"It's the choice between the devil and the deep sea."
This is how Shashi Assanand, executive director at Vancouver and Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services, simplifies the conundrum faced by domestically abused women who have recently immigrated to Canada.
Domestic violence comes in many forms, including financial, sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. It crosses all cultures and societies and is, by and large, typified by male-on-female abuse; national statistics from 2011 show that of Canada's 89 police-reported spousal homicides that year, 85 per cent of the victims were women; on average, every six days in our nation, a woman is killed by her spouse.
These statistics took on a human face in Richmond recently when Jian Hua "James" Wu was alleged to have killed his wife in their apartment on Granville Avenue. To be clear, Wu has not been tried in court, but the incident came amidst a flurry of violent domestic abuse incidents across the province that sparked protests from women's rights groups.
Dealing with these problems takes a collective effort by government and non-profit agencies. In recent years, the federal government claims to have increased funding for settlement programs, which aim to help integrate immigrants into the fabric of Canadian society. But the jury is still out on whether or not the government's approach, as well as its immigration laws, is working.
While Statistics Canada does not track abuse cases along ethnic lines, Assanand is backed by an abundance of research that suggests immigrant women - once they move to Canada - are not only more vulnerable to becoming victims of domestic abuse, they have historically not received culturally-appropriate services to allow them to swim free of their abusers.
"When domestic abuse is mentioned (in the media), culture becomes the factor rather than domestic violence. Domestic violence is about power and control and power and control is the same across all cultures; except, the way an Indian or Chinese or Vietnamese woman responds to
support is very different, because that's based on her culture and values," explained Assanand.
About 65 per cent of Richmond's population speaks an Asian language at home and much of Assanand's work in the city focuses on working with women from these cultures, where there's a greater emphasis on interdependence within families.
"If a collective culture works, there's nothing like it. There's so much support, no babysitting required!" quipped Assanand, after noting how families in collective cultures typically live in multigenerational homes (a woman will join the man's family home to live with his parents).
But when families break up to come to Canada, things can begin to unravel, leading to stress
and ultimately violence, she says. And it's often the woman who is left without the knowledge to navigate through the help available to them.
One of the biggest contributors to the changing family dynamic as immigrants face integration into Canada's individualistic culture is that women become breadwinners out of necessity.
"It gives them that earning power, and independence, individuality and decision making ability because they are now earning. So I think what happens is, the growth happens in a woman and sometimes a male - and the family - may be able to incorporate her growth, but sometimes they can't. If they can't, it can result in a domestic violence situation," said Assanand. In cases like these, it is typically also a result of the man not
being able to provide any financial stability to his family. Assanand noted one case in her 30-year career as a support worker where a man, who was trained in finance, could not get a job. His wife got one as a bank teller. He ended up beating her.
Assanand explains that in a collective culture the man is the asset and the dowry system is still very much a factor in her own Indian culture. Another factor is housework, which adds stress to the relationships. Assanand says the role reversal that men can feel is very "disheartening" for them.
"The frustration that builds up because of the lack of all of the support, and the racism - those are difficult issues to deal with. So, as in our (Indian) culture, the woman is the property, and he can take it out on her. And, unfortunately, women often think it's his right to do so," explained Assanand.
Over at the Chinese Mental Wellness Association of Canada on Minoru Boulevard, caseworkers are seeing similar problems and deal with any ethnic group that needs help.
Executive director Ahlay Chin, a psychotherapist, says in Chinese culture, "face" is an important barrier that needs to be broken when people come to Canada, especially when losing support networks typically found in their own cultures.
"When someone is new to the country, and they're so helpless and have mental problems, where do they get help? They find asking for help is a sign of weakness. Normally, they would resolve the problems within ... their family, but here, they're so helpless, they've nowhere to go," said Chin.
She added, immigrants also struggle with losing status coming to Canada. While some may have wealth coming here, they lose social and cultural connections that give life meaning. For instance, men can feel lonely, as monogamous relationships aren't as much the norm in Asia as they are here; they also underestimate missing their friends.
Norman Sung, past-president of the Richmond Chinese Community Society, notes that these factors are critical to understanding the brief stories we observe in the mainstream media.
"We only see the consequences of these homicides. But we need to understand the background so we can try to avoid these situations," said Sung.
He says he sees many broken families in the Chinese immigrant community, either as a result of the immigration system, or the couple's
inability to integrate. Typically, for instance, Sung says a husband will come to Canada to seek work and his family will follow. In some cases, the husband wants to go back to his native country but the wife wants to stay.
"So very often we see a breakdown in marriages because of this," said Sung.
Chin, Sung and CMWAC president, Michael Cayetano, all agree educating new immigrants, even before they land in Canada is key.
"Even the closeness of the family is tempered here. There are different relationships. Sure, it's still a close-knit family, but do they eat together? Do they go to church together? Do they participate in the schooling together? Often that disappears when they come to Canada," said Cayetano.
Canada's settlement programs aim to stem the unrealistic expectations. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada,
funding for such programs has tripled to $600 million nationwide since 2006. British Columbia accounts for one-sixth of that funding.
The largest settlement program in Richmond is run by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. The program covers many issues like accessing health care, counseling, legal services, English language classes, housing and so on. Also, part of the settlement program involves educating would-be immigrants overseas about expectations, before they land in Canada.
"Our role is to ensure the public is aware of what services are available," said S.U.C.C.E.S.S. CEO Queenie Choo.
The non-profit group receives tens of millions of dollars from federal grants each year and is the first line of defense against preventing domestic problems in the immigrant community. Choo says the biggest factor is acquiring language skills.
"It takes a lot of effort not only from the service provider but also the individual. The individual needs to be motivated to learn our culture and integrate," said Choo.
Assanand agrees, noting that Canada must strike a balance between respecting people's cultural values while protecting basic, individual human rights. And while it's a good thing police can intervene in cases of domestic violence, Assanand said Canada's immigration process is often stacked against women facing domestic violence.
For instance, two years ago, Citizenship and Immigration Canada mandated sponsored spouses (typically women) must cohabitate for at least two years before they gain landed immigrant status. If they leave the relationship, they need to leave the country. Assanand says this policy prevents abused women from leaving the home - an issue that's difficult for any woman, let alone an immigrant. Many women's advocacy groups believe the 134 proven cases of marriage fraud in 2012 don't justify the potential harm against women.
On April 1, the federal government took back control of settlement program funding from the provinces with an aim to streamline resources. In Richmond, Chimo Community Services, which runs Nova Transition House for women fleeing abuse, lost its $600,000 settlement contract (S.U.C.C.E.S.S. was granted a similar amount thereafter), effectively chopping one quarter of its overall funding. The organization now focuses solely on family violence and crisis intervention.
CHIMO's executive director, Mark Miller, said it could have an impact. "We aren't able to connect with the broader part of the community now," said Miller.
Although, Assanand argues that streamlined settlement programs (as
opposed to piece meal ones operated out of various organizations) could prove to be better. Assanand's group works hand in hand with women's transition houses like Nova House. She was instrumental in getting the province to make each transition house have access to support workers in multiple languages.
"Advocates need to speak the language and understand the cultural differences. If you continue to provide service in English and/or from a western point of view, the problem can persists," she said.
