Experiences of domestic violence among newly arrived Afghan women in Australia, a qualitative study

The voice of Afghan women has been little heard, particularly in Australia and other western societies, despite the considerable number living in those societies. The main aim of this study was to understand Afghan women’s experiences of domestic violence and their perceptions about the extent of domestic violence among the Afghan community in Australia. The study involved semi-structured interviews with twenty-one Afghan women who had been living in Australia between six months and ten years. The interviews were conducted in either Farsi (Persian) or English according to participant’s preferences. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive analysis of the data was used to explore details and build main themes. Some women spoke about their experiences of domestic violence, mainly psychological and emotional violence. Although women insisted that domestic violence was prevalent and widespread in both contexts, many remarked that Afghan women were less vulnerable to physical violence in Australia than in Afghanistan. This article concludes with a number of implications for social work practice based on the study findings.