Revisiting Empowerment Through Critical Praxis: Perspectives of Front-Line Workers Supporting Refugee Women Experiencing Gendered Violence in Australia

This article revisits the concept of empowerment that has underpinned global movement to address gendered violence. Using a critical praxis lens, explores different understandings arose in interviews with front-line domestic violence workers who support refugee and migrant women experiencing Queensland, Australia. Two-thirds participants are from backgrounds themselves. The findings reflect shift service sector more macro empowerment, grounded feminist activism, micro understandings. In context neoliberal, bureaucratic delivery, limited means focus on leaving legal interventions, is sometimes viewed individualistic, therapeutic terms self-help. There evidence services, founded theories now implicated surveillance risk tracking role social work as profession, which implications for survivor centeredness, agency, equal participation. However, there also aware structural failings questioning individualistic conceptions amid broader concerns justice. Empowerment transformative, possibilities collective models aimed at addressing Outlining scholarship practice, I suggest might be revisited by considering differences between within groups; consequences interventions marginalized strategies change, such poverty race; strengthening capacity communities respond