Domestic Violence against Refugee and Immigrant Women in Canada - Research Proposal Example

Domestic Violence against refugee and immigrant women in Canada 29-11-11 Domestic Violence against refugee and immigrant women in Canada The Problem: Like in most parts of the world, refugee and immigrant women in Canada face a regime of terror known as domestic violence. The victims are not only subjected to physical violence but psychological violence is also highly prevalent. Even in an industrially and economically advanced nation such as Canada, immigrant and refugee women are not allowed to make decisions and are deprived of their rights. Domestic violence against refugee and immigrant women is a manifestation of the concept of gender inequality i.e. men are superior to women in all aspects of life. Domestic violence is a broad subject and encompasses a wide variety of issues including physical abuse, sexual abuse of children and femicide. (Burns, K. 2008). In simple words, the term “Domestic Violence” is defined as the violence inflicted on an individual by someone from within their families. This research proposal for an explanatory research attempts to draw attention to the issue of rape and sexual abuse of refugee and immigrant women in Canada. The research will attempt to test the validity of relationship between sexual abuse and childhood domestic violence. (Denmark, F. 2006). Sexual abuse is defined as coerced sex or forced sex and is often accompanied by physical abuse during sexual activities. (Vine, C., & Alaggia, R. 2006) i. Objectives: The explanatory research on sexual abuse and rape among refugee and immigrant women will help answer questions which would enable us to understand the deep rooted problem of domestic violence. We need to analyze different issues included in domestic violence and to identify the reasons which lead to violence being inflicted upon refugee and immigrant women in Canada. On the other hand, the research will open doors to issues which have not been extensively studied. One such issue is the determination of the existence of correlation between exposures to domestic violence during childhood and subjection to sexual abuse later on in life. In addition, we will also determine the rate of public satisfaction with government services provided to victims of rape and sexual abuse. Therefore, the main subject area of this explanatory research would be the identification of correlation between early exposure to domestic violence and increased vulnerability to sexual abuse and rape in future intimate relationships. The research will also address two of the most important sub areas of the issue of domestic violence which are emotional repercussions of sexual abuse and public satisfaction with the provision of government services to victims. ii. Research question: Is sexual abuse and rape more common among women who were victims of domestic violence during the initial years of their lives? iii. Predicted answer: I believe that childhood violence and sexual abuse in intimate relationships definitely has a strong correlation. iv. Social Importance: Domestic violence is not an isolated problem and is related to a wide variety of other crimes. Therefore, it is important to analyze the problem and its reasons in an effort to eliminate domestic violence which has been plaguing the roots of our society since prehistoric times. The advancement of women’s rights is an important factor needed for the development of a healthy society. The issue of sexual abuse and rape cannot be solved until the reasons for increased vulnerability of women to men are recognized. If the results of this explanatory research are positive and reveal a strong correlation between childhood violence and sexual abuse in intimate relationships then it would pave the way for the development of more effective support services. Therefore, the results of this explanatory research would help social workers and support centers to devise ways to develop more effective support strategies which would not only ease the recovering process of victims but will also enable the identification of individuals susceptible to sexual abuse and rape. v. Summary: Domestic violence stems among families where gender inequality exists. Domestic violence is a critical issue because it is inflicted by a minority but its affects are mediated on the entire community. It is a well known fact that sexual abuse and forced sex in intimate relationships is not considered as violence by many women across the world. Among many societies, women are forced to believe that their husbands have a right to unlimited sexual access and it is mandatory for women to fulfill the sexual demands of their husbands. In accordance with a recent research, the ramifications of rape are not only severe but leave deep imprints on victim’s memories forever. Different researches conducted by Universities in Canada reveal that victims of sexual abuse and rape experience deep negative consequences and due to the lack of family support, the victims are thrown into a floundering sea of fear and isolation. Most of the victims never fully recover psychologically, while for others, the process is painstakingly slow. It has been observed that some of the rape victims were also victims of domestic violence during the early years of their lives. (Brownridge, et al August 01, 2002). Therefore, there must be a correlation between facing domestic violence in childhood and being sexually abused later on in life. This opens a new research perspective i.e. to prove that individuals who either witness their fathers violently abusing their mothers or were the victims of domestic violence as a child, are more likely to be sexually abused by their husbands or co inhabitants. The reasons for the existence of such a correlation are not known. (Erez, E. January 01, 2000). Most recent surveys reveal a fact that was previously unknown, not because it didn’t exist but because it was never confessed. The fact is that most women in many industrially and educationally advanced nations such as Canada do not consider forced sex as illegitimate in intimate relationships. Many of the rape victims confessed that due to the myths surrounding