APPENDIX 1: FACTORS IMPACTING EXPERIENCES OF FAMILY VIOLENCE

ABI
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supportive Factors
Abi witnessed severe physical abuse by her father of her mother. Abi actively participated in protecting her mother from her father’s physical abuse. Abi experienced internalized racism during job interviews Currently, Abi has good relations with her sister and mother.
As a child, Abi did not have good relationships with her siblings and mother. Abi’s father’s treatment for his mental illness has been ineffective as the effects of war are not recognized as trauma.
Abi has been diagnosed with a mental illness. Abi’s family lived in public housing in a low-income neighbourhood.  
Abi’s mental health has affected her academics and career. Abi’s family lived in extreme poverty and hence Abi’s needs as a child were not met by her mother.  
Abi’s father suffers from a mental illness and war trauma.    
Abi’s father is addicted to alcohol; uses alcohol to control schizophrenic hallucinations.    
Abi’s family did not receive support from paternal family members who lived in the same city as Abi.    
Abi lived in isolation so that she could maintain secrecy about her family’s situation.   Abi had good relations with her cousin, who passed away from cancer.
ADRIANA
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Adriana experienced coercive control, physical and spiritual abuse and stalking from her father. After leaving her parents’ home, Adriana lived in extreme poverty and with food insecurity. Adriana had a strong personal network of friends and a teacher.
Adriana experienced verbal abuse from her mother, who checked Adriana’s school bag and destroyed her drawings. Adriana did not receive support from her school as an institution despite knowledge of the abuse Adriana was facing. Adriana received support from UNHCR to come to Canada as a refugee claimant.
Adriana’s father imposed his religious beliefs and practices on all family members, including Adriana.   Adriana’s school and the hospital were places of refuge from the violence at home.
Adriana feared an attack by her parents when she lived alone. Adriana’s family immigrated from Syria to China and their immigration status impeded Adriana’s ability to travel within China without a visa or to leave China.  
Adriana’s father was highly respected in the Syrian community in China and tried to maintain the honour of the family by coercively controlling his children.    
Adriana has developed PTSD, nightmares and panic attacks.    
   
ANITA
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Anita regularly witnessed arguments and fights between her parents in Saudi Arabia before immigrating to Canada. Anita’s parents’ acceptance of their community’s discourse about reputable and non-reputable professions negatively impacts her career choice and advancement. Anita’s choice of academic program will not be respected. Anita has a strong, positive relationship with her older sister.
Anita’s attendance at a public school was based on the condition that she would do well in that school. Hence, she experienced much pressure to perform well academically Anita experienced gender-based discrimination from the paternal side of her family who advised her father not to expose Anita and her older sister to western practices.  
Parental control was exerted over Anita in selecting a university and an undergraduate program. She was not allowed by her parents to live on the university campus. Anita understands the rationale behind her parents’ expectation with regard to education as racialized immigrants in this country.  
Anita was pressured to perform well in her undergraduate program.    
Anita is unable to balance the pressures of university and her responsibility for her younger sister.    
Stress has impacted Anita physically. She also has nervous breakdowns before every exam. Her parents are unaware of Anita’s struggles.    
Anita does not have a good relationship with her younger sibling.    
Anita does not have a good relationship with her father’s family.    
Anita’s parents exercised a double standard in how they brought up Anita and her older sister compared to her younger sister who was born in Canada. Anita is deeply hurt by this.    
   
CHIAIRO
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Chiairo witnessed her stepfather’s abuse of her mother. He did not allow her to work, isolated her from her friends and community members, and made racist comments about her ethnic community. He was volatile and his behaviour was unpredictable. Being the only racialized family in a small, white neighbourhood, Chiairo’s family lived in isolation and feared judgement from neighbours. Hence, the family maintained secrecy about the abuse they were experiencing. Chiairo’s maternal grandparents were actively involved in bringing up Chiairo and her sister.
Chiairo’s stepfather exerted control over her and did not allow her to socialize with friends. Seeing her sister’s bruises (the result of karate), teachers reported the family to CPS. In Chiairo’s opinion, the school’s suspicion was confirmed because of stereotypes about South Asian families.  
Chiairo is anxious about her mother and, hence, distracted from studies. Chiairo has sought support for her mental health but has not found most counsellors helpful because they did not understand Chiairo’s context.  
Chiairo’s family had limited financial resources because her stepfather made her mother give up her job; the family had only the income of her stepfather to live on.    
Chiairo lived in isolation; she did not make friends so that she could maintain secrecy about her situation.    
   
JASMINE
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Jasmine witnessed constant arguments between her parents and was extremely afraid of her father. Her racialized immigrant parents believed that the only way for them to rise economically was through higher education and hence they pressured their children to excel academically. The school guidance counsellor supported Jasmine in finding a good university program.
Jasmine’s father was strict and wanted her to focus on her studies and not recreation. She was not free to spend time with her friends or party with them. Jasmine was discriminated against because of her race and lack of formal education at the catering company she worked at. Jasmine has a good relationship with her brother and together they work at influencing their father.
Jasmine committed an unethical act by changing her marks on her report card because she feared her father’s punishment. Jasmine experienced racialized microaggressions on numerous occasions. Jasmine’s father is open to listening to what Jasmine and her brother had to tell him about his abuse. He changed his behaviour as he did not want to adversely affect his relationship with Jasmine and her brother.
Strict parenting pushed Jasmine away from home to a university in another city, where she was distracted from her studies in her first year.    
Jasmine’s health was adversely affected because of the stress of not doing well at university.    
Jasmine was financially dependent on her father.    
Jasmine has no friends from or connections with her ethnic community as she was not given an opportunity by her father to mingle with children in her community.    
Jasmine, her mother and brother have not received support from any members of Jasmine’s father’s family.    
   
JAY
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Jay witnessed heated arguments and fights between his parents.   Jay had the support of his cousin who was his age.
Jay challenged his father’s abuse of his mother and called 911 at a young age.    
Jay lost the support of his siblings when he called 911 on his father.    
     
MARIA
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
While in Guyana, Maria witnessed her father’s extreme physical, verbal, emotional and financial abuse of her mother. School authorities supported Maria’s father despite them being told not to let Maria’s father meet her. Maria has good relations with both parents. However, her mother is her only source of material support.
Maria’s father breached the divorce court order by visiting Maria at school. Maria went for counselling while in school but did not benefit from it because her mother was required to be present.  
Because of FV, Maria remained distracted at school. Nor did she receive much support from her teachers. In her first year of university, Maria did not do well and was not liked by her professors. Maria had to change her program. Maria experienced racism as a racialized international student in Canada.  
Maria self-harmed as a way to resist FV .    
Maria has three older half-sisters but does not have a good relationship with them.    
   
MAYA
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Maya witnessed heated arguments and physical fights between parents. Maya’s parents did not have high-income occupations, which meant the family lived in poverty. Maya’s maternal grandmother, uncle and aunt provided material and moral support from Maya and her family.
Maya was abused by her mother. Maya’s maternal uncle believed that racialized immigrants can only break the cycle of poverty with education and encouraged Maya to pursue postsecondary education. Maya has a good relationship with her brother.
Maya’s father has an alcohol addiction, and her mother has a gambling addiction. Maya responded to law enforcement and CPS interventions in such a way that her siblings and herself were not apprehended by the CPS. When Maya’s mother decided she could no longer take care of Maya and her siblings, her maternal aunt and uncle took them in and supported their educational and other needs.
Maya was responsible for household chores and caring for her two younger siblings at a young age.    
Maya’s mother refused to take care of her children. Hence, she and her siblings had to move out to their grandmother’s home.    
Maya’s first year of university did not go well. She had to change her program and university.    
Maya does not have a good relationship with her sister.    
Maya identifies as bisexual and feels that as a brown girl she must hide her sexuality because of the lack of acceptance from her community.   Maya is open about her sexuality with her grandmother, uncle and aunt, and Maya reports that they raised no objection.
   
