The Migrant Women’s Refuge - Cecilia Barber

This project will focus on the activism of migrant and refugee women in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century. Their activism involved the direct support of two established services: the Migrant Women’s Refuge (1975), and the Refuge Ethnic Workers Program (1984); however, this activism has largely been silenced within the larger Women’s movement in Australia at the time.¹ Throughout the 1970s, the women’s movement in Australia was deeply concerned with the establishment of refuges for victims of domestic violence, and this activism took place against the backdrop of a diverse, albeit racially stratified, women’s movement.² Chief issues facing migrant and refugee women at this time included the lingering effects of British colonialism, as well as issues with domestic violence.

In 1975, the Australian National Women’s Refuge Program was established, deeply influenced by feminist activism in the nation at the time, and was meant to provide women with a safe haven in the face of domestic or intimate partner violence.³ According to historical accounts, the program was incredibly successful, however, the experiences of migrant women were ignored, and the impacts of their effort were largely credited to white, Australian feminists.⁴ The “safe homes” provided to women after immigrating were not as safe as purported.⁵ Multiple cases of racism were documented within these refuges across the nation, leaving the needs of women of color largely unmet. This was true for both women of indigenous and immigrant backgrounds, whose oppressions are interconnected due to their rootedness in similar colonial systems.⁶ Those who did get access to services were treated differently from their peers, viewed as in need of “special” help, and battled stereotypes of their respective communities.⁷

The Migrant Women’s Refuge was meant to fill the gaps left behind by traditional Australian refuges for women, providing service to women that were culturally sensitive and did not regard migrant women as though they were a “special needs” group.⁸ I find this movement particularly interesting because of its emphasis on the rights of migrant women workers. The Migrant Women’s Refuge employed immigrants and refugees in order to provide accessible services, rather than forcing integration at a time of distress.⁹ This is such a small thing, but it feels so radical as an activist decision because it focuses on the complex needs of migrant women as individuals rather than as members of a particular social group; these women are seen and cared for at the intersection of gender and migration status. This area of focus is particularly important because it demonstrates the depth of the exclusion facing migrant women at the time. Published accounts of the Women’s Movement at the time conveniently exclude the unique challenges facing migrant women, as well as their extensive activist efforts.¹⁰

The Migrant Women’s Refuge did not intervene politically in issues of migration, but instead provided crucial services to migrant and refugee women who had otherwise restricted access to refuge.¹¹ Now known as Kara House, the facility still stands today and continues to provide refuge for battered women, and is inclusive of queer individuals, as well as those with disabilities. At the time it was founded, the Migrant Women’s Refuge provided a safe haven to women who would otherwise have had no place to go, providing short-term safety and, where possible, long-term support. The Migrant Women’s Refuge strove to create an environment that would be protective of the needs of migrant and refugee women, and provided care which existed at the intersection of their identities rather than marginalizing them for them.

Though the refuge itself was not political, many of its residents and other people involved with it participated in significant activism against domestic violence and its underlying causes.¹² Their efforts began with the employees of the refuge, who were trained to understand the specific needs of migrant women and educate the community. The two organizations worked closely with each other throughout the 1980s and beyond, offering support to each other in the face of racial bias and injustice, providing housing for hundreds of migrant women in the face of danger.

The Migrant Women’s Refuge was unique because its main tasks were to provide women and families in need with resources which were otherwise inaccessible to them. Rather than focusing on advocacy efforts in the political sphere, the Refuge’s power was a result of its engagement with the needs of its clients. Migrant women have historically been pushed to the side, with their needs neglected by both of their respective communities. The Migrant Women’s Refuge was an institution of resistance not just because of its fight against domestic violence, but also against the racism embedded within the dominant white feminist structures at its time. The devastating piece of this story is that the refuge has been largely removed from mainstream Australian history, if it were ever really in the mainstream to begin with. After choosing to go forward with this research a few months back, I have looked for resources that would help to flesh out my discussion of this movement, and have unfortunately come up empty-handed. I have been really struggling to decide whether to turn in this assignment or not, because I have only been able to come up with one academic source discussing this movement. But I have decided that the absence of knowledge says just as much as its presence can. We know that this information is difficult to access because of the way that knowledge is commodified, and thus withheld from those to whom it is not within reach.

With that in mind, for the creative component of my final project, I decided that I wanted to do something about that unequal distribution of knowledge. The attached letter is written to the leadership of the Kara House Board, expressing my concerns about the inaccessibility of the Kara House’s story. Nowhere on the website, nor elsewhere online, is this organization’s history easily accessible by the public. Knowledge is a commodity, a tool accessible to those with the privilege to acquire it, and the fact that these stories are not being told is a result of generations of systemic violence. The only way to begin to repair these wounds is by telling these stories, even if it is a little too late.

