Our Advocacy Priorities 2022-2026
MCWH advocates on five key issues as part of our 2022 – 2026 Strategic Plan.
Click the links below to read our one-page advocacy briefs on:
- COVID-19 MCWH Advocacy
- Mental Health & Wellbeing MCWH Advocacy
- Prevention of Violence Against Women MCWH Advocacy
- Sexual & Reproductive Health MCWH Advocacy
- Workplace Safety MCWH Advocacy
Each advocacy brief highlights the current situation migrant and refugee women and gender diverse people face regarding access and equity. We also provide the latest data on each topic and links to essential external resources for further reading.
The briefs give key recommendations on how we can overcome structural issues, including calling for increased funding and access to bilingual health information, an end to visa-discrimination in the Australian healthcare system and immediate actions we can take to ensure equable workplace justice for migrant and refugee women and gender diverse people.
Our approach to migrant and refugee women's health is migrant women led, evidence-based, and holistic. We recognise how the social determinants of health and inequities impact health.
Our approach to advocacy
We believe that migrant women's health should be in migrant women's hands
As women from migrant and refugee backgrounds, it is our right to make autonomous decisions about our bodies and health. This should include input into and decision-making power around the policies and practices that impact our health and wellbeing.
We believe that migrant women's health is often misrepresented and misunderstood
Our organisation was founded on the recognition that misinformation, discrimination and stereotyping often contributes to the ways that health practitioners, policy makers and the general public perceive migrant women and issues surrounding their health and well-being. Approaches to health policy and practice relating to migrant women must be evidence-based.
Visit our Research page to learn more about the current state of evidence for migrant women's health in Australia and key research issues.
We believe that migrant women's health is socially determined
Many policies and circumstances across our lives impact on our health and wellbeing as migrant and refugee women. This includes broader social, economic and political conditions like housing, immigration, access to education and employment, work rights, family violence, gender inequality and the many other forms of discrimination that we face.
Migrant women's health includes our physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing.
Senate Inquiry into Universal Access to Reproductive Healthcare
In June 2023, MCWHs recommendations for improving access to reproductive healthcare were reflected in the senate inquiries report "‘Ending the postcode lottery: Addressing barriers to sexual, maternity and reproductive healthcare in Australia".
Submissions and Position Papers
MCWH develops submissions and position papers on key issues migrant women impacting migrant and refugee women's health in Australia and internationally.