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Volume 22
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Article

“Stuck Due to COVID”: Applying the Power and Control Model to Migrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Family Domestic Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

by
Azriel Lo
,
Georgia Griffin
,
Hana Byambadash
,
Erin Mitchell
and
Jaya A. R. Dantas
*
Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley 6102, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(4), 627; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040627
Submission received: 28 January 2025 / Revised: 28 March 2025 / Accepted: 2 April 2025 / Published: 16 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Inequalities in Socially Disadvantaged Communities: 2nd Edition)
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had acute and lasting gendered impacts around the world, with UN Women declaring a shadow pandemic of violence against women. This study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant and refugee women’s experiences of family domestic violence (FDV) in Western Australia (WA) using a community-based participatory research approach. Thirty-eight interviews and two qualitative surveys conducted with 27 women were included in the analysis. Interview and survey data underwent reflexive thematic analysis informed by the Power and Control Wheel, generating three themes and ten subthemes: (1) the facets of violence women experienced (isolation; economic violence; emotional violence; visa vulnerabilities; fear and uncertainty), (2) the systemic enablers of FDV and barriers to seeking help (FDV service provision; the immigration system), and (3) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and government measures on women and family (enabling FDV; reducing the impact of FDV; COVID-19 paled into insignificance). While for some migrant and refugee women, government measures facilitated access to support for FDV, our findings show that for others, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and became part of the violence they had already experienced. Recommendations for tailored FDV and other support during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed, including the expansion of family violence provisions for all visa types.
Keywords: domestic violence; migrant; refugee; women; gender; COVID-19; pandemic; gender-based violence domestic violence; migrant; refugee; women; gender; COVID-19; pandemic; gender-based violence

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lo, A.; Griffin, G.; Byambadash, H.; Mitchell, E.; Dantas, J.A.R. “Stuck Due to COVID”: Applying the Power and Control Model to Migrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Family Domestic Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 627. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040627

AMA Style

Lo A, Griffin G, Byambadash H, Mitchell E, Dantas JAR. “Stuck Due to COVID”: Applying the Power and Control Model to Migrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Family Domestic Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(4):627. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040627

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lo, Azriel, Georgia Griffin, Hana Byambadash, Erin Mitchell, and Jaya A. R. Dantas. 2025. "“Stuck Due to COVID”: Applying the Power and Control Model to Migrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Family Domestic Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 4: 627. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040627

APA Style

Lo, A., Griffin, G., Byambadash, H., Mitchell, E., & Dantas, J. A. R. (2025). “Stuck Due to COVID”: Applying the Power and Control Model to Migrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Family Domestic Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(4), 627. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040627

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