Migrants and refugees experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) face a myriad of barriers in accessing formal support post-migration in their new host country. These barriers, including a lack of awareness of available services or a perceived fear of law enforcement, make victims seek support from faith-based leaders (FBLs) for IPV experiences. Despite this ongoing support, the self-reported perception of FBLs’ role in increasing help-seeking behavior for IPV is underreported. Hence, this research aims to explore the insights and recommendations from the perspective of FBLs on their strategies to support migrants and/or refugees experiencing IPV within their faith-based organisations and migrant communities. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to inform the study. The quantitative data informed the demographics of the 12 FBLs who participated in the study, the majority of whom were from the Christian denomination, with a smaller number from the Islamic denomination. Interviews were conducted to explore their perspectives and experiences, which resulted in four themes: “Human beings are complex creatures,” reconciling the dilemma of being an FBL and a person of strength for victims of IPV, empowering both victims and perpetrators, putting inclusive and comprehensive education at the centre, and Debunking misunderstandings of IPV and misrepresentations of healthy relationships. The findings show that FBLs recognise the integral role they can play to further support their community members experiencing IPV, which is noted to effectively occur with adequate training and capacity building.

Keywords: Intimate partner violence; Faith-based leaders; Migrant; Refugee; Religion.

Vol 7, Issue 2026.