Invisible Lives, Intersecting Oppressions: Migrant Women’s Struggle Against Domestic Abuse in the UK
Invisible Lives, Intersecting Oppressions: Migrant Women’s Struggle Against Domestic Abuse in the UK
Migrant women in the UK face a silent and devastating epidemic of domestic abuse. Their experiences, however, are not isolated to the violence in their homes. These women are often trapped at the intersections of exploitative labour practices, systemic racism, gendered violence, and hostile immigration policies. Their lives illustrate how oppression is never singular but rather a complex web of forces that work together to render them invisible, powerless, and silenced.
Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality reveals how overlapping systems of oppression, racism, sexism, classism, and xenophobia, shape the lives of marginalised individuals. For migrant women, these forces collide in ways that deepen their vulnerability and exacerbate their struggles. Amara’s story, told here, exemplifies the intersecting challenges these women face and underscores the urgent need for systemic change.
Amara’s Story: Trapped by Abuse and the System
Amara’s journey began with hope. She came to the UK from Nigeria to build a life with her husband, eager to contribute to her new community. She found work in the care industry, a sector often reliant on the undervalued labour of migrant women. But her employer, a rogue operator, exploited her, forcing her to work long hours without proper pay before dismissing her without notice. The loss of income pushed her into economic precarity, leaving her financially dependent on her husband.
It was during her pregnancy that the abuse began. At first, it was verbal insults that belittled her for losing her job. Then it escalated. Her husband berated her, controlled her every move, and physically abused her. “You’re nothing without me,” he told her, weaponising her immigration status to tighten his control. Amara’s child was born into a home filled with fear and violence.
When the abuse became unbearable, she reached out to a local domestic abuse service. She sat in the waiting room, clutching her infant, daring to hope. But her immigration status, subject to the “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) condition, meant she was ineligible for the refuge space and financial support she so desperately needed. The system, which claims to protect women like Amara, left her with no choice but to return to her abuser.
The veil of systemic neglect that surrounds the lives of migrant women like Amara perpetuates cycles of violence, rendering their suffering invisible to wider society.
Intersectionality in Action: Layers of Oppression
Amara’s story illustrates how systemic inequalities intersect to entrench the struggles of migrant women. Her experiences of abuse, economic exploitation, and systemic neglect are not isolated but
deeply interconnected.
Racialised Labour Markets and Economic Exploitation
Amara’s exploitation as a care worker reflects the broader realities of racialised labour markets. Care work, often performed by women from migrant and racialised backgrounds, is both undervalued and overexploited. Scholars like Françoise Vergès have shown how care work, rooted in the historical devaluation of Black women’s labour, is seen as “natural” and therefore unworthy of fair compensation. For migrant women like Amara, this devaluation is compounded by immigration restrictions that leave them vulnerable to unscrupulous employers.
Immigration and State Violence
The UK’s NRPF policy is a stark example of state-sanctioned violence. This policy denies women with certain immigration statuses access to housing support, refuge spaces, and other public funds, leaving them trapped in abusive situations. Bell hooks, in Ain’t I a Woman, reminds us that patriarchy, racism, and capitalism work together to dehumanise and exploit those at the margins. NRPF is a direct result of this collaboration, a policy that prioritises immigration control over human dignity.
Systemic Failures: The Role of Domestic Abuse Services
Domestic abuse services should be a lifeline, but for many migrant women, they are yet another barrier. Funding cuts and a lack of tailored resources mean that services often turn women away, unable to provide the specialised support required to address the intersectional nature of their struggles. Organisations like Southall Black Sisters, Imkaan and locally Portsmouth City of Sanctuary have stepped into this gap, offering culturally competent and holistic support, but they are overstretched and underfunded.
The systemic failures that Amara faced are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a broader disregard for the lives of migrant women. The systems designed to protect survivors of domestic abuse often exclude those who need them most.
A Call for Intersectional Solutions
The experiences of migrant women demand bold and intersectional solutions. Domestic abuse cannot be tackled in isolation from the systems that perpetuate it. Policymakers, practitioners, and advocates must work to dismantle the structures that entrench these women’s marginalisation.
1. Abolish NRPF for Survivors of Abuse: Immigration status should never determine a woman’s right to safety. Removing NRPF for survivors would ensure that all women, regardless of status, have access to housing and financial support.
2. Fund Specialised Services Organisations that provide culturally sensitive and intersectional support for migrant women must receive sustainable funding to expand their reach.
3. Train Professionals in Intersectional Approaches: Domestic abuse professionals must understand the intersections of race, immigration, class, and gender to provide effective support. This includes engaging with the voices of survivors and community organisations.
4. Separate Immigration Enforcement from Support Services Women must be able to seek help without fear of deportation. Ensuring that support services are not tied to immigration enforcement is critical.
Lifting Invisible Lives
Amara’s story is not unique. It is the lived reality of countless women trapped at the intersections of gendered violence, economic exploitation, systemic racism, and immigration restrictions. Their experiences remind us that liberation cannot be partial; it must address the full spectrum of oppression.
Audre Lorde wrote, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” This truth lies at the heart of the fight for justice for migrant women. Recognising their intersecting oppressions and centring their voices in solutions is not just necessary; it is urgent.
Amara and women like her deserve to be seen, heard, and supported. They deserve a system that prioritises their safety over immigration status and their dignity over bureaucracy. Their lives matter, and their liberation is bound with ours.
It is time to act. It is time to build a society that no longer renders these women invisible. Because until all women are free, none of us are free.
Author