SAMANTHA
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Samantha was very afraid of her father as a child. Samantha witnessed her father’s She was aware of the severe physical, verbal and emotional abuse of her father inflicted on her mother.   Samantha and her mother received support and direction from a shelter worker for navigating her mother’s metal health and their housing.
  Samantha grew up in poverty—financial support from OW and child support was insufficient to take care of her and her mother’s basic needs. Samantha received support from a shelter worker and a teacher.
Samantha and her mother did not receive any financial support from her father. Samantha’s mother did not have good relations with the OW staff. Samantha received support from her maternal uncle after her mother’s diagnosis of schizophrenia and liver complications.
Samantha grew up in an ever-changing world and a precarious environment: movement between countries, lack of safety, and living with a mother who had severe physical and mental health challenges. Samantha received support from a lawyer in her efforts to bring her siblings to Canada. Over the years, Samantha has been able to establish rapport with her father and has convinced him to send Samantha’s three siblings to Canada.
Samantha’s mother’s family in Pakistan did not provide support.    
At a young age, Samantha had to take care of the household in addition to studying because her mother was diagnosed with a mental illness and had physical health issues.    
Samantha lived with the threat of being sent to her father in Pakistan if her mother was deemed incapable of caring for Samantha.    
Samantha’s mother had to leave behind three children in Pakistan, and she could not bring them to Canada.    
Samantha lived in isolation to maintain secrecy about her situation.    
Samantha has battled depression. However, she has never taken medication or sought counseling for it.    
   
SANDIRAN
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Sandiran witnessed her father’s extreme physical abuse of her mother. Sandiran’s family lived in extreme poverty. Sandiran has a good relationship with her parents and sister.
Sandiran’s father was diagnosed with severe mental health issues brought on his war trauma. Sandiran lived in public housing in a low-income neighbourhood.  
Sandiran’s father has an alcohol addiction. He drinks to control his schizophrenic hallucinations. Sandiran’s family did not receive any support from a neighbourhood community organization even after they heard from Sandiran about the FV.  
While growing up, Sandiran and her siblings did not have a good relationship. Sandiran’s school was in an affluent neighbourhood. The teachers did not provide support to Sandiran because they were unaware of the challenges of racialized immigrant families living in a low-income neighbourhood.  
Sandiran’s family did not receive any support from her father’s brother’s family who lived in the same city Sandiran’s family was ostracized by their ethnic community because they were poor.  
Sandiran experienced suicidal ideation while in school and later developed psychosis. Sandiran’s father has not received effective mental health support. There has been no recognition of his war trauma.  
  The counseling Sandiran accessed in university was ineffective because the counselor lacked a culturally informed approach to understand Sandiran’s social and familial context.  
   
SONIA
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Sonia witnessed tensions and conflicts between her parents in childhood. Sonia was not loved by her extended paternal family because she was a girl and therefore labelled her as “crazy” and “hyper.” Sonia received support from her maternal grandmother and uncle and his family. Sonia was raised by her maternal grandmother.
Sonia lost her job in a healthcare setting because of the stress of her father’s arrest at the time of the 911 incident.   Sonia has a good relationship with both parents and brother.
Sonia experienced depression after the 911 incident and lost her job. At her workplace, Sonia was not given a chance to explain the reason for her lack of performance and was fired.  
Sonia’s relationship with her brother after the 911 incident has become superficial. They do not discuss critical issues impacting their lives. Sonia accessed counseling for her depression but did not find it beneficial.  
     
VIKTOR
Risk Factors Systemic Factors Supports
Viktor witnessed his father’s extreme abuse of his mother as a child and was also abused by his father.   Viktor, his siblings and mother have received much support from his mother’s side of the family.
Being the eldest child, Viktor has had to take care of his siblings and support his mother from a young age.    

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Childhood Experiences of Family Violence Among Racialized Immigrant Youth: Case Studies Copyright © 2023 by Purnima George, Archana Medhekar, Ferzana Chaze, Bethany Osborne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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