Black and minoritised migrant women face numerous institutional and systemic barriers when seeking support and safety, as well as an unequal treatment within the criminal justice system. In this context of exclusion and discrimination, specialist advocacy support becomes critical to ensuring their rights and entitlements are upheld. With the support of the Bell Foundation, we undertook research last year to explore models of support addressing the needs of migrant women. Specifically, we examined cultural mediation approaches in Europe to assess whether these could be effectively replicated in the UK.
Over several months, we explored various sources of information to understand what cultural mediation entails and how it is practised in different regions, including Eastern, Western, and Southern Europe. Key findings from the research revealed that, in practice, cultural mediation often focused narrowly on interpretation and translation services. Additionally, accreditation processes for cultural mediators were not always comprehensive or independent from government influence. Furthermore, most cultural mediation practices were concentrated within healthcare systems.
Based on the evidence collected and analysed, we concluded that cultural mediation, as it is currently understood and practised in Europe, fails to address structural inequality, systemic issues, and exclusion. Consequently, it is unsuitable as a model of advocacy for Black and minoritised migrant women.
In this report, we propose an effective approach that has been developed around intersectionality and in partnership with women with lived experience. This approach is wrap-around, trauma informed, woman-centred and rights-based support. It is integral to Hibiscus, where we specialise in providing tailored services to Black and minoritised migrant women. Our organisational history and expertise stem from working with women in contact with the criminal justice and immigration systems, most of whom have experienced VAWG.
Read the full report here: Examining European Approaches to Cultural Mediation and Assessing the Applicability of the Programme in the UK
To find out more, contact us: info@hibiscus.org.uk
Media enquiries: elizabeth@hibiscus.org.uk