Traumatic brain injury as a result of violence for Indigenous women: The importance of appropriate monitoring systems, screening and models of care

Violence against Indigenous women is a global challenge that few governments have taken effective action to address domestically, regionally and internationally. Governments in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada and the United States have developed frameworks for addressing the broader family violence epidemic experienced by women and their children in all cultural groups. As a result of this increased and sustained policy attention, one area that is now receiving greater recognition is the impact of violence-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) on women. TBI is a common injury arising from the repeated and frequent incidence of family violence. Longstanding empirical evidence demonstrates that Indigenous women in Australia, and its sister settler colonial states of Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada and the United States, experience higher rates of family violence resulting in TBI. Unfortunately, this is not unique to settler colonial societies, and increasingly, Indigenous research in the area of gender-based violence suggests that TBI from family violence is highly prevalent for Indigenous women globally. This chapter provides a timely opportunity to reflect on what is known about TBI related to family violence for Indigenous women in Australia and to consider knowledge areas that warrant further attention and their applicability to Indigenous women in Australia and sister settler colonial states, including Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada and the United States.