Mr. Chair, I'll be splitting my time with Mr. Virani and Ali Ehsassi also.
My question is for Ms. Emory.
Based on OCASI's finding in the February 2016 environmental scan report, it was stated, “Clients who spoke only Arabic...could face difficulties accessing some services, particularly those targeted for people with particular health conditions and for survivors of torture, violence, and human trafficking.” The report goes on to state, “Even with adequate referrals, efforts may be required to ensure the services are appropriate as well as accessible in Arabic.” Moreover, another point brought up was, “Resettlement support should be provided by trained employees and not volunteers.” However, it seems there is a significant lack of trained employees who are proficient in Arabic or other Syrian languages.
Given all of this, how is your organization working to address these issues of language barriers and service accessibility?