Staying or Leaving: Rethinking Support Pathways for African Australian Migrant Women in Family Violence Relationships

This systematic review explores the multifaceted factors influencing African Australian migrant women’s decisions to remain in family violence relationships. It critically examines how existing service frameworks marginalise women who stay and advocates for culturally safe, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction programs. The study calls for a significant policy and practice shift to recognise diverse survival strategies beyond conventional notions of “leaving”. Guided by a critical realist ontological approach, the review employs thematic analysis of qualitative data to illuminate the complex interplay of social, cultural, legal, and economic factors shaping women’s choices. Findings reveal that current service models, predominantly based on a “leave to be safe” paradigm, fail to address intersecting barriers faced by African Australian migrant women. These include precarious visa status, language barriers, and fear of child removal, which compel many to remain in violent environments. The study highlights the unique challenges posed by insecure migration status, which intensifies family violence and impedes help-seeking behaviours. This review identifies significant structural and intersectional barriers, critical policy gaps and proposes re-envisioning support pathways to better serve women who, for structural and personal reasons, cannot or choose not to leave abusive relationships. It underscores the need for culturally safe, harm-reduction strategies and systemic reforms to dismantle structural inequalities embedded in immigration and family violence responses.