Uyen Truong arrived in Australia from Vietnam in 2012 looking to start a new life with her husband and children. But she says living with her now ex-partner and in-laws became difficult. "Four years total we lived together.
I had too much stress, sad, violent — but at that time I didn't know that it's called violence," she said. "I just tried really hard to be a good wife, good daughter-in-law. "I tried my best to do everything, but I didn't get any happiness and freedom for myself and my kids so that's why I'm thinking (I needed) to get out of there.
" Uyen didn't speak any English and had no family or money of her own as her husband took control of every aspect of her life. "It's terrible, and then I keep thinking about it. But I (was) scared," she said.
"I was so scared I don't know how I can get out and I don't know about the future, and some people they can help me. So nervous. But I was just always thinking about that need to get out.
" Her uncertainty about where to seek help isn't unique among migrant and culturally diverse women. Settlement agency Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) Australia has surveyed 30 community leaders in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, about the barriers faced by women like Uyen. Fifty per cent of the respondents said their communities had inadequate access to services and support.
Just over half (53 per cent) weren't sure about where to get help, and 55 per cent said there were no adequate places to access refuge. Mirta Gonzalez, g.
