Although immigrant, refugee, and non-status women experience the same forms of sexual violence in their intimate relationships as those experienced by Canadian-born women, they also face particular barriers.
After sexual violence occurs, the type of services a woman is eligible for is directly linked to her immigration status. Women without status fear they won’t be supported by police but will instead be deported or placed in detention. Migration laws and fear of deportation act as a barrier for survivors to report sexual assaults.
Newcomer women also face particular barriers to accessing justice and services. This often takes the form of lack of access to information on their legal rights and recourse, as a result of isolation or language barriers. Newcomer women in situations of sexual violence also sometimes fall through the cracks between women’s organizations and settlement organizations due to a lack of awareness and training of front-line workers regarding the particular vulnerabilities and problems they face.
(Source: Canadian Council for Refugees)
External Resources:
Community Connections:
Colchester Adult Learning Association (CALA)
966-B Prince Street, Truro, NS
Phone: 902-895-2468
CALA offers a Community Essentials program. Community Essentials delivers a mix of group and independent work for literacy, math, science, art and special projects, as well as individualized learning plans. The Community Essentials class also focuses on how we can contribute to our community and how to access community resources. Local field trips, guest presenters and special events are all ways for us to be engaged members of our community.
YMCA Centre for Immigrant Programs
1027 Prince Street, Truro, NS
Phone: 902-899-4573
Immigrant Settlement Staff for the YREACH Program runs programming for newcomers on a continuous basis, some of which is done through the team in Halifax. They also offer free English as Additional Language (EAL) classes for Permanent Residents.
Learn English Nova Scotia (LENS)
Suite 221, 6169 Quinpool Road, Halifax, NS
Phone: 902-431-8675
Learn English Nova Scotia (LENS) Testing and Counselling Centre, also known as Language Assessment Services of NS, is a licensed Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) language assessment and Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) testing centre. They are a team of certified and experienced language assessors and language education counsellors who, using the Canadian Language Benchmarks, help you find out what you can do in English and provide up–to–date information about English language classes available in your area of residence and online.
Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS)
6960 Mumford Road, Suite 2120 (second floor), Halifax, NS
Phone: 902-423-3607
Toll free in Nova Scotia: 1-866-431-6472
ISANS recognizes the key role of immigrants in Canadian society. They work with newcomers to help them build a future in Canada. They provide a wide range of services to immigrants, from refugee resettlement to professional programs, from family counselling to English in the Workplace.
Nova Scotia Immigration
1469 Brenton Street, 3rd floor, Halifax, NS
Phone: 902-424-5230
Toll free in Nova Scotia: 1-877-292-9597