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to you to express my profound concern regarding the contents of the Kara House’s website. Throughout the course of my education, I have learned about the countless ways in which migration and gender intersect, and how those intersections have been visible historically. I was so excited to learn about the Migrant Women’s Refuge as I read about Australia’s Women’s Movement in the 1970’s, and was hoping to learn more about the house and its history. A simple google search brought me to your website, where I quickly found that the solution to my curiosity was an upsettingly bare-bones timeline posted on the “About Us” tab.

The Kara House’s original name was the Migrant Women’s Refuge, and it was built in 1975. Women’s Refuges were becoming popular in Australia, as the issue of domestic violence had been brought to the forefront of feminist advocacy efforts. The Migrant Women’s Refuge was deeply unique in its creation, as it was the only structure at the time that could cater to and meet the needs of migrant women, whose experiences with domestic violence were overlooked and assumed to be congruent with those of their white counterparts. The legacy of the Kara House is one of incredibly powerful activism on the behalf of migrant women, and it appears to me as though this website does not do enough to harness its powerful history.

The Migrant Women’s Refuge was only the beginning of an incredible movement, which unfolded against all odds, fighting not only against domestic violence, but also challenging the legacies of British Colonialism and advocating for the unique needs of migrant women. My attempts to further research the Refuge have yielded very little. In fact, the only academic text I can unearth pushes back against this shortage rather effectively, citing only two published accounts of the Women’s Movement for having recognized their efforts at all.¹³ It feels deeply concerning to me that the stories of these powerful women are not showcased on your most public platform, especially considering the ways in which their stories have already been erased from the narrative of the larger Women’s Movement.

The Kara House’s legacy is one of incredible power, with a deeply significant impact on the experiences of migrant women facing domestic violence. The House’s continued commitment to diversity is deeply appreciated, however, there are very many obstacles facing migrant women as they move through this world. Accessing history should not be one of them. I urge you to consider the benefits of highlighting the Kara House’s history in a more public manner.

The Migrant Women’s Refuge was an incredible resource for migrant women in need, whose access to refuge and safety would have otherwise been limited. Despite the success of Women’s Refuges as a whole during the 1970’s and 80’s, these resources were only easily accessible to white women. Without the efforts of the Migrant Women’s Refuge, there would have been many more migrant women who had received care which was not appropriate or sensitive to their needs.

Today, we have come to understand that identity is not unidimensional, but rather intersectional. The lens of intersectionality has shed a significant amount of light on the experiences of women of color, specifically those from backgrounds of immigration or disability. While intersectionality is not universally understood even now, it is far more widespread than it was at the inception of the Migrant Women’s Refuge. At that time, intersectional activism was far more revolutionary; the Refuge was uniquely positioned to fill the gaps left behind by the larger Women’s Movement, and should be proud that it continues to do so.

To me, the Migrant Women’s Refuge represents a significant shift in the way our world operates. That these stories have been left out of history books for far too long, and this finally feels like a way to remedy that exclusion. Although you cannot rewrite the Women’s Movement behind which this activism took place, you must be able to recognize that migrant women were largely excluded from the story that has been told for decades. To me, the absence of this history on your website, or anywhere else that is easily accessed, says that the experiences of migrant women, or marginalized women as a whole, are not worth discussing. That their contributions are not worth remembering. What do you think it means to the women who built this facility?

Whose blood, sweat, and tears went into advocating for its residents? Are they worth remembering to you?

I cannot seek to represent their experiences, and I admit to not fully understanding the depth and breadth of the Kara House’s reach. But I can see plainly that there are very different narratives being told about the House’s history. The narrative which does not represent the histories of migrant women can only perpetuate epistemic violence. Without understanding and investigating the stories of the women who built this movement, how can you claim to still be fighting that violence today?

If you are wondering where to start, speak to your community members, and begin to tie together the threads of history which linger there. I would also recommend reading Adele Murdolo’s “Safe Homes for Immigrant and Refugee Women.” Just as the Kara House does today, the Migrant Women’s Refuge provided care to survivors of domestic violence which existed at the intersections of their identities rather than treating them as victims. In my opinion, you owe it to yourselves to explore and showcase the powerful history your facility stands for. I hope you choose to pursue and publish the truth for all the world to see.

Sincerely,
Cecilia Barber

¹ Murdolo, “Safe Homes,” 127

² Murdolo, 126

³ Murdolo, 128

⁴ Murdolo, 129

⁵ Murdolo, 130

⁶ Murdolo, 130

⁷ Murdolo, 132

⁸ Murdolo, 134

⁹ Ibid.

¹⁰ Murdolo, 127

¹¹ Murdolo, 139

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Mordolo, 127

Works Cited

MURDOLO, ADELE. "Safe Homes for Immigrant and Refugee Women." Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, vol. 35, no. 3, 1 Sep. 2014, pp. 126 - 153

For more information, please visit https://karahouse.org.au/