‘We are not in a safe place’: women reveal being abused while producing the food Australians eat

Migrant women working in Australia's food supply chain under the government's PALM scheme face sexual assault, domestic violence, and exploitation with little recourse, The Conversation reports, since their visas tie them directly to their employer. Researchers who interviewed workers and their families found some women left abusive jobs only to lose legal status and access to healthcare, while women left behind in Timor-Leste described economic abandonment and controlling behavior from partners working abroad. The researchers are calling for reforms including the freedom to change employers and confidential reporting channels for gender-based violence. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme currently links more than thirty-two thousand workers to Australian employers.

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