One of the reasons immigrant and refugee women face so much violence is because they are in a lower socioeconomic level than immigrant men and women in general (Fulford, 1995). Not only do they face racism and language barriers, but there is no specific policy towards female immigrants and refugees in order to protect them (Fulford, 1995). Because not much is said publicly about this issue, it is almost invisible to regular society. Also, when female immigrants and refugees are in need of help regarding violence, there is no funding in order to support the programs to help these women heal (Fulford, 1995).
Some of the women coming to Canada aren't even here by choice; many are victims of trafficking and are subject to violence, abduction, fraud, and deception (Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women [CRIAW], 2012). Additionally, some women are so desperate to leave persecution from their own countries, that that they become mail order brides or domestic workers, and may become victims of physical or sexual abuse (CRIAW, 2012).
There are many reasons why immigrant women feel helpless when it comes to violence; one of the reasons is that many of these women feel a sense of shame about being a victim, seeking help, or leaving their abusive husband (Justice Institute of British Columbia [JIBC], 2007). Another reason is that experience of fear or racism may deter them from seeking help (JIBC, 2007). Lastly, since many of these women face challenges earning a living or accessing income assistance, it may be impossible for these women to leave their abusive situations and find appropriate housing (JIBC, 2007).
An example of an immigrant group who faces violence is Indian women. These women "face cultural constraints in accessing the benefits of Canadian policies for domestically abused women" (Shirwadkar, 2004). Culturally, Indian women live in an extremely patriarchal society in which they are seen as submissive (Shirwadkar, 2004). If an Indian woman is not meeting specific standards such as cooking, taking care of her in-law's family, or remaining docile and submissive, this is seen as deviating from the cultural norm and may be met with abuse (Shirwadkar, 2004). Unfortunately, this creates the idea that abuse is justified and is a regular part of marriage (Shirwadkar). When coming to Canada, some of these values are then brought here, so one can see that there are definite cultural differences when dealing with the issues of abuse and violence.
Overall, it is important that immigrant and refugee women feel safe when coming to Canada. I can see that this is a very touchy subject, as abuse is seen differently in many cultures. While our society still focuses on patriarchal family values, it is not to the extent of India or some other countries. Many of the feminist issues related to class can be found within this blog, including: our policies are gender neutral and do not take into account the special needs of women, women are oppressed by men as a class, and that male violence perpetuates domination over women (Straka, 2011).
Shannon
References
Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (2012). Immigrant and refugee women. Retrieved from http://www.criaw-icref.ca/ImmigrantandRefugeeWomen
Fulford, S. K. (1995). Feminism, multiculturalism and violence against immigrant women in Canada. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Circle. The University of British Columbia.
Justice Institute of British Columbia. (2007). Empowerment of immigrant and refugee women who are victims of violence in their intimate relationships. British Columbia.
Shirwadkar, S. (2004). Canadian domestic violence policy and Indian immigrant women. Violence Against Women, 10, 860-879. doi: 10.1177/1077801204266310
Straka, S. (2011). Feminist approaches to social policy [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Algoma University Course Management System.
No comments:
Post a Comment