Shattering shame: elder abuse in migrant and refugee communities

A collaboration of peak bodies is empowering older people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to find their voice and say no to mistreatment and neglect.

Published: 11 July 2025
  • vic
  • 11 July 2025
  • ECCV

For more than a decade, Ethnic Communities Council Victoria (ECCV) has been delivering culturally responsive community education programs to raise awareness of elder abuse among older Victorians from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

Their Elder Abuse Prevention project began in 2012 and continues to grow to this day.

In collaboration with Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV), the project delivers targeted community outreach and information sessions to seniors groups, exploring how to identify, address and prevent elder abuse.

ECCV recognises that communicating with seniors from multicultural backgrounds is complex, and often most effectively achieved by engaging bicultural workers who act as trusted sources of information for the whole community.