Challenges to the proof of violence, and social stigma for ethnic migrant women in the current Victims of Family Violence (VFV) visa policy in Aotearoa New Zealand

Analyses showed that victim-survivors face significant barriers in accessing this visa. Proving violence and an inability to return to their country of origin due to social stigma are complex and challenging factors for ethnic migrant women. The cultural reasons discussed in this article include that psychological abuse is dominant, violence occurs transnationally, and the social stigma experienced extends well beyond the victim-survivors’ individual and immediate circumstances.