the issue of rape, they somehow felt responsible for their rapes. Such a belief renders the effectiveness of support services and slows down the recovering process. On the other hand, officials of Public Mental Health believe that sexual abuse does not mediates its immensely negative repercussions only on the victims, but the whole community suffers from its ramifications. (Romans et al 2007). The lack of statistically valid estimates for the prevalence of sexual abuse against immigrant and refugee women is viewed by many as the failure of the government to protect the citizens. Others blame isolation from community as the major reason for limited literature on domestic violence against refugee and immigrant women in Canada. (Barrett, B., & Pierre, M. January 01, 2011). Data from several researches conducted over the past few years reveal that majority of the victims do not trust the police and the local authorities and therefore did not attempt to report the incident to the police. Despite, large numbers of research studies conducted in Canada, the statistics are still grim because refugee and immigrant women are not normally communicative when it comes to sexual abuse and rape. (Lindhorst, T., & Tajima, E. January 01, 2008). Most victims believe that silence is the only remedy. Therefore, we are aware of the fact that refugee and immigrant women are sexually abused and raped on daily basis but we simply do not know how many victims are there. Despite the increased awareness of domestic violence issues in Canada, the literature still remains very limited when it comes to the issue of refugee and immigrant women. The understanding of immigrant specific factors which lead to the exacerbation of domestic violence is necessary in order to devise ways to protect women from men. Review of recent research shows that the incidence of domestic violence against refugee and immigrant women is the same as that for the local native population. (Mason et al 2008). However, certain immigrant specific factors are responsible for further worsening of the already vulnerable situation. Limited host language verbal skills are a major factor that contributes substantially to force immigrant and refuge women in a subordinate position as compared with the men in their families. It has been observed that isolation from community also plays a crucial role in exacerbation of domestic violence because the men are not threatened with community pressure and there is no one there stop them from committing acts of violence. (Sharma, A. December 01, 2001). Another major reason which leads to exponential rise in domestic violence is the fact that immigrant and refugee men do not have an access to dignified jobs which leads to frustration and anger. Therefore, the pent up anger turns into sexual frustration and unfortunately men fid it quite easy to relieve it on weaker family members. There is a common trend of underestimating the services provided by the government to victims and such underestimation stems from the experience of native country authorities. Among other reasons for sexual abuse against refugee and immigrant women in Canada is the uncertainty of legal status and lack of awareness of legal rights. (Bopp et al 2003). Recent statistical measures reveal that 15-20% of refugee and immigrant women are sexually abused. Therefore, we know the statistical figures but we are also aware of the fact that such figures hold less authenticity because many cases are never reported to the local authorities. So we can ascertain that actual figures are much higher. Another striking fact revealed by a recent research is that co inhabitants are more likely to be violent than husbands. The potential severity of domestic violence against women sometimes leads to the loss of precious lives. In accordance with the statistical reports of The Canadian Centre for Justice, proves femicide in intimate relationships is gradually rising. Unfortunately, the situation is dreadfully worse for refugee and immigrant women. (Brownridge et al 2001). Methodology: The explanatory research will involve the use of human participants (informed consent form is given at the end). The research requires 50 married or committed refugee and immigrant women. Prior to the research, an Informed Consent Form will be circulated among different refugee dominant areas in Toronto. The informed consent form will provide explanation regarding the research and will inform the participants about their rights and time required for participation. The informed consent form will also ask the participants about whether they would like to fill a questionnaire or would like to be interviewed personally by an authorized researcher. The participants will be selected at random and will be asked to arrive at a specified location for the conduction of the research. The participants will be placed in a support group. Stress levels will be measured for the participants by using the Holmes and Rahe’s (1967) life event stress scale. Self esteem levels will be measured by using the Rosenberg (1965) self esteem survey. Stress and self esteem have a Pearson correlation and are therefore not interrelated. I believe that it is not a good idea to deliver the questionnaire at their doorsteps, as the women might be forced not to answer the questions honestly. The selected participants will then be asked to arrive at a specified location at a specific time. Upon arrival, the participants will be informed about confidentiality of information they would provide by taking part in the research. Confidentiality will be maintained by not mentioning the names and identities of the participants on the questionnaires and anonymity will also be maintained throughout the process of application of biological statistical techniques and methods. The raw data in the form of filled questionnaires and interview tapes will be successfully collected. The next step would be the application of statistical techniques and methods. The raw data would be displayed in different forms. The correlation between early exposure to domestic violence and increased vulnerability to sexual abuse and rape in future intimate relationships will be displayed in a graphical