Workshop 1: Violence Against Women & the Impact on Children

Impact of Family Violence: A South Asian Perspective!

Group AgreementTry not to blame or judge othersIf you disagree, attack the idea and not the

personThere are no wrong answers or silly questions Listen respectfully No side conversationsTry not to dominate the discussion...but Express yourself ...but Don’t talk if you don’t want toEverybody’s contribution is important!

Thank you for being here!

Workshop Agenda

1. Introduction & welcome – 10 minutes

2. Survivor story – 5 minutes

3. Last year’s conference results & resources -10 minutes

4. Small group – 60 minutes

5. Large group report back –15 minutes

6. What do we need to get started? – 15 minutes

Last year’s Violence Against Women WorkshopNature of the issue : Rooted in patriarchy - motivated by power and control

Religion/culture used to excuse violence - keep women oppressed.

When culture or religion is used – perceived as separate and/or distinct from VAW generally

Validates racism and detach the issue from the mainstream

Understand the role of the mother-in-law in the context of patriarchal society/culture, perpetuate 2nd class citizenship of son’s wife

Violence is more than physical -emotional, sexual, financial

Victims want the violence to stop but not if it means that their family will be torn apart.

Last year’s Violence Against Women WorkshopNature of the issue: VAW often begins at the onset of puberty, where

South Asian values/practices may clash with mainstream culture of which teenage girls interface with

Child witness – children are scared, blame themselves, experience anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and physical problems as a result of witnessing and/or being victims of abuse

Last year’s Violence Against Women Workshop Nature of the issue: For youth: Extreme pressure to divorce their culture religion

and family because of seemingly conflicting values in the mainstream

Youth turn to gangs, alcohol, drugs and violence Abuse leads to disownment, depression, mental

health issues and suicide There is a lack of positive role models thus

leading to the cycle of violence

Last year’s Violence Against Women WorkshopChallenges and Barriers in Addressing this ViolenceWhy women don’t seek help: Stigma/shame and fear of being condemned by

family/community Isolation and lack of English language Cycle of dependence Limited or no freedom Duties of the woman Concerns for children Lack of knowledge of community supports and services Lack of culturally accessible and appropriate services Lack of knowledge & false knowledge re. laws/rights Fear of authority, i.e., courts, police

Last year’s Violence Against Women Workshop - Challenges and Barriers in Addressing this Violence Transportation Not having someone to tell Fear of making things worse Lack of self-worth thus not having the energy and will to

make things better for yourself Uncertain of whether they are being abused or not Keeping the family together Economic reasons, i.e., lack of access to money,

employment and training Fear of jeopardizing their immigration status

Last year’s Violence Against Women Workshop – Best Practices & Strategies for Addressing this Violence All members of the local community needs to

take responsibility Needs to involve the whole family Useful qualities and skills for support workers and

professionals – female, trustful, non-judgemental follow up

Feminist understanding Need for education in the community Need culture/language specific types of supports

& resources

Last year’s Violence Against Women Workshop – Best Practices & Strategies for Addressing this ViolenceDr. Farah Ahmed summarized the following “actions” thatwere proposed by last year’s participants Accessible information & services on family violence, made

available to newcomers Involvement of immigration department Cross-sectoral collaboration , i.e. mandatory sector training,

coordination of services , working with the communities Public Education Campaign – involves men, community

leaders, needs to be compelling, i.e. make VAW unpopular (like smoking campaign)

Research and Practice should speak to each other – need a “bank” of research, models etc.

Family Violence Advisory & Advocacy CommitteeBest Practices & Strategies for Addressing this Violence Programs need to be delivered in the community, where

people go, e.g. offer information in schools, where women/grandparents drop children off

Educate parents on impact on children, e.g. “If you want children to go to university this will ruin their chances”

Sectors – disclosure management, establish trust, all sectors need training with South Asian perspective, schools need training on family violence cross cultures, professionals need training in curriculum and at conferences

Info at key moments: Schools: at registration, parent meetings; Health – pre and post natal, wellness events

Need funding from all levels of government to make sure that good info and resources get out there

Family Violence Advisory & Advocacy CommitteeBest Practices & Strategies for Addressing this Violence Public Education & Awareness: Connect children with what healthy relationships

look like, to break the cycle Work with existing campaigns Campaign geared towards men – with public

figures Call to Action to Eradicate Domestic Violence –

organized by South Asian organizations Not focus on changing “culture” but harmful values

and changing gender roles Important that resources are in place, before

campaigns are launched

Important Resources- Academic & Community-Based, examples: Experience of South Asian Brides Entering Canada Perception of Factors Contributing to Intimate Partner Violence Among Sri Lankan

