The Canadian Council of Muslim Women is grateful for this opportunity to address the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Status of Women.
Violence against women is a complex, yet, simultaneously, a simple issue. If as a society and a country we believe in human rights for all, including equality under the law, then it is a matter of political will to ensure that any violence against women and girls is addressed.
lt is complex because the underlying causes are embedded in the pervasive values of patriarchy, which in turn, underlines so many cultural and religious norms.
CCMW is an organization of believing women whose values are based on Islam and on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We believe that equality, social justice, and compassion are shared values, and we try to implement these in all the work we do. We know that a concerted and cohesive action plan is required and that no one group, whether it be the government or a community organization, can accomplish much alone.
We also know that organizations such as ours are essential, as we implement the government's policies and programs in the communities, and should be seen as partners in addressing violence against women. lt has at times been difficult, when public funds are curtailed and community organizations are unable to implement their projects.
VAW is alive in our world today, not only in faraway places but here in Canada and the United States. We should not be shocked by the recent findings reported by the media of alleged sexual assault on several women by two public figures: Jian Ghomeshi and Bill Cosby. These incidents prove our point that violence is not limited by class, race, poverty, or culture.
ln a recent project funded by Status of Women Canada, CCMW addressed four facets of violence against women: domestic violence, forced marriages, female genital mutilation or cutting, and femicide.
Further along, I will discuss our strong commitment to the use of language when we identify certain facets of VAW; for example, the terms “femicide” and “gender-based violence”.
As Professor Asma Barlas, Islamic scholar, states in our publication:
The heinous practice of “honor” killings is considered Islamic since some of the perpetrators are Muslims but, as the CCMW notes, such murders also take place in other cultures even if we call them by a different name. On that note, I commend the CCMW for opposing the term “honor killings” on the grounds that it amounts to describing a woman’s murder “by the rationale provided by the murderer.” Instead, the CCMW advocates that all murders be categorized “as femicide—the killing of women and girls simply because they are females.
She also notes:
What is also distressing is that although citizenship confers equal rights and protections under the law on women and men, the onus is on women to document their own brutalization...by the violence and by having to find effective ways to secure their own well-being.
In answer to the questions you posed regarding the promising practices and what can we identify as other practices in different programs, I will start with some self-evident truths: the universality of violence against women and girls.
In our publication, we define VAW:
Violence against women exists in every culture, every country, and every community in the world. No one is immune; no one is protected by virtue of their race, skin colour, nationality, religion, age or class. Violence against women can be physical, psychological, and sexual. It can happen in the home, in the workplace, and in the community. It can be perpetrated by intimate partners, parents, children, schoolmates, work colleagues, religious leaders, and governments.
Another self-evident truth is the influence of cultural and religious teachings and practices.
We say that cultural relativism has no place in any discussion of violence against women. However, this is not to deny or dismiss that there may be distinct cultural norms of specific communities that still have a stronger framework of patriarchy. Our organization has, over the years, tried to address the various types of abuse under the rubric of VAW. While we firmly believe in the universality of VAW and its destructive effects on all women and girls, at the same time, we know that there are specific issues within Muslim communities.
The role of religious teachings may not be as pervasive for others as it is for many Muslims. ln every project we have done, we have had to ensure an understanding of Islam that is egalitarian and compassionate, and insists on the equality of men and women. This is education at its best, as we try to dismantle the norms of patriarchy within families and communities.
Canadian Muslim women face barriers when they consider leaving an abusive relationship. Some of these barriers are internal and some are rooted in the community, but some are systemic. These women face unique barriers: concern about losing their cultural or religious identity, significant barriers to accessing services, racism, and a lack of cultural competency on the part of service providers, including the police and the courts.
By focusing on patriarchal norms CCMW is not specifying that these are only present amongst Muslims or other minority groups. We strongly oppose the inflammatory language that is too often used by individuals who should know better and whose support is so essential in fighting against this disease of violence.
lt is dehumanizing and degrading to label certain forms of violence as barbaric when all of it is so. Why are some politicians labelling some practices as barbaric and linking it with immigrants only? Polygamy, femicide, and forced marriages are all present in our Canadian society with one significant example of the Mormon community of Bountiful, which has been practising all of these since the 1950s. Why the blame and targeting of immigrants or visible minority groups? CCMW pleads with all of you to please use the terms gender-based violence and femicide as distinct from honour killing or honour-based violence. These are more accurate and carry no racist baggage, while the others are racist, discriminatory, and make those of us who belong to these communities feel less than you.
Would you please follow these promising best practices. First, ensure that VAW is a priority for Status of Women and not allow it to go below the other priorities that they are setting. Second, ensure that Status of Women works closely with community groups and views them as essential partners in the development of a national plan of action, for example. Practitioners and activists have a vast wealth of experience regarding VAW and methods to address the issues.
Third, ensure that the partnership with community organizations includes women's organizations that represent various Canadian communities, and that close attention should be paid to the elimination of racist and discriminatory language, labelling, or cultural relativism. Fourth, ensure that the government allocates adequate, ongoing financial resources in the fight against VAW. Fifth, ensure that education is a high priority in each community, in schools, in immigrant communities, with the police, and with service providers.
Sixth, ensure that VAW does not remain a separated issue only for women and girls, but includes men and boys so that whole families are educated about the harm of VAW. Seventh, explore the researching of other models from other parts of the world. This will allow us to showcase our successes internationally. Eighth, explore the CCMW model of local chapters and the “train the trainer” model to provide workshops across the country for women, service providers, and other professionals in the field.
Thank you and I look forward to a discussion with you.