First Nations women and children with disability and their experiences of family and domestic violence

  • Research program: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
  • Project status: Completed
  • Start date: July 2021
  • Expected end date: August 2022
  • Completion date: November 2022
  • Funded by: Attorney General Department
  • Lead organisation: Curtin University

First Nations women and children with disability are at greater risk of family and domestic violence and its consequences than their non-Indigenous peers. Despite this, the voices of Aboriginal people are largely missing from disability research in Australia (Dew et al. 2019). The aim of this project is to engage with First Nations communities and key stakeholders in Western Australia (WA) to: gain an understanding of their experiences of family and domestic violence, identify factors they believe open them up to the risk of harm, document their observations and experiences of barriers and/or enablers to seeking assistance and support, obtain their views on what works in currently available programs, and make recommendations for future culturally safe prevention and protection programs. The project responds to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability terms of reference with regard to human rights and Australia’s international obligations to provide persons with disability respect, individual autonomy, and a safe environment.

Project objectives are to:

• advise the Royal Commission on the nature and extent of domestic and family

violence experienced by First Nations women and children with disability in

Western Australia; and

• make recommendations for ways in which to capture the experiences of family

and domestic violence of First Nations women and children with disability post

the completion of this study.

Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location
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Dr Lynn Roarty
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1600
l.roarty@curtin.edu.au
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Chief Investigator

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Perth

  • Chief Investigator: John Gilroy, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Hannah McGlade, Curtin University
  • Chief Investigator: Robyn Williams, Curtin University
  • Chief Investigator: Mandy Wilson, Curtin University
  • Chief Investigator: Helen Leonard, University of Western Australia

Dr Jocelyn Jones
Senior Research Fellow
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1616
j.jones@curtin.edu.au
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This project aligns with the following Sustainable Development Goals and Targets: