PSY 3121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Domestic Violence, Well-Founded Relation, Avail
5 May 2018
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Women: The Refugee, Minorities, and Immigrant Experience
•Clarifying the Language: Definition
-Refugee: A person who “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the
country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of
the protection of that country”
-facing persecution for different reasons and are leaving their country
-Immigrant: ..a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. A
landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live in
Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Persons residing in Canada who were born
outside of Canada, excluding temporary foreign workers, Canadian citizens born outside
Canada and those with student or working visas.”
-not yet a citizen but born in a different country
-Total Asylum Claimant: individuals who are escaping from persecution and need security and
safety in a country other than her own (refugees in the Canadian context)
—a high number of claimants enter from Ontario, especially Toronto (major hub)
•Refugees
According to a study done by Deacon and Sullivan (2009):
-Feeling persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a group, political
associations.
-Female refugees needs are different than men’s. Men and their needs are the benchmark
(standard) of what the refugee claimant is based on, and women’s needs are not always
taken into account during escape.
-ie. women’s hygienic needs are not always met, and their facilities are often dangerous
or meant for women (open washrooms, assaulted)
-ie. women often don’t eat or eat very little (leftovers) causing malnutrition and sickness
as they place the needs of others (elderly, children, husband) before themselves
-Both men and women experience violence, fear, and loss.
-Women at risk: sexual assault, agricultural duties, caring for others. These experiences/
losses occur during and after escape.
•Vulnerability and Individuals’ Lived Experience (escape, camps, resettlement)
-Women are more vulnerable in war:
-targeted rape (health impacts, disease)
-pregnancies (complications due to poor situations)
-disgrace (sexually assaulted, damaged, promiscuous)
-attacks during gendered work (subsistence farming, due to different body types and
requirements)
-stress can cause male aggression, causing violence
-patriarchal society (depending on country, race, or religion) may result in punishment to
women
-As women flee (with children): they face exploitation, sexual assault
-In refugee camps: little access to (reproductive/pre natal) health care, rape/sexual violence,
exploitation, and domestic abuse
-disease is spread (STIs), pregnancy poses risks (doctors, access to medical equipment
is low/nonexistent)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-During resettlement:
-increased domestic abuse
-isolation: further from families, societies, countries
-cultural rejection: backlash from country populations (negative connotations)
-mental & general health issues (individuals can too afraid or ashamed to ask for help)
-lack of education, lack of job opportunities
-not fitting in to local community groups (ethnicity, religion, factions, political background,
language etc.)
-negotiating new gender roles/identities
-single head of household (less opportunities for education)
•Refugees
-Refugees have poor mental health due to the stressors of a new country, new language,
social and economic worries, and separation from loved ones and family members.
-Refugees have access to psychological services free of charge up to 1 year after resettling.
After that year is up, they no longer have this free access.
-difficult, takes more time to deal with stressful issues and traumatic issues
-ie. raped/assaulted, it may not be acceptable/comfortable to speak to these
psychologists as they are used to the patriarchal society
-ie. relocation into new housing situations cause major shifts in lives as it comes with
difficulties and readjusting
-ie. time spent looking for jobs and houses may impair their time allowed to access these
available psychological resources
-ie. requires trust and building relationships
-Detriments: services are not offered over a year or if they are relocated.
•Resettlement
-Adjustment—language and education.
-Better language skills and formal education have a significant impact on adjustment to a
host country.
-Men tend to have these skills more than women (due to patriarchal societies).
-Social and economic struggles. Women tend to struggle socially in connecting with women
from the host country. Skills or careers may not transfer to the host country.
•Gender Roles
-Gender roles are often different to those experienced by refugees in their home country.
-Sometimes these roles offer more freedom, but can be challenging. As there is a new way of
acting and thinking.
-ie. strain: first time woman is responsible for going to work and take care of children
-May also be health concerns.
-ie. smoking and bad eating habits are accepted in born countries (adjustment, !
changing ways of life)
-ie. women may rely on other medications available (folk remedies or self-administration
to avoid navigating a new healthcare system in the host country)
-Single women: pressure to provide, cannot take advantage of resources (ie. language skills).
Which keeps them in a lower socio-economic status.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Women: the refugee, minorities, and immigrant experience: clarifying the language: de nition. Facing persecution for different reasons and are leaving their country. Immigrant: a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. A landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live in. Persons residing in canada who were born outside of canada, excluding temporary foreign workers, canadian citizens born outside. Canada and those with student or working visas. Not yet a citizen but born in a different country. Total asylum claimant: individuals who are escaping from persecution and need security and safety in a country other than her own (refugees in the canadian context) A high number of claimants enter from ontario, especially toronto (major hub: refugees. According to a study done by deacon and sullivan (2009): Feeling persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a group, political associations. Female refugees needs are different than men"s.
