• Executive Summary / Introduction

• Part I: Race, Gender, Violence & Health Care: A Review of the Literature

• Part II: Listening to Voices: Immigrant Women of Colour & the Health Care System

• Part III: Caught Between 'A Rock & A Hard Place': A Discussion & Analysis

• Appendix I: Environmental Scan Questions

• Appendix II: Focus Group Questions: Service Providers

• Appendix III: Questions for Focus Group Participants (Immigrant Women)

• Figure 1: Reproducing Dominant Definitions of Abuse

• Figure 2: Structured Oppression

• Figure 3: Delivery of Information Concerning the Health Impacts of Violence

• Bibliography

Acknowledgements

This project emerged from consultations with community advocates working for immigrant and refugee women. Completing it would not have been possible without the keen participation and commitment of immigrant women of colour who participated as interviewees and focus group members. I would especially like to recognize the contribution of advocates at the Vancouver & Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services and the Immigrant Services Society. It is to them and the struggle toward social justice that this report is dedicated. A special thanks to Zara Suleman, Maria Ng and Shashi Assanand.

Any research requires an investment of time, energy and commitment. Kelly D'Aoust, Tracy Conley, Adriane Billyard, Christina Savage and Suki Grewal are to be commended for their patience, persistence and assistance in bringing this project to fruition. Kelly and Suki were instrumental in gathering data for the environmental scan and conducting the individual interviews. As volunteers, their commitment and investment of time was truly appreciated, as was their constant encouragement. I would also like to acknowledge Donna Robertson for her contribution in transcribing the focus group notes and extensively searching the various bibliographical databases, as well as for feedback at various times during the span of this project. My gratitude, as always, to Bruce Kachuk for his ceaseless work in editing and formatting this and other FREDA publications.

A special thanks to Parin Dossa, Karlene Faith, Agnes Huang, Fatima Jaffer, Farah Shroff, and Sunera Thobani for providing critical feedback, and especially to Fatima and Agnes for their extensive editing of the final drafts; to Lorraine Cameron of Status of Women of Canada, Lorraine Greaves of the BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health, and Don Johnstone from the Vancouver Foundation for their funding support for this project.

Yasmin Jiwani
July 2001