This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Like many women raised in traditional cultures and religious contexts, I was taught that a "good" woman holds the family together. In my culture, women were often glorified for quietly accepting hardship.
As a highly educated, financially independent and well-informed professional, admitting I had lived in an abusive relationship for a long time felt shameful and like a personal defeat. Seeking help felt like exposing weakness and vulnerability. As a researcher in mental well-being, I now understand my experience was not unique.
One in four Australian women has experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15. Women from migrant and refugee backgrounds face an even greater risk. Official data among migrant and refugee communities in Australia remain limited.
But a 2020 national survey of about 1,400 migrant and refugee women found one in three had experienced domestic violence in the previous five years. Stigma, financial dependence, fears of social exclusion and community acceptance of abuse can make it much harder for some women to get the support they need. Intimate partner violence does not always or only involve physical harm.
A less visible but often equally devastating aspect is coercive control. This involves a pattern of behaviors designed to dominate another person. It can involve intimidation, surveillance, financial control, emotional abuse, isolation and gradually removing their autonomy.
Increasingly, coercive control can also be facilitated through technology such as digital surveillance, monitoring and tracking. This can further isolate victims, making it more difficult for them to seek help and stay connected to others. Because coercive control can be difficult to recognize, women may struggle to make sense of what is happening and identify it as abuse.
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