How a photo research project gives refugee women a voice in resettlement policy

The participatory research method 'photovoice' puts cameras in the hands of often-vulnerable communities and individuals, asking them to take photographs that express their points of view, explore a research theme and/or represent their community. The resulting photos become the subject of ongoing discussion with participants. Photovoice gives agency to research participants while producing qualitative research that is relatively free of researchers' biases and doesn't rely on high literacy rates.

Researchers at Curtin University conducted a photovoice project with women from Australia's refugee community, resulting in five policy recommendations to support successful settlement, "drawn from the refugee women themselves, and grounded in research."