Foreword

I was touched when I was asked by Archana Medhekar to write a forward for the book she wrote with her colleagues on The Untold Journeys of Racialized Immigrant Youth through Family Violence. In reviewing the initial manuscript, I felt overwhelmed with the depth of knowledge and insights provided by this volume as well as the clear implications for our communities and service providers across all sectors.

I have been involved in clinical work and research on children exposed to family violence for almost half a century and have published multiple books and articles on the topic. Reading the manuscript makes me appreciate the limitations of my past scholarship since I never fully addressed this impact within a comprehensive intersectional framework. Often I would describe social and cultural factors as vulnerabilities and added burdens for children and families rather than a much needed central focus. Reviewing the manuscript serves as a reminder that growing wisdom lies in having more questions than answers and knowing all that you do not know.

I appreciated so many aspects of this book and the clarity of its purpose and key messages. The authors outline the many ways in which children experience family violence as well as the multiple negative impacts on mental health and social adjustment. For far too long we have only considered the direct harm of child physical and sexual abuse and have ignored the devastating harm from exposure to violence. The book really does “break the silence” by having such powerful voices of survivors with lived experience growing up with family violence. Having young adults share their stories provides insights into the short-term and long term consequences of family violence that follows children into emerging adulthood and the demands of education and employment. Figure 1 on the impact of experiencing family violence was an important visual aid in capturing all the spheres of functioning impacted by family violence. The accounts provided about the impact of violence within the family was amplified by the harmful effects of intervenors in different service sectors.

The book outlines to readers not only the intersectional analysis of the effects of violence but also the holistic approach by examining family violence within an individual, family, community and societal context. The holistic approach affords the reader with an understanding of all the forces that exacerbate the impact of family violence as well as the factors that might promote healing and resilience. The youth who are interviewed bring to life all their strengths and coping skills in reflecting that they are more than collateral damage in their violent homes.

A clear strength in the book is a focus on solutions. The authors outline well-articulated recommendations for change in our communities to become more aware of the problems of racialized youth as well as having more responsive professionals in the education, social service, health and justice systems. The recommendations aren’t just pie in the sky ideas, in fact they are outlined in detail with excellent examples on how they can be implemented in a practical fashion. The recommendations call for a transformation in practice across multiple sectors and are framed in the holistic model outlining actions that are possible in helping individual children and families as well as broader approaches in public education and prevention. I thought that Figure 2 on participants’ recommendations for “Holistic, trauma-informed, culturally informed services for racialized immigrant children living with Family Violence” was a compelling illustration of all the work had to be done in this area. The figure could be framed in most agencies offices as a reminder of a blueprint for action beyond serving individual clients.

This book is a major contribution to the existing research on family violence. Beyond the findings on the impact of exposure to family violence on children, voices of youth reveal the unique effects of being marginalized as children and racialized immigrants or refugees. The voices loudly call out for change in the need for individualized supports and practical assistance for children in these circumstances. There is a clear need for service providers to collaborate with partners in the community sector to enhance their knowledge and become stronger advocates for reforms in immigration, housing, income support programs, education, and culturally appropriate services for racialized immigrant children. The book documents the need to enhance funding for community-based services for families experiencing family violence.

This book is a stark reminder of the complexity of family violence and the context of being a racialized immigrant youth. There are no simple answers and solutions have to be as multifaceted as the problem. The voice of Sandiran in the study captured the many dimensions of the problem in discussing the impact of war: So, I think like, like a family approach to domestic violence a family approach to, abuse is so necessary, and I mean like, you know, and I also expand that outward to . . . community approaches to healing . . . you know what does it mean when a war afflicted family, a war afflicted community is now in a region where they, they’re not, no longer in that war but that war remains in a lot of internalized ways and so what does it mean to provide proper community services that link, individual to family to community, especially in communities where that trust has been eroded because of the political, social tensions. Sandiran and the other youth’s voices should instill in all of us a search for a deeper understanding of all the communities and clients we serve.

Peter Jaffe, O.C, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Western University

Dr. Peter Jaffe is a clinical psychologist, Professor Emeritus, and one of the founding Directors of the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women & Children at Western University. He has co-authored eleven books, 40 chapters and over 80 articles related to family violence and the impact of family violence on children. In 2009, he was named an Officer in the Order of Canada by the Governor General for his work preventing family violence in the community.