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Layers of Disadvantage

Lynne Melcombe

Family violence occurs in every culture and across every socio-economic stratum, and always shares certain characteristics. Violence against people with disabilities also shares distinct traits across geographic, political, cultural, and economic barriers. But when families transplant themselves to a new environment, willingly or as refugees, there are important differences in both the roots and manifestations of that violence, and sometimes even more so when these families include individuals with disabilities. At first glance, this appears to be a fledgling area of family-violence research. But in our multi-cultural nation, within our increasingly global community, it is an area that cries out for information that will help us understand and respond appropriately.

The sidebar accompanying this editorial sets the stage for this issue by summarizing some of the stresses faced by newcomers to Canada—stresses that exacerbate family tensions to the point of violence, or escalate pre-existing family violence. Also in this issue of Aware, we bring you a fact sheet reprinted from the website for the Department of Community Service of the Province of Nova Scotia that outlines some of the ways violence can be experienced by women, children, and elders in newcomer families; a chapter reprinted from a book published by Ottawa-based Immigrant and Visible Minority Women Against Abuse that takes a closer look at woman assault in newcomer communities; and an original article written by workers involved in Parent Support Circles for newcomer parents that examines the roots of and best responses to abuse and neglect of children in newcomer families.

In addition, this issue touches on the unique problems of violence against women and children with disabilities in newcomer families. Canadian researcher Deborah Stienstra (2002) notes that, “while disability is found in all cultures, there is considerable variation in how cultures interpret and address disability.” Disability is also viewed differently according to religious beliefs, “ranging from acceptance of people with disabilities as a gift from god(s) and therefore special, to rejection of those with disabilities as a punishment from god(s).” This can greatly affect the way people with disabilities are treated within the family and community, raising tremendous challenges for newcomer families and those who provide services to them.
Stienstra also refers to the important concept of “multiple minority groups.” Quoting Maria Barile, a Canadian woman with disabilities who is of Italian descent, she suggests that this concept “helps to situate those who experience double, triple, or more layers of oppression because of their varying minority status,” and that “those in multiple minority groups experience more severely limiting unequal treatment than those in single minority groups.” Exploration of the triple “intersection” (Stienstra’s term) of violence, culture, and disability appears to be in its infancy in Canada. However, a stroll across the world-wide web revealed a paper titled “Domestic Violence and Women from a NESB [non-English speaking background] with Disability” (2001) on the Australian website for the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA).

Clearly, there are more differences between Canada and Australia than that our seasons are eternally at odds, and we thought twice about reprinting Australian information in a Canadian publication. But there are also similarities between our nations that go beyond vast land masses, histories as British colonies, and recently increased immigration from every part of the globe. These similarities were enough for us to reprint the paper from the NEDA website as a potential starting point for uniquely Canadian research that delves into the triple intersection—and triple-layered oppression—of violence, culture, and disability.
We hope you find this issue of Aware informative and thought-provoking, and that if you or someone you know of is researching some of the ideas we’ve mined for these pages, you will contact us. We would be happy to serve as a conduit for connections that can deepen our understanding of this apparently under-explored avenue of family violence and bring its many facets into the light of day.

Lynne Melcombe
Editor

REFERENCES

Cockram, J (2003) Silent Voices: Women with Disabilities and Family and Domestic Violence, Australia: People with Disabilities Inc.

Deluxe Productions (1998) Behind Closed Doors (video), Vancouver.

Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities in Canada, www.ryerson.ca/erdco/new/w_graphics/resources/profile.html.

NEDA (2001) Domestic Violence and Women from a NESB with Disability, Australia: National Ethnic Disability Alliance, www.neda.org.au.

Stienstra, Deborah (2002) “Intersections: disability and race/ethnicity/heritage languages/religion,” www.disabilitystudies.ca/intersections.htm.

Vancouver and Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society (1993) Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introductory Manual on the Impact of Family Violence for Multicultural Home/School Workers, Vancouver.

Sidebar:

A Nation of Newcomers
• Between 1991 and 1996, Canada welcomed five-million newcomers, an increase of 14.5 percent in five years, representing three times the growth rate of the Canadian-born population.
• Fertility rates in newcomer families tend to be higher than among Canadian-born couples, so that the number of Canadian-born children being raised in newcomer families is also rapidly increasing.
• Whereas Canada once attracted primarily European immigrants, newcomers now arrive predominantly from Asia and the Middle East. In 1991, 57.1 percent of newcomers came from these areas; by 1996, that number had risen to 66.1 percent.
• The same time period also saw statistically significant increases in numbers of immigrants arriving from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
• This newcomer population tends either to have notably higher or notably lower education and earning power. Anecdotally, the latter group—perhaps representing refugees and/or professionals in their home nations whose credentials are not recognized here—tend to have a greater impact on the need for services to help them and their families adjust to life in Canada.

REFERENCES

Kobayashi, A, Moore, E, and Rosenberg, M (1998) Healthy Immigrant Children: A Demographic and Geographic Analysis, Applied Research Branch, Strategic Policy, Human Resources Development Canada.