Many people have beautiful dreams when they immigrate.
But the reality is often not satisfactory, and even gives people a headache.
Today we will look at the story of a Chinese woman.
After immigrating to Australia, she fell into a violent life. Relationship,
Now she is in a dilemma: if she leaves, she will be homeless; if she does not, she will have to endure violence.
Picture source: smh
For her own safety, the woman changed her name to Su-Lin. She currently lives in Sydney and is in her early 60s. (Australia's largest Internet celebrity Douyin account "Wei Sydney" will show you Interesting things about life in Australia! Must-haves for studying abroad, traveling and immigrating! Please search for "Micro Sydney" on Douyin, we are waiting for you!)
A few years ago, Su was full of hope for a new life and new relationships. , immigrated to Australia from China.
But now, like many immigrant women, she faces a dilemma:
Leave a violent relationship,
Or become homeless?
After Su-Lin came to Australia, she soon discovered that her new husband had become extremely controlling and violent:
"It felt like he was the emperor and I had to obey him. Whatever he wanted was what I wanted at home. If I want to be safe, I can only listen to him. I can't have any opinions of my own."
Su-Lin said that the other party treated her like a servant. She did all the cooking and cleaning.
If she did something according to her own wishes.
Her husband would yell at her, punch and kick her if she did things such as wiping the dishes with a cloth after washing them instead of letting them air dry.
At first, she had to take it all in stride, but last year, an acquaintance called the police for her, and she got help from BaptistCare HopeStreet,
Now, even though they still live under the same roof, Her husband was issued a restraining violence order (AVO).
Picture source: smh
When Su-Lin was in China, she had a harmonious relationship with her first husband, but he passed away before her.
After that, she met her current husband online. The man also immigrated to Australia from China, and then Su-Lin Lin came to Australia as a spouse.
Now Su-Lin has received PR. She said that she likes Australia and wants to stay in Australia, and she does not want to return to China, because returning to China means confessing her new husband to her relatives and friends.
She does not want her relatives and friends to worry,
Especially her elderly mother,
In addition, there is also the issue of face.
But the problem now is that if Su-Lin leaves this husband, she will live on the street because her English is very poor, and she will have to wait at least a year before she is eligible to receive Centrelink.
According to Australian regulations,
residents who have obtained PR as a spouse,
must wait for 4 years before receiving Centrelink.
She needs to have income to qualify for public housing. Even if she is qualified, the waiting list is very long.
A report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare last week stated that
the proportion of social housing in Australia's total housing stock fell from 4.6% in 2014 to 4.2% in 2021,
in New South Wales during the same period, the proportion fell from 5%. 4.7%.
A report released by Everybody's Home and Equity Economics a year ago stated:
9,120 women a year became homeless and unable to find long-term housing after leaving home due to domestic violence ;
7,690 women a year Forced to return to their abuser because they have no affordable place to live.
Picture source: Envato By twenty20photos
When Su-Lin was interviewed, Yuyan Cai, a social worker who acted as her translator, said that nearly 60% of women from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds who receive help from BaptistCare have suffered domestic violence:
"There is no difference between them. The choice is between enduring violence or becoming homeless. Because of language barriers and systemic barriers, they don’t know who to turn to for help, and they don’t know what the outside world is like... They are afraid of losing their roof.”
InTouch Multicultural. Michal Morris, director of the Center Against Family Violence, said visas were a huge barrier for immigrants to stay away from violent partners:
"Some rights are determined by your visa, including whether you can work, what you have Not eligible for social security such as Centrelink, employment support, income issues that determine your housing eligibility, whether you are eligible for Medicare etc.
InTouch is calling for victims of domestic abuse to be issued a temporary visa that would allow them to work and access Centrelink support, as well. Give them time to think about whether to stay in Australia or return home.
Morris said that language barriers make it difficult for social workers to convey an important message to victims:
Source: Envato By Rawpixel
In Australia, financial abuse and coercive control are also considered domestic violence, and it does not mean "beating you black and blue".
Language barriers also make it easier for police to believe the perpetrator's story, or even mistake the perpetrator for the victim.
Former Prime Minister Morrison has proposed to use English tests as a PR threshold, but the legislation has not yet been completed. InTouch plans to lobby the Albanese government to implement this policy.
Morris said people who
exercise coercive control over their partners often don't let their partners leave the house or learn English.
Cai also said that many immigrant women are unable to apply for Centrelink due to language barriers.
Regarding this problem, Su-Lin’s approach is to secretly use MyGov instead of letters so that her husband cannot detect it, but the website is all in English. She It's also difficult to use.
Cai once helped Su-Lin apply for Special Benefit. This benefit is to help people who are in financial difficulties but are not eligible to apply for other benefits.
But just a few months later, two letters of objection with different reasons made Su-Lin lose this benefit. As a bonus, (Australia's largest Internet celebrity Douyin account "Micro Sydney" will show you all the interesting things about Australian life! A must-have for studying abroad, traveling and immigrating! Please search "Micro Sydney" on the Douyin account, we are here Waiting for you! )
This also means that she has lost her Health Care Card. Without this card, she cannot afford to be sick.
Even for people who speak good English, it is very difficult to travel to a foreign country alone,
let alone people who do not understand the language and have no relatives.
I hope everyone can make a prudent decision to immigrate after weighing the pros and cons.
