
* Where and how to get help if you need it

Tuesday 21 April
11:00am – 12:45pm AEST
Online via Zoom
Free to attend. Register on our website: https://intouch.arlo.co/register?sgid=54ea77ab7ac346fe8c4f25bba759dea3

The session will be delivered in simple English for anyone wanting to feel more confident and informed. Our panel features lived experience members, a family and domestic violence practitioner, and a financial advisor.

Open to everyone, including practitioners and community.

Support is always available. Please call triple 000 if you need urgent help. Contact us if you don’t know where to start. Call 1800 755 988, open Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.

09/04/2026

For migrant and refugee women we work with, travel isn’t always a luxury, it is often a necessity.

Announcing our four newly launched travel resources for migrant and refugee women experiencing family violence. We identified a gap in the family violence and legal sector for culturally accessible information about rights and obligations when women want to travel with their child after separation from their partner.

We created resources designed to answer the questions women ask us regularly, such as:

- Can I travel overseas with my child?
- How can I stop the other parent taking my child overseas?
- How do I apply for a passport if it’s not safe to ask for consent?
- Can I travel or relocate within Australia with my child?

Read through our resources here: https://intouch.org.au/about-our-legal-centre/ -support

Available in 9 additional languages, plus English.

If you are in danger, please call 000 or contact Safe Steps on 1800 015 188, available 24/7. If you require guidance or general support, we can help through Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm on 1800 755 988.

The material in this post is a general guide only. It is not legal advice. Please seek legal advice about your specific situation. Separation, family dispute resolution and court processes take time, often months and years depending on your circumstances.

These resources were made possible with thanks to the Victoria Law Foundation.

08/04/2026

Right now, there are more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prison than ever before.

From coast to coast across Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being criminalised and imprisoned at alarming rates.

Locking up kids is an express ticket to a life of crime and suffering. Throwing a child in prison increases the likelihood they will have ongoing contact with the criminal justice system – which only harms our communities.

That’s why we, alongside more than 200 organisations and leaders, have signed an open letter to Anthony Albanese, calling on him to act.

Please add your name too at www.natsils.org.au/open-letter-pm/

31/03/2026

A day to celebrate trans and gender diverse people, and to also recognise the discrimination, exclusion and violence many still face.

Trans and gender diverse people experience higher rates of physical and sexual violence than their cisgender peers. For those from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, this harm is often compounded at the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, religion and class.

For trans and gender diverse people, violence can also take identity-specific forms, such as:

- Threats to “out” someone
- Rejection linked to culture or religion
- Misgendering, control, or withholding gender-affirming care

A lack of culturally appropriate and trans-inclusive services can deepen this harm, while affirmation and support for gender transition can reduce vulnerability to violence. That’s why we are committed to providing support that is safe, inclusive and free from discrimination.

We specialise in supporting migrant and refugee communities experiencing family violence. If this is you, please call our team on 1800 755 988, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. https://intouch.org.au/

Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility 🏳️‍⚧️

Today and every day, Safe and Equal proudly stands in solidarity with all trans and gender diverse people. We acknowledge the rich diversity of trans communities – including trans women, trans men, sistergirls and brotherboys, non-binary and genderqueer people and many others and their experiences of gender –based violence.

Trans and gender diverse people deserve safety and dignity. But the current political attacks on trans rights across the globe are accompanied by increasing discrimination, violence and harmful policies.

Now more than ever, we must show up, speak out, advocate and be loud allies.

Trans people deserve affirmation and bodily autonomy.
Trans people deserve loving, safe and healthy relationships.
Trans people deserve long, happy and brilliant lives.
Importantly, trans people are the experts in their own lives.

Recently, our friends at Zoe Belle Gender Collective Inc and WHIN - Women's Health in the North launched ‘Allyship in Action: Frameworks for trans and gender diverse inclusion in prevention of gender-based violence initiatives’, exploring why inclusion matters and how gender equity and trans justice intersect.

This new framework offers:
🔹Practical tips for inclusive prevention work
🔹Guidance for navigating backlash and resistance
🔹Suggestions for stronger partnerships and meaningful allyship.

You can read 'Allyship in Action’ at https://ow.ly/NChN50YAZgz or https://ow.ly/aypT50YAZgA.

We encourage everyone to support Trans Day of Visibility. Together, we can create a world where all people are seen, safe, valued and free – regardless of gender.

📞 If you need support, reach out to Rainbow Door on 1800 729 367 and QLife on 1800 184 527. For free state-wide legal assistance, reach out to Q+ Law (Fitzroy Legal Service) on 9968 1002.

23/03/2026

Join us for our next webinar: Safety, Respect and Rights in Relationships.

Let’s talk about what safe, respectful and healthy relationships look like. We will explore everyday challenges, how stress can impact families and the rights and supports available in Australia.

The session will be delivered in simple English for anyone wanting to feel more confident and informed. Our panel features intouch experts and lived experience practitioners.

Wednesday 1 April
11:00am – 12:45pm AEDT
Online via Zoom
Free to attend. Registrations required.

Register here: https://intouch.smspro.net.au/Form/Index?id=intouch&del=30605&courseCode=SETSWebinar&group=125173&directLink=true&formType=1