Barriers to Accessing Intimate Partner Violence Services

Understanding and addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) requires listening carefully to the voices of survivors—especially those from immigrant and ethnic minority communities.

In a recent study conducted in Montreal, Canada, published in the Journal of Women’s Health in January 2025, Morales and colleagues compared the perspectives of immigrant and ethnic minority women who have experienced intimate partner violence with those of local community organization workers.

While the survivors mapped their obstacles across every level of the social-ecological model—from systemic racism and institutional mistrust to language, shame, and fear—workers primarily focused on individual-level issues like gender and immigration status.

💡 Only 52% of workers had received any IPV training. Most community organizations lacked referral protocols or educational material.

The message is clear: community-based organizations are often on the front lines of IPV, but they are not fully equipped to handle it. A coordinated, informed, and systemic approach is essential—not only to support survivors but to address the complex web of structural and cultural barriers that make seeking help so difficult.

🟣 Investing in training and system-wide awareness can transform community responses and bring justice and care closer to the lives of those who have often been unheard.