A safe haven? Women's experiences of violence in Australian immigration detention

Bibliographic Data

ID12664466
AuthorsLorena Rivas (0000-0003-4975-2441, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume26
Issue3
Pages547-565
Publication date2023-11-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePunishment & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1462-4745 • E-ISSN: 1741-3095
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14624745231214717
OpenAlexW4388849503
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited26

Western nations like Australia should be safe havens for people fleeing their home countries due to war, persecution, and other threats. People make often perilous journeys in search of asylum expecting protection from violence. However, these expectations are not matched by the realities of Australian immigration detention. This study explores the realities of detention by analysing women's experiences of violence, including intimate partner violence, within Australian long-term immigration detention. The study uses quantitative data derived from 629 Commonwealth Ombudsman reports on 252 women. The results show that violence against women is rife in Australian detention facilities, where women are victims of multiple forms of violence perpetrated by partners, families, other detainees, and staff. Personal and situational factors are explored, including type and length of detention, family and kinship networks, as well as previous experiences of violence

Commonwealth · Criminology · Domestic violence · Immigration · Immigration detention · Persecution · Poison control · Political science · Politics · Refugee · Safe haven · Situational ethics · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Law · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access