By Dr Manjula O’Connor
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Toronto, Canada, to attend an alumni meeting of graduates from my alma mater, Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from around the world, including the current Dean of the College, and to learn about the important work being undertaken internationally. Canada is a beautiful country, and the breathtaking Rocky Mountains were an unforgettable highlight.
During the meeting, I presented research that our team conducted with Indian women living in Melbourne in 2011. This innovative project used Forum Theatre as a research method to better understand the experiences of Indian women affected by family violence in Australia.
At the time, this was a novel approach. Rather than relying solely on interviews or questionnaires, we invited women from the community to participate in theatre workshops. Together they developed dramatic scenes based on situations they had witnessed or experienced. These scenes were then performed before audiences of Indian women, who were invited to discuss what they observed and suggest alternative responses.
This process revealed rich cultural knowledge that often remains hidden. It created a safe environment in which women could speak openly about sensitive issues that are rarely discussed publicly.
Forum Theatre was developed in the 1960s by the Brazilian theatre director and social activist Augusto Boal. His work sought to give ordinary people a voice by encouraging communities to explore difficult social issues such as poverty, racism, homelessness, mental illness and violence against women. Rather than being passive spectators, audience members become active participants in examining problems and imagining solutions.
Our research identified a number of recurring themes.
The most significant was gender inequality. Many women described family environments where men exercised considerable control over their wives’ lives. Decisions about clothing, employment, friendships, communication with family overseas and financial matters were often determined by the husband. Women’s earnings were frequently controlled by their spouse.
These findings reflected what research has consistently shown: family relationships characterised by unequal power and rigid gender roles are more likely to tolerate or excuse family violence. Equality, mutual respect and shared decision-making are essential foundations for healthy relationships.
Another important finding involved the role of some extended family members, particularly mothers-in-law living overseas. Women described regular telephone calls reminding them not to become “too Westernised” and reinforcing expectations that they should undertake all household duties while ensuring that their husbands did not participate in domestic work.
This presents a difficult irony. Mothers-in-law, themselves women who may have experienced similar treatment, can unintentionally perpetuate cultural expectations that reinforce male dominance and disadvantage the next generation of women.
Breaking this cycle requires courage and reflection.
To mothers-in-law, I would say: support your sons’ marriages by allowing young couples the space to build respectful and equal partnerships. Your encouragement can strengthen families rather than divide them.
To husbands, I would say: compassion, respect and partnership are the foundations of a successful marriage. When women are treated as equals, families become happier, healthier and more resilient.
While in Canada, I was interested to learn whether Indian immigrant women experienced similar challenges.
A therapist who has worked with South Asian women for more than 25 years shared her observations. She described cases where women experienced pressure from their husband’s family for dowry, and situations in which women remained in abusive marriages because their family’s migration aspirations depended upon sponsorship arrangements.
Importantly, she explained that Canada had introduced legal protections for sponsored spouses experiencing family violence. Women whose marriages broke down because of abuse were protected from deportation. Sponsors could face significant consequences, including restrictions on future sponsorship applications, and remained financially responsible under the sponsorship agreement where appropriate.
These protections recognised the particular vulnerability of newly arrived migrant women whose immigration status may depend upon their spouse.
The similarities between Australia and Canada were striking. Regardless of where they lived, many Indian women described experiences shaped by unequal gender expectations and power imbalances within families.
Family violence is not a problem of one country or one culture. However, cultural expectations around gender inequality can increase women’s vulnerability and make it more difficult for them to seek help.
Women deserve equal respect, equal participation in financial and family decisions, and the freedom to live without fear of abuse.
At the time of writing, Australia also needed stronger protections for women on temporary partner visas whose immigration status could leave them trapped in abusive relationships. Immigration laws should protect victim-survivors, regardless of their cultural background, and ensure that no woman is forced to choose between her safety and her right to remain in Australia.
Creating communities where women and men are equal, where violence is never tolerated, and where migrant women are protected by law is not only a legal responsibility—it is a moral one.