Research Library

Integration timeline: newcomers not defined

Community organizations

• Sagesse (Calgary)
• Canadian Pakistani Support Group Association (Calgary)
• The Today Centre (Edmonton)
• Indo Canadian Women’s Association (Edmonton)

Future research / gaps identified:

• The women themselves were not interviewed (only secondary sources were used)
• The organizations’ websites may not contain all of their info
• Only large cities were included

Key findings:

• There is a high prevalence of domestic violence among South Asian immigrant women that is comparable between large Albertan cities and other large Canadian cities.
• The pressure to maintain traditional beliefs, combined with settling in a new country, makes it difficult for immigrant women to report instances of violence and causes them to stay in abusive relationships for longer periods of time.
• The 2 Albertan South Asian organizations are culturally sensitive, and thus provided better support than the mainstream domestic violence organizations. However, they also have a lack of formal resources and funding. This was a similar trend across all Canadian cities in the study.
• The 2 domestic violence organizations in Alberta that were included in this study are largely not culturally sensitive, hindering South Asian women’s ability to seek help. This was a similar trend across all Canadian cities in the study.

Key recommendations:

• Develop culturally sensitive and appropriate services for South Asian immigrant women who are victims of domestic violence
• Train mainstream organizations to better understand the unique needs and experiences of South Asian immigrant women.
• Increase funding for South Asian organizations that provide domestic violence services to better meet the needs of their clients.
• Encourage collaboration and partnerships between mainstream and South Asian organizations to improve access to services

Locations:

• Calgary
• Edmonton
• Vancouver
• Toronto
• Montreal

Open access: No