form. While the answers to the rest of the questions relating to issues of sexual violence and public satisfaction with government services will be displayed in the form a table. Questionnaire: All information provided is kept private and confidential. i. Do you feel physically and psychologically safe in your family? ii. Did you ever witness domestic violence when you were a child? iii. Did your father subject your mother to domestic violence? iv. What do you consider is the most common type of domestic violence? v. Does your husband often try to force you into sexual activities against? vi. Do you consider sexual abuse and forced sex in an intimate relationship, a crime? vii. Have you ever been forced into prostitution by your family members in an attempt to elevate some of the domestic financial issues? viii. Briefly outline the major reasons, you think, are responsible for sexual abuse and rape? ix. Do you think the perpetuators of sexual abuse and rape consider it their legal right to terrorize women in their families? x. Do you think sexual abuse more common among individuals from a certain race and ethnicity? xi. Briefly describe the impact of sexual abuse on you and your children? If you have been a victim of sexual abuse and rape by your husband or a close family member then kindly answer the following questions as well. All information provided is kept private and confidential. i. Were you subjected to domestic violence at child? ii. Did you witness a close family member being subjected to domestic violence? iii. Did you report the incident to the police or local authorities? iv. Do you consider the help of a counselor to be beneficial in an effort to help you deal with the negative repercussions of rape and sexual abuse? v. Do you think a women’s childhood experience of domestic violence makes her more vulnerable to sexual violence in intimate relationships? vi. Do you believe that isolation from the community might be a reason for sexual abuse in intimate relationships? vii. Do you consider the lack of access to justified jobs, a reason for increased domestic violence against women? viii. Do you think you have complete access to rehabilitating services provided by the government? ix. What kind of services you believe should be provided to victims by the hospital and support center? x. Do you feel safe with what the government is doing to educate refugee and immigrant women about how to deal with consequences of sexual abuse and rape in intimate relationships? xi. What do you think is the most immediate step the government should take in order to provide more protection for refugee and immigrant women in Canada? Informed Consent Form: Student researchers: Title of the research project: “Domestic Violence against immigrant and refugee women in Canada”. Explanation: My participation in the research project titled “Domestic violence against refugee and immigrant women in Canada” would be voluntary. I completely understand that the information gathered from the research will be used to propagate further studies on various involved in domestic violence. Furthermore, I understand that the statistical information gathered from 100 individuals will be analyzed in order to help answer questions related to domestic violence against refugee and immigrant women. Moreover, I understand that my participation is voluntary and I will not receive any payment for my participation. Furthermore, I understand that I will be placed in a support group and my self esteem and stress levels will also be determined. I understand that I will be offered to either fill in the questionnaire or to be interviewed by one of the researchers. I have the right to leave the questionnaire or interview if I feel uncomfortable at any point. I also understand that all information I provide will be kept private and confidential. I have read and completely understand the information provided to me by the researchers. Therefore, I agree to participate voluntarily in the research project. Time required for the participation: 45 minutes. Date: Name: Signature: References: Barrett, B., & Pierre, M. (January 01, 2011). Variations in Womens Help Seeking in Response to Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From a Canadian Population-Based Study. Violence against Women, 17, 1, 47-70. Bopp, J., Bopp, M., Lane, P., & Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning. (2003). Aboriginal domestic violence in Canada. Ottawa: Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Brownridge, D. A., & Halli, S. S. (August 01, 2002). Double Jeopardy?: Violence Against Immigrant Women in Canada. Violence and Victims, 17, 4.) Brownridge, D. A., & Halli, S. S. (2001). Explaining violence against women in Canada. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Burns, K. (2008). Violence against women. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Denmark, F. (2006). Violence and exploitation against women and girls. Boston, Mass: Blackwell Pub. on behalf of the New York Academy of Sciences. Erez, E. (January 01, 2000). Immigration, Culture Conflict and Domestic Violence/Woman Battering. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: an International Journal, 2, 1.) Lindhorst, T., & Tajima, E. (January 01, 2008). Reconceptualizing and Operationalizing Context in Survey Research on Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23, 3, 362-388. Mason, R., Hyman, I., Berman, H., Guruge, S., Kanagaratnam, P., & Manuel, L. (January 01, 2008). "Violence Is an International Language". Violence against Women, 14, 12, 1397-1412. Romans, S., Forte, T., Cohen, M., Du, M. J., & Hyman, I. (January 01, 2007). Who Is Most at Risk for Intimate Partner Violence?. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 12, 1495-1514. Sharma, A. (December 01, 2001). Healing the Wounds of Domestic Abuse: Improving the Effectiveness of Feminist Therapeutic Interventions With Immigrants and Racially Visible Women Who Have Been Abused. Violence against Women, 7, 12.). Vine, C., & Alaggia, R. (2006). Cruel but not unusual: Violence in Canadian families. Waterloo, Ont: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 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