Position Paper: The Causes and Consequences of Misidentification on Women From Migrant and Refugee Communities Experiencing Family Violence

inTouch’s new position paper, released today, highlights the concerning and ongoing issue of misidentification in response to family violence occurring within migrant and refugee communities.

Misidentification occurs when the victim-survivor of family violence is incorrectly identified as the predominant aggressor by law enforcement and the justice system. It is estimated to occur in every one in ten cases- and significantly more when incidents take place in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. And it can have devastating, long-term effects.

Issues covered in the paper include:

• Why misidentification of the predominant aggressor occurs
• Communities at high risk of misidentification
• Different types of misidentification, and how this can be manipulated by a perpetrator of violence (including systems abuse)
• Consequences of misidentification on the victim- survivor
• Effect of COVID-19
• Steps required to reduces instances of misidentification.

inTouch’s position paper, The Causes and Consequences of Misidentification on Women From Migrant and Refugee Communities Experiencing Family Violence can be read here.