Canada: Giving Hope To Abused Women

by Barry Artiste | April 16, 2008 at 09:03 am | 409 views | 4 comments

Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

Funny how Buzzwords get the Worlds Attention while some ar ignored, We all hear governments spouting politically correct buzzwords like "Earth Friendly Policies", yet most ignore "Women Friendly Policies" . Something is seriously wrong.

Certainly other Cultures do not have a Monopoly on Women Abuse, Western Culture has more than it's fair share.

The difference is, Women brought up in a Western Culture, know their Rights as Equals "versus" Women who come to Canada from far away lands on a Male based Culture, a Culture ingrained in young females by family members and religious doctrine that as females , you are different than man, thus you are subservient to Man. A Culture which Man is to be revered, as Man is created in Gods image, thus to be obeyed without question.

Once these women marry in their Homeland or even Marry in Canada the Cultural tradition continues regardless of Canadian Law, and regardless what these women see on Canadian television, movies or witness ing other Western Women with equal rights to men, working, driving, policing, mingling and dating other cultures and going about their daily lives.
Women who question this difference are told by their Men these rights do not apply to them or their female children, because Men from these Ancient Cultures tell their women they are different than decadent Western Women. Though these Men are allowed to date and marry a Western women, a western women who in some cases learns too late, the Man she is with will soon impose his Cultural beliefs upon her, stripping her of her equal rights and that of her western born female children. If a woman, regardless if Mother or Female daughter now brought up in Canada challenges her husband or father and even their close knit Community over their Culture or equal rights, it sometimes leads to fatal consequences for the Women and daughter as has been the case in the last decade. A Culture which is desperately trying to distance itself from a Democractic Country such as Canada, in order to maintain their own Multicultural identity, flouting Canadian Law over their own.

For you see, as a Multicultural society, Canada is to respect the Laws and Cultural Traditions of other Cultures, it seems, regardless if this old world Culture deems women no more valuable than "breeding stock" to be had, used and abused by Men who feel as "Gods" it is their inalienable right as "Men".

Multiculturalism and Diversity implemented in Canada was to be full of good intentions, but it seems intentions that a Culture of Men when charged from domestic abuse, rape to murder in a Canadian Court of Law take full advantage of, despite Canada's misinterpretation.

Many in Canada strongly suggested to Politicians that a New "POLICY" based on the Charter of Canadian Rights to also include an "Immigrants Cultural Guide to Canada" along with a lengthy interview complete with a written exam be implemented in the immigrants Country of Origin to be administered to both Men and Women in apprising them what Canada's culture is all about. These steps would ensure their is no cultural misunderstanding between our two cultures. Once understood, it would be stated to these Cultures, that with their understanding what Canada is now all about as a western democratic society, and women have equal rights to men.
Then the questions will be asked, now that you know this, do this offend you or your culture, do you still wish to immigrate to our shores, now that they fully understand our Laws and Cultural identity. If not, then perhaps Canada is not for you.

Canadian Politicians have continually refused to implement an "Immigrants Cultural Guide to Canada" Policy, as many Multicultural groups and Politicians deem it racist. How can this be construed as Racist? is beyond anyones imagination, though Politicians in Canada rely on Male Dominated Cultures such as these for the ethnic vote and since the above Policy remains on the back burner, Multiculturalism and Diversity Social Experiment implemented over 20 years ago and described by many as "Canadas' Biggest Mistake", will still continue to oppress Women, it certainly does not look like it will change anytime soon for generations to come.

Yesterdays Now Public story link on Multiculturalism: Canadas' Biggest Mistake" goes into further detail below.

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/multiculturalism-canadas-biggest-mistake-0#comment-77483

Giving hope to abused women

By AJIT JAIN

Group saves immigrants suffering 'behind closed doors

Geeta Patel (not her real name) is 36 years old. She married an Indo-Canadian man in 2002 while she was still living in India.

It wasn't until after the wedding, she says, that she discovered the man (she's still afraid and wouldn't identify her husband) had married three times before and his first wife had died "under mysterious circumstances." The man was recommended to her family by a marriage broker.

When she became pregnant, according to Geeta, the man said, "I don't want the baby and you better abort the fetus." She refused, but faced constant pressure.

'WE BROUGHT HER OUT'

Geeta said the man would invariably ask for what little money she made from her job at a bakery. Then he started to physically abuse her.

It was an apparently hopeless situation.

But there was hope.

"We brought her out of this abusive relationship," said Sunder Singh, assistant executive director of Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women (EHCW).

"One day she came to our centre (Jane-Finch office) crying," Singh said. "She thought it was the end of her life and she was contemplating committing suicide.

"First thing, we found her a place to live. She didn't have a single dollar in her pocket and we got her some help."

