Mali, along with her two children from a previous marriage, arrived in Australia on a visitor visa in September 2017. She promptly moved in with John, and the couple tied the knot in 2018.

Tragically, Mali’s situation is not isolated. Experts caution that deficiencies in Australia’s migration framework can make temporary visa holders susceptible to abuse, while simultaneously restricting their access to essential support services.

Professor Marie Segrave from the University of Melbourne, who focuses her research on the exploitation of irregular and temporary migrants, highlighted that abusers frequently exploit their partners’ visa status as a means of control.

“The migration system facilitates and perpetuates violence against women in various ways, while also giving power to the perpetrators,” stated Professor Marie Segrave.

“There’s a whole range of ways that the migration system both enables and sustains violence against women, but also empowers perpetrators,” Professor Marie Segrave said. Source: Supplied

“Our research shows migration status is frequently weaponised,” Segrave told SBS Thai.

Victims fall through gaps in the system

“But that call has not yet been taken up.”

Control is an early warning sign

She said many victims may not recognise that a partner monitoring their movements, restricting access to money or preventing communication with others are forms of family violence.

Limited English fluency, a lack of personal networks, and poor understanding of Australian laws and systems are all “excellent tools of control” for abusers of migrant women, Su Chaitham said. Source: Supplied

“These actions violate a person’s basic human right to live independently,” Chaitham said.

“If you are not safe, call triple-zero. If you can’t, leave the house and go somewhere public — a neighbour’s home, a shop, a petrol station, anywhere with people and CCTV,” she said.

A turning point

She walked to a nearby lake and sat crying until a neighbour approached. The neighbour’s family contacted police and support services.

With assistance from domestic violence services, Mali eventually stabilised her visa situation and now has secure permanent residency.

A message for other migrant women

“I’m glad I didn’t give up,” she said. “There is help out there, and we all deserve safety.”

Mali celebrated with a victory drink when, after a long and painful ordeal, she finally left John. Source: Supplied

Segrave said stories like Mali’s underline the need for national policy reform.