Navigating the Disjuncture Between Domestic and Family Violence Systems: Australian Muslim Women’s Challenges when Disclosing Violence

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study uses an intersectional lens to examine disclosure among Australian Muslim women experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV). Findings reveal a disjuncture between formal DFV systems and Australian Muslim women’s realities. The disjuncture is fuelled by three key factors: reluctance to disclose violence due to discrimination and marginalisation; a disconnect between the language the women use to describe violence and the language used by formal DFV systems; and disclosures and identification of violence occurring primarily outside of formal DFV systems. The factors that lead to the disjuncture described above are shaped by all three of Crenshaw’s forms of intersectionality, demonstrating that while intersectionality can improve responses to disclosures of violence by marginalised women, it can only do so with a holistic application of the concept. One of the key implications of this is that investment is needed to increase the capacity of informal networks and non-DFV specific formal systems to identify and respond to violence in order to better respond to Australian Muslim women’s intersectional experiences. Acknowledging the factors affecting Australian Muslim women’s experiences of disclosure also yields benefits for other marginalised women.