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Many migrant and refugee women (MRW) experience different forms of gender-based violence (GBV) along the migratory pathway. GBV is rooted in intersecting structures of domination and extends beyond individual experiences to include the failure of policies and practices to protect women. In this article, through the lenses of 'key informants' (KIs), we explore how MRW express resilience to GBV in the face of intersecting structural inequalities through resisting, adapting individual behaviours, navigating to resources and transforming relationships and self. Furthermore, drawing upon social ecological approaches to resilience, we examine the factors and processes of building resilience to GBV by MRW at the individual, relational, community and societal levels in Canada. Our research findings are based on thematic analysis of 43 qualitative interviews with KIs who are counsellors, shelter staff and directors, government staff, and settlement workers who provide services to MRW. Our empirical findings contribute to the research literature by identifying and fleshing out the particular expressions, complexities, supporting factors and processes of resilience to GBV by MRW in Canada. Keywords: Gender-based violence, immigrant and refugee women, resilience, intersectionality, service provision, government policy, Canada. De nombreuses femmes migrantes et refugiees (FMR) subissent differentes formes de violence sex-iste (VS) tout au long de leur parcours migratoire. La VS est ancree dans des structures de domination qui se croisent et va au-dela des experiences individuelles pour inclure l'echec des politiques et des pratiques a la protection des femmes. Dans cet article, nous explorons, avec la perspective des 'informateurs cles' (IC), la maniere dont les femmes migrantes expriment leur resilience a la violence liee au sexe face aux inegalites structurelles qui se croisent, en resistant, en adaptant leurs comportements individuels, en accedant a des ressources et en transformant leurs relations et leur personnalite. En outre, en nous appuyant sur les approches socio-ecologiques de la resilience, nous examinons les facteurs et les processus de renforcement de la resilience a la violence liee au sexe chez les femmes migrantes aux niveaux individuel, relationnel, communautaire et social au Canada. Les resultats de notre recherche sont bases sur l'analyse thematique de 43 entretiens qualitatifs avec des ICs qui sont des conseillers, des employes et des directeurs de refuges, des fonctionnaires et des travailleurs de l'etablissement qui fournissent des services aux FMR. Nos resultats empiriques contribuent a la litterature de recherche en identifiant et en etoffant les expressions particulieres, les complexites, les facteurs de soutien et les processus de resilience a la violence liee au sexe des FMR au Canada. Mots-cles : Violence sexiste, femmes immigrantes et refugiees, resilience, modele d'ecologie sociale, prestation de services, politique gouvernementale, Canada., INTRODUCTION Canada is home to a large immigrant population, with 23% of the Canadian population born outside the country (Statistics Canada 2023). Despite the high proportion of immigrants nationally, little [...]

Purpose Over a ten-year period (2010-2019), there were 815 victims of intimate partner/domestic homicide (IP/DH) in Canada. Definitions of IP/DH not only shape our understanding of these deaths; they also shape how data are collected as well as policy and prevention efforts. The Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative with Vulnerable Populations (CDHPIVP) examined IP/DH with a focus on four specific populations: Indigenous; immigrant and refugee; people living in rural, remote, and northern areas; and children exposed to domestic violence. Not only is the issue of defining IP/DH complex, but complexity also arises in how we define specific populations that experience different risks, barriers, and vulnerabilities to intimate partner violence and IP/DH. Methods At the conclusion of the CDHPIVP, the authors participated in a panel discussion; this article reports and expands upon that discussion by discussing the availability and accessibility of IP/DH data, including official data sources, court decisions, media reports, and domestic violence death reviews. Results We provide an overview of available data, as well as data gaps, regarding IP/DH among each of the four populations, as well as available data sources and challenges in data accessibility. Conclusions We share our priorities for enhancing data to inform researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners who are working toward the prevention of IP/DH. Specifically, we note the importance of partnerships for collecting and working with data and opportunities for enhancing data quality regarding research with each of the four populations., Author(s): Crystal J. Giesbrecht [sup.1] , Myrna Dawson [sup.2] , Wendy Verhoek-Oftedahl [sup.3] , Claudette Dumont-Smith [sup.4] , Anuradha Dugal [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) Provincial Association of Transition Houses and [...]

