Abstract
This article looks at research into the wellbeing of East Timorese women asylum-seekers living in Australia and the issue of domestic violence facing women refugees, and possible policy responses. It applies human rights theory to argue for universal standards of personal safety for women. However, it points out that an understanding of cultural difference and gender roles in the country of origin is necessary in the development of appropriate polices and interventions. Psychosocial effects of war and persecution, and other interrelated post-migration experiences, are additional factors for consideration. Changes in identity or perceptions of self, unemployment, isolation of women from family and social supports, insecure residency status and increased access to alcohol and psychotropic substances are also identified as factors for consideration in policies and interventions to address domestic violence experienced by refugee women.