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Immigrant Women's Domestic Violence Service

The Immigrant Women’s Domestic Violence Service (IWDVS) is a Melbourne-based organisation that provides multilingual support and advocacy services throughout Victoria for women and children from migrant and ethnic backgrounds experiencing domestic violence. It was founded in 1981 as the Refuge Ethnic Workers' Program (REWP), to support migrant women in domestic violence refuges. Although a Migrant Women’s Refuge had been established in 1978, it could not accommodate everyone who needed help, and migrant women in mainstream refuges often experienced language and cultural difficulties. The REWP was the first program of its kind in Australia and became a model for services throughout the country.

Peg Fraser