Immigrant women and international students at higher risk for intimate partner violence - New Canadian Media
Amrita Roy Chowdhury Majumdar
November 24, 2023
Seven cases of femicide have been linked to Ontario’s Peel Region so far this year and local women’s groups say more help is needed to end the violence.
According to UN Women, femicide refers to “an intentional killing with a gender-related motivation,” and “may be driven by stereotyped gender roles, discrimination towards women and girls, unequal power relations between women and men, or harmful social norms.”
Davinder Kaur, 43-year-old, was stabbed to death by her estranged husband in Brampton after she agreed to meet him in a public park in broad daylight in May. Nav Nishan Singh has been charged with first-degree murder.
One month later, Tracy Lynne Iannuccilli, a 44-year-old mother of two from Brampton, was found dead in a North York apartment. Her partner, Kenneth Bellamy, now faces second-degree murder charge.
Like Bellamy, Nicholas Turcios was charged with second-degree murder of 54-year-old  Argentina Fuentes in Mississauga in August.
Last month’s  murder of a 46-year-old woman in Bramptonwas the 7th femicide linked to the region this year, according to the Peel Committee Against Women Abuse (PCAWA). In 2021, four women were victims of femicide, the organization said.
“We know that femicide is not an isolated incident but the result of systemic inequities and patriarchal systems that condone, normalize and encourage acts of violence towards women and gender-diverse individuals,” said PCAWA in a press release last month.
“It is a systemic public health issue being experienced across the province at an alarming rate.”
The organization fears that “every week we wait, another person will be killed in a femicide in this province.
On Nov. 15, the federal government and Ontario announced a bilateral agreement to end gender-based violence. The agreement includes a federal investment of $162 million over the next four years in community-based initiatives and prevention efforts to support implementing the National Action Plan in the province.
Though intimate-partner violence and gender-based violence have been declared an epidemic in 56 municipalities across the province, a number of community agencies say women are still in danger.
Baldev Mutta, founder of Punjabi Community Health Services in Peel Region, said the issue needs a holistic approach to deal with the crisis.
In a situation where women are fighting violence and misogyny, “the abysmally low funding by the provincial government to address violence against women borderlines on criminality,” Mutta said. “The government cannot even allocate funds to help women fleeing abuse. The shelters are full.”
He said police intervention is not enough. A better procedure would be to have social workers accompany officers when they respond to calls about intimate-partner violence. As well, he would like to bring counsellors into the family at the first sign of problems rather than waiting until there is violence in the home and the family is separated.
Mutta, who has worked in the social services sector for 45 years, is an expert on developing culturally-informed services for the South Asian diaspora and other racialized communities in the Peel Region. He said femicide should not be tagged as an ethnic issue just because many of the victims belonged to minority communities.
The first victim of intimate partner violence in the region this year was 29-year-old Cassie Antle. She was located dead with gunshot wounds in Caledon in March. David Evans, who was found dead with her, had been convicted of several offences involving aggressive behaviour.
Jordan Sanders, who was charged with the murder of Pitch “Polly” Phaunpa, a 21-year-old student at Toronto Film School in the summer, also had a history of assault and was on probation.
Mutta said international students are also vulnerable to intimate-partner violence.
“The students are generally unaware of their rights and the Canadian support system available, and don’t raise an alarm,” Mutta said.
“We should not wait until the cycle of violence is so extreme that the guy is out of control and is ready to kill you.”
He recommended shelters, social workers and police should use culturally competent resources to make the system accessible to immigrants.
Uzma Aziz Irfan, executive director of the Malton Women Council, said immigrant women are particularly vulnerable.
“They may face unique challenges due to language barriers, cultural differences, lack of awareness, and of course, lack of support system,” Irfan said.
She said measures such as recognizing early signs of abuse, early intervention, safety planning, tracking and reporting, raising awareness and advocacy can play significant roles in reducing femicide.
“There is now a greater understanding that intimate-partner violence is not limited to physical violence alone, but also includes intimidation, gaslighting, and other forms of non-physical abuse,” Irfan said.
“In this era of virtual world and technology, one of the new concerning trends is the increased use of technology for control and abuse within relationships. Hacking into personal accounts, tracking through GPS, and stalking on social media to intimidate partners.”
Malton Women Council offers several focus group discussions on gender-based violence and gender-based discrimination. “Based on those discussions I must say that it is a complex issue with various contributing factors such as gender inequality, patriarchy and cultural attitudes, lack of awareness, inadequate legal frameworks and enforcement and failure of support systems,” Irfan said.
The first femicide victim in the Peel Region this year was 29-year-old Cassie Antle. She was located dead with gunshot wounds in Caledon in March. David Evans, who was found dead with her, had been convicted of several offences involving aggressive behaviour.
Jordan Sanders, who was charged with the murder of Pitch “Polly” Phaunpa, a 21-year-old student at Toronto Film School in the summer, also had a history of assault and was on probation.
Irfan recommended education, promoting gender equality, enhancing support services, and most importantly, engaging men and boys to address the crisis, to help close the gaps in the existing system.
Amrita is an NCM-CAJ Collective Member, journalist and content writer, with nearly a decade of experience in content development and journalism in three countries. She started her career as a journalist with a leading daily, The Statesman, in India. She has also led content and editorial teams for several web content management firms. Amrita served as a Communications and Content specialist for some non-profit organizations like the American Red Cross after her move to the U.S. Based out of Toronto, she continues to follow her passion by reporting on human rights violations, education, crimes, inequality and community engagement. Amrita holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Print Journalism from Chennai, India.
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