Laura Vidal
An examination of the experience of young women impacted by forced marriage.
Laura Vidal is a social worker with over a decade of experience in direct practice, research, and policy. Laura’s specific subject matter expertise is in diverse experiences of gendered violence, particularly forced marriage; developing and delivering support to victim-survivors of human trafficking, slavery, and slavery-like practices; and working with lived experience to develop and empower victim-survivors into positions of leadership. Laura’s PhD research, currently under examination at Monash University, focuses on young women’s experiences of forced marriage in Australia. Laura currently teaches at Sydney and Wollongong University and is the Principal Consultant of Laura Emily Consulting who partner with government, universities, and not-for-profits on specialist projects focused on improving structural responses to gendered violence, human trafficking, slavery, and slavery-like practices.
This research aims to explore the context in which forced marriage manifests in Australia; developing an understanding of the complexity of young women’s experiences including the ways in which they navigate and negotiate forced marriage. This research is designed to explore the interconnection between forced marriage and gendered violence, with particular consideration given to the theorisation of coercive control—as a way to make sense of the practice. Findings from this research will present an opportunity for an evidence-informed approach to law and policy responses that reflect the experiences of those impacted.
Supervisors: Associate Professor Marie Segrave and Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon.