Thank you, Madam Chair.
The premise of our presentation is that violence against women is a gender issue rooted in power imbalance between men and women in society, globally and historically. It is triggered by inequalities and discrimination and is not limited to a specific group of women. However, expressions of violence and particular forms of violence against different groups of women tend to differ based on social circumstances and environments. Generally speaking, the predominant form of violence against all women is physical violence by a spouse or intimate partner.
We will argue that within the broader context of gender violence, there are unique circumstances that trigger violence against immigrant women. These are related directly to integration challenges and overall lack of social supports for immigrant families.
Immigrants move to Canada predominantly for one reason only, to provide a better future for their children and their families. They are screened by the Canadian government for their language abilities, employment skills, health and well-being, educational levels, and criminal records. However, despite meeting Canadian immigration requirements, and many never having experienced family violence prior to coming to Canada, more than 50% of families served by child and family services in Calgary are immigrant families.
What are the reasons for violence against immigrant women? Based on our experiences at CIWA, there are two main reasons for the violence against them: lack of integration support in the communities where they live, and differences in perceptions of gender equality in Canada and their home country. Immigrant families face integration challenges related to employment, equitable pay, cross-cultural parenting, language barriers, isolation, poverty, and access to community resources and supports. These place stress on marital and family relationships, and cause reversal in roles between husbands and wives and dependency on children.
We find that immigrant women and girls whose first experiences of family violence occurred in Canada, do not have the strategies to cope with settlement and integration challenges; were unaware of laws, rights, and responsibilities in Canada; live in poverty; do not know where to go to access supports; are isolated from the community; struggle with the family reunification issues; and experienced violence or trauma as refugees prior to coming to Canada.
Many clients come from male-dominant cultures, where women are not seen as equals and are treated differently from men and boys. Some women may have experienced violence in their lives, but did not realize that until coming to Canada. Other women may have been aware that they were being abused and that it was wrong; however, there were no supports available for them in their home country.
Conflict arises when the family arrives in Canada because there is a difference between their home country's perception of women’s rights and the rights offered to them in Canada. Immigrant women become informed about their rights and challenge their spouses regarding gender equality or inequality. Women take a more active role in maintaining the well-being of the family because of the integration challenges of their spouses, which in some cases impact the family's ability to move ahead in a positive way.
I’ll now turn to Rekha to talk about the nature of violence.