Focusing on Empowerment:

1. Focusing on Empowerment: Lessons Learned from Working With Abused Women from Ethnocultural Communities Farishta MurzbanDinshaw Community Development Worker At COSTI, we understand that hope means different things to different people. By filling people’s lives with hope, we’re helping build a strong and prosperous community. COSTI provides the means to a brighter future.

2. COSTI Immigrant Services COSTI Immigrant Services is a community-based multicultural agency providing employment, educational, settlement and social services to all immigrant communities, new Canadians and individuals in need of assistance.

3. COSTI Services • This presentation is informed by the work done through COSTI’s Family and Mental Health Services: • ongoing information and education to ethnocultural communities on woman, child and elder abuse prevention • culturally appropriate crisis counselling and support groups for women of Italian heritage • treatment group for Spanish-speaking women who have experienced trauma

4. Importance of Defining Violence • Cultural context of violence • “Husband’s right” part of patriarchy • Parenting style – “spare the rod and spoil the child” • Women’s role as maintainers of family honour • Controlling behavioursoften not seen as violence, but as “protective” behavior

5. Importance of Defining Violence Continued • Violent behaviour vs. abusive behaviour • Violence often seen as physically harmful or intimidating behaviour; other forms not recognized • Labeling forced sex within an intimate relationship as abuse important • Recognizing controlling behaviour as abuse

6. Additional dilemmas in defining violence • Intent – is it abuse if the partner means to “protect honour of the family”? • Frequency – is it abuse if the partner resorts to aggression when he “loses control” because he is drunk? • Injury– is looking through partner’s personal belongings without permission abuse? • Perspective – is it abuse if the earning partner makes financial decisions for the dependant partner?

7. Vulnerable Women • First generation immigrants • Sponsored family members • Family members of principal applicants • Economic immigrants • Second generation women of colour • Refugee women • Live-in Caregivers • Undocumented women • Trafficked women

8. What makes them vulnerable? • Dependence on their spouse for status in Canada • Financial dependency • Isolation • Absence of family support • Unfamiliarity with the Canadian system • Misconception that they will have to pay for services

9. What makes them vulnerable? • Lack of language skills, absence of professional interpretation and translation facilities • May experience abuse for the first time • General mistrust of authority based on experiences in their country of origin Poverty, disability, sexual orientation may be additional barriers.

10. Service Continuum Post-crisis Support Pre-crisis Prevention Crisis Intervention

11. Pre-Crisis Awareness and Prevention • Outreach • Empowerment

12. Empowerment:Self-worth • Insidious social messages deplete women’s self-worth • Policy implications: • Programs and campaigns that: • encourage positive body image • illustrate healthy relationships • provide opportunities to build support networks • provide education so women can be financially self-sufficient

13. Empowerment:Awareness Many immigrant women are unfamiliar with their legal and constitutional rights in Canada Policy Implications: Practical rights-based awareness campaigns supported by corresponding services, adequate budgets and skilled ethno-linguistic service providers

14. Empowerment:Access • Immigrant women have limited access to information, services and opportunities • Policy implications: • An analysis of systemic barriers • A concentrated outreach effort to reach women who do not come to agencies • Recognition that provision of transit costs & child care are significant to women accessing services

15. Empowerment: Engagement • Immigrant women face barriers in participating to shape laws and policies, programs and services • Policy Implications: • Opportunities for volunteering in decision making roles (school committees, boards) • Education about how the government works; voting • Education on voicing opinions (writing to MPs, petitions, surveys)

16. Contact Information Farishta Dinshaw Community Development Worker dinshaw@costi.org COSTI Immigrant Services 1700 Wilson Avenue, Suite 105, PO Box 90 Toronto, ON M3L 1B2 Tel: 416-244-7714, Ext. 272