Working with Immigrant/Refugee Women against VAW

An Interview with Esther Enyolu by Yukyung Kim-Cho

YK: What have you learned from working with immigrant and refugee women in abusive relationships?

EE: As someone who has been working with woman-abuse survivors for 17 years in both front-line and managerial positions, I have learned so much from the women and children. Woman abuse occurs in all cultures, races, social-economic backgrounds, and religious communities. Reaching out for help is often hampered by social attitudes, systemic discrimination, fear of jeopardizing Canadian status, fear of losing their children, fear of being ostracized from their communities, lack of English language, and lack of knowledge of community resources.

When one is working with immigrant and refugee women who are survivors of gender-based violence or abuse, it is important to recognize their individual needs based on their experiences, social status, location, culture, ethnicity, and race. These women are not accustomed to the counselling model often used in Western societies, which is perceived by some of them as ‘one size fits all.’ [In this model] important factors often get overlooked, such as immigration process/status, the client’s view and experiences of counselling, and her comfort level in discussing issues openly with a stranger or someone with no knowledge of her background.

Essentially, counselling and support services should be provided from an integrated, anti-racist/anti-oppression, feminist perspective. We also need to recognize and validate the fact that some of these women have emigrated from war-affected countries, and consider the severity of the war and its impact on the mental health of that individual.

YK: What motivated you to found the first and only women’s organization working with immigrant/refugee women and women of colour in Durham? What have been some of your organization’s achievements and challenges?

EE: I had been working in the violence-prevention and women’s movement for years when I moved to Durham Region [Ontario] in 1990. I observed that there was no specific agency dealing with issues of violence against women of colour and immigrant/refugee women in the region. My initial goal was to establish a counselling centre and a shelter, but a counselling centre seemed more realistic than a shelter. The organization was founded in 1993 as Women’s Rights Action Coalition of Durham (WRAC). The name changed to Women’s Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre of Durham (WMRCC) in 2003.

We operated with no core funding for seven years; we received our first core funding in 2000. In 2001, we were fortunate to work with Education Wife Assault as a ‘mentor agency’ through a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, in implementing a two-year strategic plan. Funding continues to be a challenge.

In 2001, WMRCC was nominated by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for an Award of Excellence. We have undertaken many projects to help push issues affecting women of colour and immigrant/refugee women in Durham Region. Our current project is Transforming the Landscape: Integrating Diversity and Gender into the Service Delivery System of Durham Region, a research project that promotes greater access and equality for marginalized women facing multiple barriers. In spite of our achievements, not all agencies have been open to a philosophy of service delivery that begins with an anti-violence/anti-oppression perspective.

YK: What makes ethno-racially marginalized women come together to work on abuse issues?

EE: Many ethno-racial women have been critical of feminism because they feel it represents the needs and the ideologies of middle-class, white women. Some ethno-racial women do not want to identify with it. However, feminism can and should be rooted in a diversity of women who are able to build strong alliances across race, class, ethnicity, nationality, and religion. Class and race are powerful barriers between women. As women, we are recognizing that we should not let our differences divide us but build bridges across them to work together for a common goal: women’s empowerment, equality, and rights.

YK: Why has your organization survived and succeeded? What are the major current and future challenges?

EE: Like most organizations working with women on the margins, WMRCC of Durham has survived and succeeded against all odds with the perseverance and determination of the leadership, support from our community partners, and service needs from our community. The organization ran for seven years on the dedicated efforts of the volunteers who supported the agency with their own finances and resources. I am truly proud to have seen WMRCC celebrate its tenth anniversary, and grateful that the dream and vision to create an organization that provides ongoing supportive services to multicultural women, youth, and children continues to be alive. It is their collective courage that gives us the strength to continue this work.

YK: What policies challenge women facing woman abuse and what do we need to do about them?

EE:  There is not space here to discuss all of the policies that challenge woman empowerment, so I will discuss only a few of the legislative challenges.

Recent changes in welfare policies have social impacts on women beyond reduction in their benefits. For example, women receiving Ontario Works benefits feel they have no rights to privacy. They have to report to their OW worker on their activities—job search or volunteer work—every three months to remain eligible for assistance. The policy on disqualifying recipients who are caught ‘cheating’ the system challenges women facing woman abuse. For instance, within the period of separation, a woman may decide to reunite with her partner, but if she is not quick enough to inform her OW worker, she might be accused of cheating.

Immigration policy also affects women who are sponsored by their abusers. When woman abuse occurs, sponsorship can break down. Some women are forced to deal with deportation orders, while others have money deducted from their Ontario Works cheques.

There are many more policies that challenge women facing woman abuse—far too many to discuss here. WMRCC of Durham conducted a research project a few years ago on the Impact of Policies and Services on Abused Women of Colour, Immigrant and Refugee Women, and is presently conducting a similar project due for publication by the end of this year. We are making strides in changing these policies, but a lot of work still needs to be done.

YK: Do you have any final comments on VAW faced by immigrant/refugee women and women of colour?

EE: Violence against women and children is a critical issue requiring urgent attention. Communities must work together to strategize how to end it. But these strategies must be culturally sensitive. Without sensitivity to the needs of First Nations women, women of colour, and immigrant/refugee women, no strategy will be complete.  u

Esther Enyolu is an African Woman born and raised in Nigeria. In her work as part-time Executive Coordinator of WMRCC, she is committed to ensuring that women and children receive effective and efficient services. Esther is also a community worker at the YWCA in Toronto. She is married with three children: Eddie (20), Erika (18), and Emmanual (16).

Yukyung Kim-Cho is a new immigrant working for Education Wife Assault as Coordinator of the Young Women’s Program and Volunteer Program.