What does it take to prevent gender-based violence against migrant and refugee women? It’s a big question. But in Australia over the last 10 years, there have already been over 100 projects working to tackle this question, many led by migrant and…
Protest, persistence, recognition and resistance
Around the world, women of colour, migrant and refugee women, and women in the global south, have played vital roles in movements for peace, freedom, and equality. But in a patriarchal and racially unequal world, these women’s contributions are often overlooked,…
What bilingual health education makes possible
Over three years, the Health in My Language program has delivered in-language health education to over 60,000 people, in every state and territory, through a skilled workforce of migrant and refugee women health educators. Over this time, educators all over the country…
Reproductive justice: a right, not a product.
Last month, the Australian government made a change to the Overseas Students Health Care (OSHC) Deed that will improve access to reproductive healthcare for thousands in Australia. After over a decade of strong advocacy from international student groups and women’s health organisations…
Migrant women’s health in a digital world
Does the idea of being without your mobile phone make you anxious? The experience is so common that ‘nomophobia’ (the fear of being without one’s mobile phone) has been recognised as a psychological condition, which is estimated to impact 99 per…
Who gets sick and who gets blamed?
Why do some people get sick, or sicker, than others? Explanations throughout history have varied. In the 19th century, those with passionate, creative and melancholic personalities were thought to be more “tuberculosis-prone”, at least among the upper-classes. While it may seem absurd…
Does Australia have a healthy democracy?
For some, the story of this election has been that overt anti-immigration sentiment lost, and expanding healthcare and women’s health won. It’s a heartening sign that Australian voters want real solutions, and that the scapegoating of migrants might no longer be a…
Pinned to disaster: climate mobility justice
Australia has been experiencing one of the busiest cyclone seasons in recent history, with devastating impact. As climate change worsens, extreme weather will become more common and severe. The social, physical and ecological impacts of climate change, however, do not impact populations…
Seeing where the power lies: moving beyond behavioural change
In 2024, the Counting Dead Women project recorded 78 women killed in gender-based violence – the highest number since 2016. Preventing gender-based violence has always been urgent, but with numbers seeming to rise, experts, advocates and leaders alike have asked:…
Moving from feminist theory to action!
Thirty years is a long time to wait for action. And yet, it has been thirty years since governments, advocates and activists from around the world came together to develop the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a vision from which…