Citizenship and Immigration Committee on May 7th, 2015

[Mike Sullivan, NDP, York South—Weston, ON]

What is being proposed here suggests that the courts wouldn't even touch some of these cases. All an immigration officer would need to do would be to have a reasonable suspicion that a polygamous marriage might be entered into. They will then request the removal of individuals, which we believe will then cause those individuals to not want to bring forward those cases of abuse. In fact, it will serve as an inhibitor in reporting abuse and reporting forced marriage as a result of the ultimate penalty being removal from the country on a basis that doesn't include a criminal justice trial.

[Hannana Siddiqui]

I think that would be one of the consequences for anyone who is caught up in or knows about polygamous situations. They may well either be caught up and therefore face deportation themselves, or it may be that they are worried about other members of the family being deported.

So, yes, it's a big problem that we have already, for example, concerning those who have domestic violence problems in this country and don't have secure immigration status. It may be themself or someone else within the family who is insecure, including the perpetrator. Now they may feel that they can't go forward and report domestic violence because they may be removed or someone else in the family, even the perpetrator, may be removed.

Remember that these people often are part of extended families. If you get someone removed from the U.K., it has an impact on you. The whole community or the family have stigmatized women who have gone against and challenged their husbands. It's culturally not acceptable to separate from your husband in the first place. There are a number of reasons why women won't come forward. One of the main reasons we find among women without secure immigration status in this country is the fear of being deported and removed from the country. That is a major reason that they don't come forward.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you.

Mr. Eglinski.

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Thank you.

You mentioned earlier that you have an enforcement team in place in your country that does look after people who are taken outside the country and put into forced marriages. This is a pretty strong group, I take it, and it has been very effective. You said protecting something like 13—

[Hannana Siddiqui]

Yes.

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

—young ladies. Have you seen a retaliation from the families against these girls who have been stopped from going outside of your country, or brought back if that is the case? Have you seen retaliations? I ask because many legal people have been coming to us and saying this law is going to cause problems for young ladies because they will be retaliated against when they come forward. Have you seen that?

[Hannana Siddiqui]

Well, yes. There can be harassment from the family, the extended family, or the wider community if girls do challenge their parents and family members, and refuse to conform. There may be physical violence. Often more common is social ostracism, as they are rejected and denounced by the families and communities. That is often one of the reasons why victims don't leave in the first place.

That is why I think you must have measures in place so they are protected and given support when are brave enough to take these type of steps and go against their families and community.

It means that they must have services. They must have women's organizations within their own community that don't agree with those same value systems, who would protect them and give them alternatives, who would support them through the process, who would befriend them, and who would give them peer group support. Other survivors support each other, and that gives them the strength to carry on and not give up and go back to or continue with the harassment they experience.

With any measures you take, you have the risk of harassment, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't take any measures at all. It is important that we do take measures to protect victims as we would for anyone facing child abuse, for example.

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Thank you.

Has the law made the difference, or has the word of mouth made the difference, in bringing these young people coming forward?

[Hannana Siddiqui]

I think it's a combination of both. I don't think you can separate them, because the debates have been going on for much longer, for a few decades actually. Only in the last decade have you had the government doing something about it. The law has strengthened and created further debates. I think the civil law has made a difference in getting victims access to court injunctions and giving them legal protection. I do think that is really important, but it's a combination of both, and services as well as general public debate.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you, Ms. Siddiqui.

On behalf of the committee, I appreciate your comments and your making your thoughts known to the committee.

The bells are ringing, which means that we have to go to vote.

I'd like to adjourn the meeting.