Thank you.
Madam Chair, honourable members, thank you for the opportunity to be here today.
My summation will be focused on the issues of spousal sponsorship and spousal reunification and on violence against women and girls. My presentation is based on more than 24 years of experience working with clients, predominantly refugees and newcomers who have experienced war and violence, mainly from Afghanistan, central Asia, and the Middle East.
I would like to begin by saying that it is very important for us to strengthen the immigration system for both immigrants and refugees, because I believe that Canada has been a leader globally in the resettling of refugees and in its compassion for refugees.
One of the key concerns around the spousal sponsorship program is the long processing time. The 32-month wait often affects the relationship. The sponsored spouse and his or her family often gets the impression that there is no sincerity in the marriage. Some officers who have limited understanding of the cultural context and the realities of the life of the sponsored spouses have refused genuine spouses in their first interview. The rejection creates additional hardship, along with a heavy financial burden on the sponsor, who has to appeal the decision.
We recommend that the visa officers should receive comprehensive training on the living conditions and cultural realities of the sponsored spouses.
For the refugee women who make an inland claim, leaving their children and spouses behind, the normal wait period to reunite with their families ranges between four and six years. This long separation sometimes results in the breakdown of the family. Many women develop depression and anxiety as a result of the separation from their family. This in turn has an impact on women's health, their settlement process, and their ability to contribute to society.
We recommend that upon the acceptance of the convention refugee status of the refugee claimant, her or his family reunification should be expedited.
There are also a number of issues that impact sponsored spouses during their post-arrival period in Canada.
I think the temporary residency condition has been mentioned before, and I agree with Ms. Long regarding it. I just want to say that although there is an exemption for cases in which abuse is involved, some of the women may not know about their rights if they don't have access to services, and they need more information. They are not aware of their rights, so this information has to be available.
Besides this, there have also been some cases in which women have sponsored their partners to come over to Canada, and then the men have left them and have abused them. Sometimes they have applied for social assistance, but the abused sponsoring spouse is then left having to continue to pay for the sponsored spouse under the sponsorship agreement. This also needs to be rectified. If a sponsored spouse chooses to leave when abuse is not the case, then he or she should be financially responsible for herself or himself.
We recommend that CIC discuss domestic violence and women's rights at the orientation, which is usually held at the visa office, or at least prior to their arrival to Canada. They need to have the information before they arrive in Canada. There also needs to be more outreach and support programs for newcomer women at the ground level.
Recent cuts in the funding for settlement services have created backlogs and huge caseloads, making it difficult to keep track of vulnerable women. It is important also for the CIC to take into consideration the special needs of women, separate from those of men. Additionally, they need to take into account the great diversity among women and how it affects their needs for different services.
At the Afghan Women's Organization we have noted some recurring issues within the sponsorship program that support the need for an approach that takes into account the complexity of socio-cultural practices and the inherent challenges of cross-border relationships.
For example, in most of the Muslim countries, and it was mentioned that this also happens in Israel, proxy marriages are a culturally and legally acceptable means for a couple to unite. These practices are most common in countries affected by war. These marriages are legal, binding, and it's with the consent of both parties. We have witnessed many successful proxy-arranged marriages in which the sponsor has provided unconditional support.
I also want to mention that whether or not sponsors have certain skills and attributes like education, language, and social status should not be taken into consideration as a factor in preventing abuse cases. A person can be abused or abusive regardless of his or her education, social status, religion, ethnicity, or language ability. This is more common in cases of isolated women, who have a limited understanding of their rights and are unable to access the services available to them. Canada should maintain family values in the spouse reunification for all couples, equally and equitably.
Newcomer refugee women can be empowered through the provision of information and through targeted programs for specific groups of women, for example, women-only language classes where they cover issues such as family violence, spouse abuse, women's rights, legal rights and responsibilities, and also offer referrals to other community programs. There are lots of stories, but I think my time would be over—