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Focusing on Empowerment:
Lessons Learned from Working With Abused Women from
Ethnocultural Communities
Farishta Murzban DinshawCommunity Development Worker
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.
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
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 behaviours often not seen as violence, but as “protective” behavior
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
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?
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
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
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.
Service ContinuumP
re-c
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Cri
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Pos
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Pre-Crisis Awareness and Prevention
Outreach
Empowerment
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
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
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
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)
Contact Information
Farishta Dinshaw
Community Development Worker
COSTI Immigrant Services
1700 Wilson Avenue, Suite 105, PO Box 90
Toronto, ON M3L 1B2
Tel: 416-244-7714, Ext. 272
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