QPASTT has published a new paper examining how racism affects the mental health, safety and recovery of people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds.ย Racism: the wounds and the barriersย –ย Evidence, lived experience and practice implicationsย draws on consultation, practice insights and research to show that racism is not separate from trauma recovery. It can compound distress, undermine trust andย belonging, and prevent people from accessing the support they need.ย
The paper argues that recovery is shaped not only by what people experienced before arriving in Australia, but also by how they are treated as they rebuild their lives.ย
โPeople from refugee backgrounds may have survived war, persecution, torture,ย displacementย and profound loss. Their recovery is also shaped by whether they experience safety,ย dignityย and fairness in Australia,โ saidย QPASTT Co-CEOย Sally Stewart.ย โWhen racism continues through everyday interactions, services and institutions, it can reactivate trauma and create new barriers to recovery.โย
The paper was informed by consultations with 35 participants, primarily QPASTT practitioners, alongside clients and community members.ย Itย identifiesย racism and exclusion across health care, education, housing,ย employmentย and public services. These experiences included inadequate interpreter access, rigid service processes, stereotyping,ย discriminationย and unequal access to essential support.ย
The findings show that services may be available on paper but remain inaccessible when people expect to be dismissed, misunderstood or treated as less entitled to care. Racism can reduce trust, delay help-seeking and contribute to fear,ย isolationย and ongoing trauma symptoms.ย The paper also highlights how racism may go unnamed because of fear, powerย imbalancesย or pressure to appear grateful. This can lead people to blame themselves for treatment caused by wider systemic failures.ย
โRacism needs to be understood as a present-day mental health and practice issue, not simply a broader social concern,โ saidย Rima Flihan, QPASTT Team Leader for Advocacy, Research and Training and Counsellor/Advocate.ย โTrauma-informed services must be able to recognise racism, respond safely when it is disclosed and address the systems that allow exclusion to continue.โย
The paper calls for action across health, education, housing,ย employmentย and social services, including:ย
- stronger trauma-informed and anti-racist practiceย ย
- reliable access to interpreters and culturally responsive communicationย ย
- review of rigid or exclusionary service processesย ย
- greater accountability in leadership,ย planningย and complaints systemsย ย
- meaningful involvement of people with lived experienceย ย
- stronger support and training for practitioners.ย ย
About QPASTTย
QPASTTย (The Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma)ย is a specialist agency providing culturally responsive services to support the recovery of refugee survivors of torture and war-related trauma.ย QPASTT works with individuals,ย familiesย and communities across Queensland through counselling, group and community programs, training,ย advocacyย and systemic reform.ย
Enquiries:
Rima Flihan
Team Leader, Advocacy, Research and Training and Counsellor/Advocate
[email protected]ย
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