i will rise up - ciwa
TRANSCRIPT
Calgary Immigrant Women’s
Association presents:
I Will Rise Up:
Innovative and Best Practices Around
Emergency Supports for Women Fleeing
Domestic Violence
Presenters:
Celestina Akinkunmi
Rekha Gadhia
March 30, 2017
• Immigrant women’s challenges
• Immigrant women and family violence
• Common cultural beliefs/misconceptions
• Service provision gaps
• CIWA’s holistic approach
AGENDA
STATISTICS INDICATE…..
• Domestic violence has increased in the past decade
• Every six days one woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner
• Around 3,300 women seek shelter from domestic violence every day
• Calgary Police Service received 19,000 domestic conflict calls last year:
▪ 3,000 of those calls involved domestic violence
▪ 4 out of 5 were women
▪ This is up 10% from 2014 and 24% over a five-year average
IMMIGRANT WOMEN’S CHALLENGES
Stigma
Cultural barrier
Language barrier
Role reversal
Financial barriers
Fear of deportation
Fear of being
judged
COMMON CULTURAL BELIEFS/MISCONCEPTIONS
What will the community
say? Here … and back home?
My father says, “Accept your destiny. Stay
with your husband”.
Stigma
Counselling???
Do I have a
mental issue?
SERVICE PROVISION GAPS WITHIN THE SECTOR
❖ Shelters:
▪ lack of space
▪ language barrier and lack of cultural sensitivity
▪ lack of long term support (housing)
❖ Family support:
▪ lack of support for immigrant men
▪ lack of support for immigrant children/secondary
victims of violence
❖ Culturally sensitive counseling
▪ unaffordable for low income families
▪ lack of male counselors
❖ Lack of special considerations
▪ religion and spirituality
❖ Service coordination
❖ Case management
CIWA’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH: FIND ME A HOME
BEST PRACTICES AT CIWA
❖ Counseling support:
▪ individual/couple/group
▪ first language (interpretation and
translation)
▪ culturally sensitive
▪ support groups (men/women/couples)
▪ rebuilding lives (family)
❖ Strategic partnerships
▪ shelters
▪ Calgary Police Service
▪ Children's services
▪ Calgary Foodbank
▪ CDVC and collaboratives
▪ Alberta Health Services
▪ Mosaic Primary Care Network
❖ Evidence based tools
▪ CORS
▪ Risk and protective factor survey
❖ Customised supports
▪ emergency housing support
▪ emergency food
▪ transportation support
▪ childcare provision
▪ parenting after violence
▪ accessible service locations
▪ in-home support
❖ Outreach
▪ Community education/awareness
❖ Engaging men and boys
▪ MAN- C
▪ Support groups
▪ Gender violence curriculum in schools
ENGAGING MEN AND BOYS
• Providing customized support for males
• Creating a safe place
• Male support groups
• Gender Violence workshops
• Group sessions focusing on prevention and
awareness
Counsellor
Healing strategies
Interactive activities
Emotional awareness
Group discussion
Asset based approach
Being role models for
children
GROUP SUPPORT STRATEGIES
Contact Information:
Rekha Gadhia
Family Services Manager
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-403-263-4414 ext. 123
Website: www.ciwa-online.com
Contact Information:
Celestina Akinkunmi
Settlement and Integration Manager
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-403-263-4414 ext. 124
Website: www.ciwa-online.com