Intimate Partner Violence Working with New Canadians Sarah

Intimate Partner Violence: Working with New Canadians Sarah Amies, Lethbridge Family Services – Immigrant Services

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Presentation Overview • • • IPV – what is it? IPV in immigrant communities Immigration status Power and control tactics Other forms of violence Extending service Cross cultural communication

IPV - what is it? • Pattern of assaultive/coercive behaviours designed to establish control • Perpetrated by person who was/is/wants involvement in intimate and/or dating relationship • Partners are same or opposite sex

IPV - what is it? • Primarily crime against women • Occurs throughout the world • Cuts across social, economic, religious, cultural lines

IPV in immigrant communities No indication that immigrant women experience higher levels of IPV than other Canadian women

IPV in immigrant communities • 2004 Statistics Canada General Society Survey on victimization – Visible minority women report lower 5 year rates of spousal violence than non minority women – Rates of spousal violence for visible minority women declined 1999 – 2004; remained stable for other women – Since 1999 no difference between estimated range of spousal violence for recent vs. longer term immigrants

IPV in immigrant communities • Some risk factors not as prevalent in immigrant families • Survey conducted in English and French

Research challenges • Few studies focus exclusively on immigrant/refugee populations • Majority of literature is descriptive • Aggregate results • Sociocultural context ignored • Limited comparability available • High costs of multilingual research projects

Research challenges • IPV difficult to measure • IPV generally occurs in private • Reluctance to report due to shame, fear of reprisal • Statistics Canada 2004 survey

IPV in immigrant communities • Immigrant women experience IPV in unique ways • Widespread, costly and complex social problem • Multiple and specific needs

IPV in immigrant communities • Language proficiency • Economic and social resources • Social isolation – Dominant male roles – Religious doctrines – Shame/fear • Immigration status

IPV in immigrant communities • Reporting difficulties: – Language barrier – Lack familiarity with social system – Fear of authorities – Immigration status – Detrimental to collective community survival – Shame and reprisal

Immigration Status • Permanent resident/Canadian citizen • Status not affected by decision to leave abusive partner • Sponsorship breakdown – same as above • Lack of awareness of rights and services

Immigration Status – Temporary or no status (e. g. expired visitor/work visa; refugee claimant; in progress inland spousal sponsorship application; live in caregivers) • At risk of being removed from Canada if: – Sponsorship breaks down/withdrawn – Leaves abusive partner – Advised to obtain legal advice

Immigration Status • If deportation threatened, application to stay on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds possible if applicant meets CIC criteria: • Demonstrating experience of hardship/persecution in home country • Demonstrating levels of establishment in Canada

Power and control tactics • Emotional abuse • Economic abuse • Sexual abuse

Power and control tactics • Using coercion and threats • Using children • Using citizenship and residency privilege

Power and control tactics • Intimidation • Isolation • Minimizing, Denying, Blaming

Muslim wheel of domestic violence Emotional abuse • Belittling/calling wife unfit Muslim mother • Making fun of inadequate Islamic knowledge • Telling abused women they must be quiet, docile, obedient to uphold family honor • Lovemaking inferior to Canadians

Muslim wheel of domestic violence • Using intimidation • Grossly dirtying kitchen several times a day • Local Imam tells her abuse her fault • Collecting, displaying weapons • Apologizing to others for her behaviour

Muslim wheel of domestic violence Coercion and threats • Threatening to marry another wife • Threatening “God ordained” wife beating • Spread word she is adulteress • Forcing her to drop charges to preserve family honour

Muslim wheel of domestic violence • • • Using children Beaten to prevent becoming too Canadian Custody from Islamic court Child’s trauma excuse for IPV Children encouraged to insult, disrespect mother • Children forced to lie about/trivialize abuse

Muslim wheel of domestic violence • Using male privilege • Dominance/inflexibility mandated by Qu’ran • Wife’s plans/goals considered too Western, un-Islamic • Muslim father’s “right” to abuse children • Wife encouraged to fear husband

Other forms of violence Child marriage • Common in many developing countries • Girls 12 – 16 years but as young as 3 or 4 • Parents’ decision

Other forms of violence Child marriage • Most young brides have little voice in their own marriages • Decisions about health, childbirth are not theirs • Pressure to prove fertility and lack of education make it hard to protect oneself

