Our Journey & Our Growth  

This workshop marks a significant milestone in our collective journey. In 2024, Project dldl/ድልድል brought together researchers, practitioners, community organisations, policy experts, counsellors, and religious scholars at SOAS University of London to explore future directions for integrated culturally resonant and faith-sensitive Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) responses in the UK. These conversations informed the Conference Brief 'A Roadmap for Integrating Cultural and Religious Diversity in UK Domestic Violence and Abuse Services'.

To maximise the impact of that work, we have grown into the Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion & Migration (IDVRM), a non-profit research organisation dedicated to sustaining and expanding these vital efforts. Two years after our initial conference, we are convening this dedicated space to reconnect, reflect, and shape the next phase of our work together.  

Why This Workshop Matters 

We are hosting this session because we believe that the voices of ‘by and for’, grassroots, migrant-led, and community-led organisations are critical to systemic change.  

The goal of this workshop is to:  

• Share evolved needs: Discuss how challenges and conditions for ‘by and for’ organisations have changed since 2024.  
• Discuss practical realities: Explore the intersections of domestic violence, religion, culture, and migration in your daily work.  
• Identify IDVRM’s value: Help us understand how we can best support you through community-based research, capacity building, training, and resource mobilisation.  
• Guide future priorities: Your lived expertise and will directly influence IDVRM’s future support strategies and priorities.  

What to Expect  

The workshop is designed as a participatory and dialogical space that centres the voices of grassroots organisations and practitioners whose knowledge is critical to influencing policy, practice, and systemic change, yet who are often constrained by limited time, funding, and access. Drawing on IDVRM’s decolonial, faith-sensitive, and co-creative approach, the workshop aims to ensure future initiatives are shaped alongside those on the front lines. This initiative is for you, and we warmly encourage you to attend and help guide IDVRM’s future priorities and support strategies. 

Who We Are  

IDVRM is a female- and migrant-led organisation. IDVRM was set up by Dr Romina Istratii, a former academic who has been affected by domestic abuse and migration and is comprised of individuals with similar experiences from different religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Dr Istratii serves as Founding Executive Director and Ms Mayra Teck Ascurra, a frontline VAWG worker, serves as non-executive Director for Fundraising and Development. The majority of the IDVRM team are from minority backgrounds, with circa 76% of our team identifying as Black, Asian, ethnic minority and as otherwise underrepresented. This diversity reflects our commitment to building bridges of understanding and solidarity across minoritised communities, being led in our work by lived experience, and leveraging multi-cultural insight to collectively shape domestic violence services and responses in the UK and beyond.