After four years in Canada, Geeta still speaks little English. Her mother tongue is Gujarati. It's a hard life.

"We are helping Geeta to stand on her own feet and we have to protect her as (her husband) is trying to take the son away from her," Singh said. "They have legal separation but they are not divorced as yet."

Veena Dutta, executive director of EHCW, tells me her organization gets three to five such cases in a week

"I have gone in the middle of night, in the dead of winter, taken help of the police, to save many such women subject of physical abuse, mental torture," she said."Women come to the centre crying and they need help immediately. We help them with whatever help is possible.

We want people to stand up, to speak up, when a woman is not happy, when she is crying."

EHCW was established in 1992 as a non-profit charitable institution.

"Since its very inception the organization has striven ceaselessly to alleviate the trauma, suffering and distress of newcomer women who are victims of domestic violence, poverty, isolation and stresses," Dutta told me.Working with these women so closely for 16 years, she knows first-hand how South Asians are among the many women subjected to mental and physical violence by their husbands, ex-husbands, boyfriends and former boyfriends.

Sadly many of them take such abuse in silence.They are ashamed to speak out, EHCW volunteer Shipra Rana said. "They suffer behind closed doors ... they lose all self-confidence."But the abuse and violence don't stop until they come forward, experts and police say.

Marina Nemat, who has recently written the autobiographical Prisoner of Tehran, was the keynote speaker at the EHCW's annual fundraising dinner, attended by 400 people April 5 at the Claireport Place Banquet Hall in Etobicoke.She related the story of how she was imprisoned when she was only 16 and tortured in Tehran's Evin Prison. As a Catholic, she was forced to convert to Islam behind bars."My story is the story of many immigrant women," she said."I was forced to marry one of the prison guards who made me understand (that) as a woman I have no rights. I was nobody."'IT IS OUR DUTY'Marina repeatedly suggested "it is our duty to listen to these women who have gone through these traumatic experiences, to listen and to be informed because being informed is very, very important ... a step in the right direction.

"Why should women be subjected to physical abuse or any kind of abuse? Shipra Rana asked."Any society is unfair and unjust that demands these women should suffer in silence."In India, the belief is every woman is a goddess and source of the supreme energy that resides in her."I conduct seminars, and teachers say gods and goddesses are within yourself," said Shobha Mendiratta, chairman of the fundraising dinner.

"Sad part is the man says, 'I am God and I am God.' And so I ask my teacher 'what do I do?' 'Please start acting as one,' should be your response, suggests the teacher."

The event April 5 raised $20,000 (including a $5,000 donation from the Royal Bank).It was organized by South Asian women to "honour the feminine divinity," explained RHCW volunteer Shipra.

Flag this story

Upload

Make your good story a great story. Click here to add your photos & video to this story.

Crowd Power

Scan the web to add photos and videos to this story or add them from the NowPublic Archive.

PEP

at 10:30 on April 16th, 2008

good stuff:

Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff. Thanks for the "Opinion" citing--and for the hard work in this original commentary.

Vinny

at 10:34 on April 16th, 2008

good stuff:

Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Barry Artiste

at 11:12 on April 16th, 2008

Thanks to you both for your flag and comments. I was originally going to state Not giving hope to abused women, based on it is only women giving women Hope, while Canadian Politicians looking for the Ultimate "Porn Star Finish in Ethnic Votes" seem oblivious to an obvious problem that has gone on far too long. There have been so many reports in mainstream media about Politicans who know absolutely about a Cultures abusive side, when glad handing at political events, until it is brought to their attention in the Media. Their "Excuse"??? They all profess to not know anything about the Cultural significance of the Political Event they were attending. To Me, that is proof positive of Ethnic Vote Grabbing.

I say Porn Star Finish, because let's face it, Politicians only "come" out at Voting time, when they need to get re-elected! Once elected, they may make a brief obligatory political appearance at a event, but rarely see the Big Final Picture, though many know the Script! To me that smacks of ethnic vote grabbing, some say in a world where Stats say many of these women in Canada are locked away at home at voting time. Because God knows, you wouldn't want them to be a "Ethnic voting force" to be reckoned with.

On another Note, most of these Cultures come from very Conservative Countries, the only way the Liberal Left can get their Votes is to either promise them the moon and the stars and keep the status quo.

Though in Bizarro world, Liberal elect the most women to positions of power, and it makes one wonder sometimes if they are their own worst enemy when it comes to their decades of inaction on protecting Womens Rights in Canada when it comes to Women from other Cultures.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 13:23 on April 16th, 2008

good stuff:

Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff. Thanks for sharing your opinion on the very important issue of domestic violence, across cultures. Best, Rhonda