Other forms of violence Child marriage If the current trends of child marriage continue, more than 100 million girls will be married as child brides in the next decade

Other forms of violence FGM/FGC • Terms – Female circumcision (FC) – Female genital mutilation (FGM) – Female genital cutting (FGC)

Other forms of violence FGM/FGC According to a joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA statement the use of the word mutilation reinforces the idea that this practice is a violation towards women and girls

Other forms of violence FGM/FGC • Prevalence: – Over 130 million women worldwide have been affected by some form of FGC – 2 million procedures/year – Mainly practiced in African countries – Spread to Europe, Australia, US, Canada

Other forms of violence FGM/FGC • Why? – FGC has been practiced by a variety of cultures throughout history – Usually practiced by traditional practitioners or lay persons – Many complex, poorly understood reasons

Other forms of violence FGM/FGC • Why? – Based on love and desire to protect – Necessary rite of passage into womanhood – Prerequisite for qualifying for wifehood – Enhances male sexuality; curbs female sexual desire; aesthetic, purifying, hygienic benefits; prevents promiscuity and preserves virginity

Other forms of violence FGM/FGC • Why? – No religious significance – Important part of gender identity – But conducted in broader context of gender discrimination – Explanations do not justify practice

Other forms of violence Honour Killing • Ancient cultural practise • Men murder female relatives in name of family honour • Forced or suspected sexual activity outside the marriage

Other forms of violence Honour Killing • Cleanse family name and restore honour • Man who refrains from “washing shame with blood is a coward who is not worth living, much less a man” • Perpetrated unilaterally within the family

Other forms of violence Honour Killing • Statistically frequent • Stems from culturally approved codes around collective family honour and shame • Condoned/facilitated by kinship groups and the community

Other forms of violence Honour Killing • In Canada: • Since 2002, 12 women murdered and identified as honour killings

Service needs • Crisis oriented counseling • Temporary shelter • Education about justice system options

Service needs • Direct (or referral to) legal services • Supportive, ongoing advocacy • Information about other services • Creating and maintaining linkages

Community awareness/change • Prepare survivors to become stronger leaders • Challenge – women do not want to be associated with stigma • Anonymity is key to safety

Community awareness/change • Improve social and community norms about IPV • Long term prevention effort needs to raise community awareness of and change attitudes towards IPV

Mainstream service gaps • • • First language abilities/resources Cultural awareness/competence Work in silos Overcoming lack of client trust Difficulty engaging some community leaders • Funding

Extending service • Keep in mind – Stress of immigration experience – Don’t use the cookbook approach – First point of contact is crucial – Walk/dialogue with clients – Family dynamic disruption – Obtain details about culture, community, family and other needs

Cross cultural communication • Stereotyping is common and dangerous • Different cultures result in different behaviours of people • Increasingly diverse populations demand that service providers understand people from different cultures and countries

Cross cultural communication: getting started • Direct experience is best way to begin learning • Initially differences feel like a threat • Tend to overlook similarities • More variation within a group than between them • Own cultural identities not apparent until we interact with others

Cross cultural communication: potential hot spots • • • Opening and closing conversations Taking turns during conversations Interrupting Use of silence Appropriate topics of conversation Use of humour

Body language • More than 65% of social meaning can be conveyed non verbally • Humans have more than 700, 000 forms of body language • Misunderstanding can cause long term embarrassment • The ultimate gesture!

Sources • Aruna Pap, Culturally Driven Violence Against Women, Policy Series, Frontier Centre for Public Policy, July 2010 • CBC. ca “Immigrant Women hesitant to report abuse: study”, Last updated March 8, 2004 • Community Legal Education Ontario immigration and refugee fact sheet, January 2009

Sources • INSCAN International Settlement Canada, Volume 24, Numbers 1 -2, Summer-Fall 2010 • Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrant and Refugee Communities, Family Violence Prevention Plan, March 2009 • Muslim wheel of domestic violence, Dr. Sharifa Alkhateeb, Adaptation of Power and Control Wheel, Domestic Abuse Project of Duluth, Minnesota

Sources • Power and Control wheel, Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, Duluth Minnesota • Qu’ran 4: 34 • Stats Can 2004 General Social Survey on victimization, Public Health Agency of Canada website, March 2008 • The Vancouver Sun, May 2, 2007