Nashita Pasha is one of six talented young Australians who will travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week as part of the Global Voices project.

They take with them policy position papers on highly topical legal issues. Over the coming days we will get a glimpse into the ideas and ambitions of these remarkable young leaders.

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I am Nashita Pasha, a third-year Law and International Studies student at the University of Technology, Sydney. Being a first-generation migrant taught me early on how to find my place between cultures, communities, and expectations. At the same time, I was exposed to how structural barriers can quietly persist beneath the surface of seemingly fair systems. These experiences have driven my interest in law and policy as vehicles for translating the ideals of justice into meaningful change.

I never imagined that one day I would be writing my own policy proposal and attending the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee. When I was younger, the UN felt distant to me – an institution reserved for diplomats and established experts. But as my studies progressed, my interest in law and human rights deepened, and I began to see that policymaking does not need to be limited to those already in power. Being selected as a Global Voices Fellow has given me the opportunity to turn my interest in justice into something tangible.

Through this fellowship, I have developed a policy proposal that reflects both my academic and personal interests. My proposal focuses on reforming Australia’s Family Violence Provisions to address structural inequities at the intersection of domestic violence and immigration law, helping migrant women on temporary partner visas access safety without jeopardising their pathway to permanent residency.

I became interested in this policy proposal once I grew aware of how inaccessible safety is for many women in Australia. Domestic and family violence is already one of the most pressing social issues we face, but the risks multiply for migrant women on temporary visas. Approximately 40% of women on temporary partner visas report experiencing domestic or family violence. Without permanent residency, their ability to leave an abusive partner is often tied to that same partner, who is their visa sponsor. This fear of deportation creates a devastating trap for these women – one where safety and stability feel out of reach.

Even more troubling is the fact that the very legal mechanisms designed to protect these women often reinforce their vulnerability. The Family Violence Provisions were introduced to allow victims of domestic violence to remain in Australia independently of an abusive partner. In theory, they provide a safety net. In practice, however, they impose strict evidentiary requirements that are almost impossible for many women to meet.

To access the Family Violence Provisions, victim-survivors are required to produce extensive documentation to prove the genuineness of their relationship prior to its breakdown. This includes documents such as joint bank statements, shared leases, utility bills, or superannuation records. These are often the very materials that abusers withhold or destroy as a form of coercive control, by changing passwords or restricting access to shared accounts. This is a deliberate strategy that allows perpetrators to maintain control and silence their victims.

This is the heart of the problem. When the system demands proof that only an abuser can provide, it risks becoming complicit in the very harm it aims to prevent.

My policy proposal closes this gap by introducing an evidentiary exception within the Family Violence Provisions. This reform would allow migrant women, who can’t access standard documentation, to submit any available relationship evidence, supported by a statement from an independent expert such as a social worker, psychologist or caseworker. The approach recognises the realities of coercive control, ensuring that bureaucracy is never a barrier to protection and offering women a trauma-informed pathway to safety.

My hope for this policy is two-fold. First, to create a more accessible and realistic route for migrant women to seek protection without fear of losing their visa status. Second, to send a broader message about how we design our legal systems: that compassion and procedural fairness are not mutually exclusive. By allowing alternative forms of evidence, we can build a framework that upholds both integrity and humanity. If implemented, this reform could set a new standard for trauma-informed policymaking within Australia’s immigration law – one that prioritises protection over paperwork.

The issue is urgent. As public awareness of domestic violence grows, our policy responses must evolve. The statistics are confronting, but behind each number is a woman isolated by language barriers, financial dependence, visa uncertainty and silenced by fear. The Family Violence Provisions were designed to protect women in these circumstances, yet they often render them invisible. My policy seeks to restore their voice and, most importantly, their pathway to safety.

When I think about my own journey, I am reminded that change does not always start in Parliament. It can begin with a single observation, a single story, a single question. For me, the Global Voices Fellowship is not just about writing a policy paper; it is about transforming my own observations into action and ensuring that migrant women, who are so often overlooked, are finally seen.

In the end, this isn’t just about changing legislation. It’s about changing lives. It’s about creating a system that listens, believes and protects. Because at its best, law should not only define justice, it should also deliver it.

Global Voices is a youth-led Australian not-for-profit committed to developing the next generation of policy leaders by providing practical experience in policy-making, international relations and diplomacy. The fellowship involves pre-departure briefings in Canberra, travel to a high-level international summit and the publication of a Policy Paper that contributes a fresh perspective to Australian legislation.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.