Precarious immigration status: Its impact on health
Report examines women's vulnerability to violence
Last March, a team of Montreal researchers met with members of the Montreal English and French communities, ethnic groups, and the health, social work and legal profession, as well as the police, to probe a complex and often neglected social problem, namely the health of women whose immigration status is precarious. So successful was the conference that a report of the proceedings will be made available at a special launch today, October 17, at 5 p.m. under the auspices of the UU直播 School of Social Work's Centre for Applied Family Studies. The press is welcome to attend: 3506 University, Room 326.
"Refugee women, women sponsored by their partners, mail-order brides, live-in caregivers, and women victims of global trafficking: if their immigration status is precarious, they are vulnerable to violence," says UU直播 research associate and professor Jacqueline Oxman-Martinez. She helped organize the original meeting and authored the proceedings, together with Nicole Lapierre Vincent. "Precarious immigration status exacerbates dependence and takes a significant toll on the health of the women involved."
The March conference outlined solutions and proposed ways in which training and networking can build important partnerships between decision-makers, practitioners and researchers. The organizers say their goal is now to reach as many people as possible to stimulate further coordination and action. "We want to change public policy in Quebec and the rest of Canada. We must push for action - it's a matter of urgency," says Dr. Oxman-Martinez.
In addition to Dr. Oxman-Martinez, other speakers at the launch will be Professor Sidney Duder, UU直播 School of Social Work; Professor Fran莽oise Armand, director, Immigration and Metropolis Centre of Excellence*; and Professor Eric Shragge, President of the Immigrant Workers' Centre.
UU直播 is part of the Immigration and Metropolis Centre of Excellence, a consortium of three Quebec universities, which includes Universit茅 de Montr茅al, and INRS-Urbanisation, Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al. The consortium is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and a number of Quebec and Canadian ministries.
The conference and the publication of its proceedings were made possible with support from Heritage Canada, the Status of Women Canada, Immigration and Metropolis Centre of Excellence, the Immigrant Workers' Centre and the UU直播 Centre for Applied Family Studies.
