Canada-bound female spouses from India need counselling

Canada-bound female spouses
from India need counselling

Gurmukh SinghWed, Jul 14 03:12 PM

Toronto, July 14 (IANS) With rampant domestic violence, including honour killings, against women in Indian and other South Asian communities in Canada, a study here has recommended bold steps to confront the problem.

These steps include counselling sessions by Canadian missions for women in their native India and Pakistan before they land in Canada after marriages.

In her study titled 'Culturally driven violence against women' among south Asians here, Indo-Canadian social activist Aruna Papp says the fast-growing community has the highest domestic violence in Canada.

'Since 2002, the murders of 12 women were identified as honour killings; three other murders identified as domestic violence also have the hallmarks of an honour killing,' she says, giving examples of young Sikh and Muslim women killed by their fathers and brothers to protect 'family honour'.

Since spouses coming from India and Pakistan bear the brunt of domestic violence, Papp says these sponsored women should be provided mandatory counselling sessions in their country of origin before they land here.

'The session would be administered and staffed by Canadian citizens. The goal of this training would be to educate women about their rights and Canadian culture and values,' she says in her recommendations.

This training will educate women how to approach help centres in Canada in case they are subjected to domestic violence.

Papp has also recommended 'mandatory orientation' for men in Canada sponsoring women to educate them about sponsorship rules and regulations.
'Men, too, should be educated on the values and laws regarding gender equality.'

With a record number of men and women entering into fake marriages to come to Canada, the study says, 'Men making applications to sponsor a wife need to be investigated to check how many times they have been married, examine their pattern of sponsorship and document how the previous spouse is being financially supported.'

But since Canadian immigration officers posted in India or elsewhere are not culturally trained to catch these individuals, the study has recommended that 'cultural competency training for frontline personnel would ease the process for immigrants'.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/hard-talk/31412-canada-bound-female-spouses-india-need.html

Papp has also urged the Canadian government to stamp out 'ghost consultants' in the South Asian community who run fake services for immigration, sponsorship and marriage.

To draw attention of policy makers to the cases of honour killings, the report begins with the 1999 killing of five-year-old Farah Khan by her father and stepmother after the father claimed she was not his child.

Among other cases, the report also refers to the honour killing of two young Sikh women - 17-year-old Amandeep Singh Atwal in 2003 by her father for living with her white boyfriend and 22-year-old Amandeep Kaur Dhillon last year by her father-in-law for allegedly seeing another man.

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)

source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100714/890/twl-canada-bound-female-spouses-from-ind.html

 
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As someone from a background which doesn't have this type of issue I just don't understand. I mean I "know" it happens but it's so far outside my scope of comprehension that it's baffling. First of all I see no "honour" in any killing - 2nd, I can't imagine the fear these women and girls must live with everyday. The idea thar they could be killed by someone who supposedly "loves" them for some infraction, real or imagined must be paralysing! My heart goes out to them all ..... At least counselling might open their eyes to the fact that this need not happen, that there are avenues open to them, that there are people to help them if they need it.

I think alot of Sikh families are very hard working and have worked very hard to get to where they are and that in itself commands respect. Hwoever when their daughter goes out knocking off guys, sleeping around etc then people will talk and that hard earned respect can vanish straight away.

Not only that lets say you are a respectable family and are seen to be going to the Gurudwara and then all of a sudden your daughter is sleeping around then it changes everything and how is the father or mother suppose to defend her actions...... "oh yes she sleeps aound since its the 21st centeury" - not going to happen is it?

Although killing the person is not a right thing either....... I think this mentality may stem back to when the partion was happening and Muslims asked for Sikh women so that they will then leave them alone. Instead of giving the Muslims the women they killed their own women to save their honour.

However women in Indian society have always played a role in honour from a very long time ago and during battles the winning side would take their women for themselve (sikhs did not do this) I think the Moghuls did......

I totally agree that the families are hard working and earn the respect of their peers but, putting ego above human life is wrong ..... And I do believe there is some sort of teaching regarding that in nearly all religions. Be angry, disown the daughter, whatever but killing her should not ever looked at respectfully. I know that there's a lot of "shoulds and should nots" in the world and just because I don't agree with something doesn't make me right either. *sigh* I just hope that offering these women options and help will be enough, you can lead a woman to safety but you can't eliminate the threat.