Little research has been done on conceptualizing gender-based violence (GBV) against immigrant and refugee women as a continuum of violence. The objective of the larger study was to understand gender-based violence in migration and analyze the ways in which discriminations and inequalities interact to increase vulnerability and decrease access to supports and services for some women. Using (a) the concept of continuum of [sexual] violence and (b) intersectionality, we demonstrate the need to both document the range of violence in women's lives and the tactics of victimization among immigrant and refugee women and show how they are different than the cumulated literature showing victimization tactics against the Canadian-born population. Using semi-structured interviews via phone or video, we asked professionals (N = 43) who worked with migrant women across Canada about forms of GBV experienced in the immigrant and refugee populations they worked with. Participants reported that non-physical forms of violence are more normalized, but also more commonly experienced than physical forms of violence in Canada. Additionally, intersecting social identities impact both the distinct and amplified forms of GBV immigrant and refugee women experienced. Results contribute theoretically and empirically to the conceptualization of the GBV experiences by immigrant and refugee women in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coercive control is an ongoing pattern of abuse that is intended to isolate, humiliate, degrade, and micro-regulate the everyday life of a victim; often found amongst intimate partner violence (IPV) situations yet may not present with physical evidence. Police officers are called to respond to these conditions, yet are limited by training, legislation, and risk assessment tools that often concentrate primarily on the presence of physical violence alone. An online survey was distributed to police officers across Canada to understand how they explore, and respond to IPV and coercive control, and what they consider to be the most pertinent risk factors when assessing the severity of a situation. Findings reveal that police officers continue to emphasise perpetrator behaviours that involve physical violence and serious physical harm. As Canada is currently considering the possibility of criminalising coercive control, results highlight that further training and improved risk assessment tools will be necessary in order for police to be able to effectively respond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familicide is rare; however, the high victim counts in each incident and context surrounding these killings underscore the need for further research. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding familicide in Canada. Using univariate statistics, this study analyzed 26 incidents of familicide that occurred in Canada between 2010 and 2019. The results show that familicide is a gendered crime involving primarily male accused who often target female victims, have a history of domestic violence, and commit the killings using firearms. This research highlights the importance of developing risk assessment, risk management, and safety planning strategies to address warning signs and prevent future familicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Domestic/family homicide (D/FH) is a global social, economic and public health problem. To date, the research studies into risk factors associated with D/FH has largely focused on intimate partner homicide (IPH). A more contemporary approach recognizes that D/FH extends beyond the intimate partner relationship. This systematic review sought to identify and quantify the individual, relationship, community and societal factors in the empirical evidence literature on D/FH. Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched from January 1999 to December 2020. Published journal articles on studies of D/FH were included if the study included victims and/or perpetrator of D/FH, reported risk and/or protective factors associated with D/FH, reported primary data and was published in English. Factors were descriptively synthesized by the categories of the social ecological model and D/FH sub-type. Results: Three hundred and forty published articles met the inclusion criteria. From 1999 to 2020 the number of articles on D/FH increased globally from 10 to 40 respectively, declining to 23 in 2020. Almost half of the articles examined populations located in the Americas (160, 47.1%), predominately the United States and the majority of articles used quantitative designs (277, 81.5%). The forms of homicide more commonly studied were intimate partner (171, 50.3%), and filicide (98, 28.8%). Approximately 90% of articles reported individual victim and perpetrator factors, 64.7% examined relationship factors, 17.9% examined community factors and 15.6% examined societal factors. Conclusion: To inform universal and targeted D/FH elimination and prevention strategies, more research across different regions and a greater emphasis on community and societal-level factors is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The starting point for this commentary is the fruitful exchange of ideas on the ethics of victimization research, published in this journal in 2011, sparked by Clark and Walker's article, "Research Ethics in Victimization Studies: Widening the Lens". This article provoked a flurry of responses that, taken altogether, provide an illuminating cornerstone for the ethical debates and issues surrounding victimization research. It further inspired us to reflect upon and share our experiences on conducting victimization research at that particular intersection of academia and advocacy that we both occupy. What struck us about this exchange was the absence of any discussion about the role of anti-violence against women advocates, service providers, and organizations in victimization research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through interviews with police officers (n = 15), the present study examined police perspectives toward their response to intimate partner violence (IPV). Qualitative analyses indicated several challenges police officers face in responding to IPV, including barriers at the systemic, organizational, and individual levels. Police officers in the current study also identified recommendations toward overcoming barriers. Overall, results continue to underscore a lack of police consistency toward addressing IPV, including inconsistent approaches to assessing and managing risk posed to families. Conversely, qualitative results point to several recommendations that heavily involve collaboration between community and justice partners. Implications for future research and practice include further examination of the identified recommendations, a continued focus on developing training that addresses the risk posed to high-risk families, and further development of collaborative approaches toward the prevention and intervention of IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]