MrsFlorence Hafoka

Florence Hafoka-Kafoika is an Associate Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University. She is a member of the Justice, Young People and Communities Network, where her work focuses on improving social, cultural, and justice outcomes for Pasifika and African-Australian young people who are justice-involved or at risk.

Drawing on her background in criminology and sociology, Florence explores how migration, cultural identity, and intergenerational dynamics shape the experiences of Pasifika communities in Australia. Her reserach focus on risk and protective factors, including the role of family, cultural obligations, faith, and identity in supporting pathways away from offending. She is particularly interested in the motivations and conditions that foster desistance, the role of cultural reconnection in enabling change, and weaving applied criminology with Pasifika ways of being and knowing to shape justice responses that improve outcomes for Pasifika communities. 

Florence integrates academic expertise, cultural knowledge, and frontline experience to inform her research and evaluation practice. 

Florence is the recipient of the 2024 Postgraduate Scholarship of Excellence.