Notes
Key recommendations
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Collaboration between mainstream and south asian women’s organizations can help remove barriers to accessing help
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Creation of an information hub, in order to provide resources to women planning to flee/currently fleeing domestic violence, with no knowledge of supports
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Training in cultural differences, as well as support workers who speak the same language
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Providing immigrants with information about laws, and resources available to them on arrival to Canada
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Increasing awareness for domestic violence in SA households, as well as recruiting religious and community leaders to help
Key populations
South Asian immigrant women
Key findings
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Collaboration between mainstream and South Asian women’s organizations can help remove barriers to accessing help
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Services may not be accessible due to location, cultural and language barriers
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Receiving false information from abusers leads to increased fear surrounding their rights, especially since family is not nearby
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Being sponsored by spouses may lead to belief that they will not be able to stay in Canada if they flee domestic violence
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Cultural taboos within the SA community may make it more difficult to flee domestic violence situations, and can dissuade women from reaching out to others for help
Integration timeline
Undefined but some participants are newcomers
Gaps identified
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Literature on experiences by SA women experiencing abuse is limited; current literature about SA domestic violence is primarily through providers
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Looking into how to train service providers to become culturally understanding of South ASian women
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Increased recruitment of women, as well as looking into the impact of witnessing/experiencing domestic violence on children
Community organizations
South Asian women organizations (SAWO) and mainstream services organizations (MSO) in Edmonton helped with the recruitment of participants. Names of these organizations were excluded however to protect the confidentiality of participants
DOI: 10.7939/R3741S
