Feds take aim at violence against Muslim women
BY
JENNY YUEN ,TORONTO SUN
BRAMPTON - The
Canadian Council of Muslim Women wants Canadians to change the expression
“honour killing” to one they think is more appropriate — “femicide” — because
they say there is no honour to killing women.
The
federal government announced Thursday at the Chris Gibson Recreation Centre
that it is giving the outreach group $306,040 in funding for a 24-month
national project called Violence Against Women: Health and Justice for Canadian
Muslim Women.
“We’re
not telling women this is going to make them equal — but we want to give them
tools and then the decision is up to you,” CCMW executive director Alia Hogben
said. “Young girls don’t know what forced marriage is and how it’s different
than arranged marriages.”
Since
October, the council has researched four areas of abuse that affects Muslim
women — domestic violence in the home, forced marriages, female genital
mutilation, and so-called “honour killings” — and published their findings in a
book. Their hope is that in the new year, counsellors in different chapters
will use the research data to work with communities to raise awareness.
Hogben
said they do not keep any statistics specifically on abuse on Muslim women, but
they do draw for existing statistics on women abuse — which affects one in
seven women.
“We get
a lot of e-mails from women suffering,” she said. “We’ll hear about women
beaten, or wanting to leave, but because they’re new immigrants, they may not
have the support they need. A lot of us don’t have family in Canada. People are
nervous about going to the police.”
What is
unique with this program, Hogben said, is training will be open to certain men,
through a vigorous screening process.
“The
general trend is we have to empower and work with women,” she said. “If you
bring in a man into a group, women shut up. And if he’s the abuser, she’s not
going to talk. We’re talking about bringing in men who are in the community,
like imams. We’re not threatening men, but we’re saying, ‘You have a
responsibility, too.’”
Status
of Women Minister Kellie Leitch said eliminating violence against women and
girls is a priority for the federal government.
“We recognize Canadians are
generous, but this doesn’t extend to harmful cultural practices,” she said at
the announcement. “I don’t think any Canadian would tolerate spousal abuse, no
Canadian would accept genital mutilation or any of that. We know (the council)
is making some concrete outcomes."
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