Within the last decade, violence against women arising from notions of protecting an unwritten cultural ‘honour’ has been highlighted in several high-profile cases of ‘honour killings,’ including the 2009 Shafia family case and the 2007 murder of Aqsa Parvez. Since then, the Canadian government, via its organization, Status of Women, has provided funding targeted at preventing and reducing violence against women and girls in the name of honour.
‘Honour’ violence, a misleading label
Photo courtesy of DFAT Photo Library, Flickr.
One of the recipients of this funding is MOSAIC, a Vancouver based non-profit organization that supports and empowers new immigrants and refugees transitioning into Canadian society. They have been actively conducting research on such violence. Eight focus groups, including two groups from rural communities in British Columbia, one that involved only men, and another only youth, together provide a more comprehensive perspective on violence attributed to honour and a step forward towards tangible solutions.
Rubina Mudhar, one of the lead researchers in the study, reveals that contrary to mainstream stereotypes, the violence is not restricted to South Asian and Middle Eastern communities. In fact, all communities are at risk.
“Honour…becomes the [offenders’] justification for violence against women. It arises from a power imbalance,” states Mudhar.
Relegating gender violence to some cultural concept of honour becomes doubly problematic as it may reinforce faulty stereotypes and lead to stigmatization for women from visible minority groups. Mudhar suggests that assigning the violent acts to honour, rather than seeing the underlying violence as gender-based, may further hinder a woman’s courage to seek help for herself when she considers how her personal struggle might then be interpreted to portray her culture and community in a negative light.
Spreading awareness about gender-based violence
In Tears of Mehndi, Raminder Sidhu exposes violence in Vancouver’s Little India community.
After the publication of her novel, Tears of Mehndi, Raminder Sidhu has also been made keenly aware that this type of violence occurs across cultures every time she receives the many personal stories from readers of every culture who have faced gender-based injustices similar to the experiences of the fictional characters in her book. Reflecting on the feedback from her readers, she notes that both men and women have expressed their concerns regarding gender-based violence and the harm of the negative connotations when ethnic minorities are singled out.
“When there is gender inequality, it leads to violence. The community is concerned and the violence needs to end,” says Sidhu.
She is hopeful that progress is achievable, but says more awareness is needed.
“Women may be afraid to speak out. I don’t know if [they] are aware of the services out there,” says Sidhu.
Fortunately, based on the needs assessment phase of MOSAIC’s research project, the next phase is about the be launched in 2014 which involves improving awareness. Marc Larrivée, senior manager of specialized programs, shares that MOSAIC will be embarking on a media campaign, partnering with other organizations in the field, in a multilingual, multicultural approach to specifically reach out to the women who may not otherwise be aware of the resources available to them. Along with other agencies, support groups and avenues for open discussion will be publicized in the hopes that individual women may find the means to nonthreatening, nonjudgmental aid should she find herself the victim of violence. MOSAIC aims towards educating men, women, and youth, increasing awareness, and improving access to services. In this way, Mr. Larrivée says MOSAIC is attempting to “target the barriers for women to seek help.