Tamil Immigrant Women. Patriarchal Beliefs and Perception of Abuse Among South Asian Immigrant

Women. Violence Against Women Intimate Partner Violence in the Sikh Community Violence in the Lives of Muslim Girls and Women in Canada: Symposium - 2011,

London, ON Access to Women Abuse Services by Arab-Speaking Muslim Women in London,

ON A Lot of These Things Nobody Talks About”: ‘South Asian Muslims’ Perception of

Dating Behaviour and Abuse Why Doesn’t She Seek Help for Partner Abuse?” The Impact of Family Violence: A South Asian Perspective – Conference Report

May 5, 2011

Relevant programs & tools

Forced/ Non-consensual Marriages: A toolkit for service providers - South Asian Legal Clinic (SALCO)

Muslim Family Safety Project (Baoboid, London ON) Punjabi Community Health Services model of

intervention – client whole family, go to clients, etc. Training on Violence Against Immigrant, Refugee

and Non-Status Women - Ending Violence Association of British Columbia

Family Justice Centres – American model

Relevant programs & tools Immigrant Women and Domestic Violence – CLEO

Immigration and Refugee fact sheet Intimate Relationship Domestic Violence/ Abuse Flyer – Peel

Regional Police. You Have a Right to Live Free from Abuse - flyer – METRAC

“Abuse is wrong” booklet by Department of Justice Canada. “Information for Partners on Sexual Assault” Fact Sheet –

Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Centre of Peel South Asian specific brochures on violence (Family Services

of Toronto) Identifying Abuse – Sakhi - USA

Relevant sector-specific training – By Mohammed Baobaid Some Context for our Discussions and Reflections of the

Collaborative workshop between the Leaders of the Muslim Community & mainstream service providers

Outreach Strategies for Family Violence Intervention with Immigrant & Minority Communities: Lessons Learned- Muslim Family Safety

Training Workshop for the Staff of New Direction PowerPoint presentation - Building Culturally Competent 

Outreach Strategies: Engaging Muslim Communities in Addressing Violence Against Women

Access to Women Abuse Services by Arab-Speaking Muslim Women in London, ON

Relevant public education & awareness ideas

USA Public Service Announcement (PSA) –Chaya with a helpline

Website education campaign – Neighbours, Friends & Families – in some South Asian languages

Australian 90 second PSA entitled, Children See, Children Do

Social Services Network – Two Community Development Projects Building a Safe Community for Us!: South Asian Girls, Teens and Young

Women Strategize for Change work with girls, young women and their families, as well as key sectors and South Asian agencies to develop workshops and an ongoing program towards a safe, violence free community for South Asian girls and young women – Status of Women Workshops – Youth, Men, and Women + initial information session for sectors

Proposed New Horizon for Seniors - Pan Canadian project - education to seniors and families before and after the immigration process, awareness training for frontline workers on identifying the signs and symptoms, culturally and linguistically sensitive family counselling programs, cross–sectoral collaboration, more support for adult children and families, peer to peer support and public awareness campaigns in faith settings and using South Asian media for raising awareness.

Small group work - programsExisting Programs What types of programs do you know already

exist? Describe.

What are the names of specific programs? Who developed and/or delivers these?

Programs Needed What programs are needed? What would be the key characteristics of these

programs?

Small group work: Sector-specific training

Existing Sector Specific Training What types of training do you know already exist?

Describe. What are the names of these training programs? Who developed and/or delivers these?

Sector Specific Training Needed What sector training is needed? What would be the key characteristics of this

training?

Small group – Public Education & Awareness IdeasExisting Public Education Resources/Campaigns What types of resources and/or campaigns do you

knowalready exist? Describe.

What are the names of these resources? Who developed and/or delivers these?

Public Education Resources/Campaigns Needed What resources and/or campaigns are needed? What would be the key messages that campaigns

would need to express?

Why intervention needs to be culture specific ...

All the service provider tools for women are usually to address intimate partner violence

andvery little focus is given to familial violence

or localized pressures of the micro factors of communities.

Why intervention needs to be culture specific ...

Mainstream public awareness campaign  girls often focus

mainly on establishing boundaries and understanding various aspects of relationships including physical/ intimate relationships.

However, such direct language is not effective for South

Asian audience as sex is considered a taboo topic that

should not be talked about in public.