Events /

Together Against Violence:
Webinar Series

TAV 2025 Webinar I: Reimagining Support for Immigrant Women+ in Shelters

Join us for a transformative online session that addresses the urgent need for change in how shelter systems support immigrant women+. This 90-minute webinar will examine the intersections of gender-based violence, systemic discrimination, and culturally irrelevant care that many newcomer women+ face when seeking refuge.

Through engaging panel discussions and expert-led dialogue, we will explore advocacy tools and frontline strategies that reimagine shelters as spaces of safety, dignity, and belonging. Together, we’ll examine how policy, training, and collaboration can be reshaped to meet the diverse and layered realities of immigrant women+.

Designed for service providers, community leaders, healthcare workers, and equity advocates, this event will equip participants with actionable insights to help drive systemic change—while fostering inclusive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive support in shelter environments.

Let’s challenge the current system and co-create solutions that reflect the strength, resilience, and rights of immigrant women+ across Canada.  

Event Dates

July 10

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT

Key Statistics

Approximately every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner.

More than half (53%) of Canadian study respondents who experienced domestic violence said that at least one type of abusive act happened at or near their workplace.

Only 40% of women who experience violence seek help, with many not reporting due to fear, stigma, or lack of access to services.

35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.

Children who witness violence in the home are shown to have twice the rate of psychiatric disorders when compared to children from non-violent homes.

LGBTQ+ individuals are at a higher risk of experiencing violence, with 1 in 5 transgender women reporting physical assault in their lifetime.

If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 9-1-1.

Gender-based violence continues to deeply affect immigrant and refugee women+ across Canada, posing serious threats to their safety, well-being, and sense of belonging. Research consistently shows that these women face heightened risks of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, coercive control, and systemic neglect in both public and private spaces. These harms are rarely experienced in isolation. Instead, they are compounded by intersecting barriers such as language challenges, cultural isolation, limited access to legal, social, and health services, and an ongoing fear of deportation, discrimination, or social stigma. For many, these overlapping factors create environments where violence is not only more likely to occur, but harder to escape.

Four young women sitting against a colorful graffiti wall, two are looking at their phones, while the others look forward or to the side, appearing to wait or rest.

Many immigrant women+ are unaware of their rights or the support systems available to them. Others encounter discrimination or retraumatization when trying to seek help. In recent years, digital harassment and housing insecurity have added new layers to the violence and instability they face. Despite their resilience, the structural barriers remain significant and often invisible to the broader public.

Addressing these complex realities requires a shift in how gender-based violence is understood and responded to in the context of migration, equity, and human rights.

A young woman with red hair and closed eyes leaning on a young woman with curly dark hair, both wearing jackets, embracing outdoors.

The TAV 2025 Webinar I, Reimagining Support for Immigrant Women+ in Shelters, is a solutions-focused online event exploring how shelter systems can better meet the needs of immigrant women+ experiencing gender-based violence. Through a conversation grounded in equity, trauma-informed care, and cultural responsiveness, sector leaders will discuss the systemic barriers women+ face and share strategies for creating more inclusive, empowering, and healing environments. Participants will gain insights into policy reform, intersectional service delivery, language access, and cross-sector collaboration.

Four women wearing hijabs, smiling and enjoying each other's company outdoors during sunset.

Proudly Funded By:

Logo for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, featuring a red Canadian flag icon and text in English and French.

Tickets

FAQs

  • Immigrant and refugee women+ often face multiple, intersecting barriers such as language challenges, cultural isolation, and limited access to services. These factors increase their vulnerability to various forms of gender-based violence, including intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, and coercive control.

  • They may face intimate partner violence, sexual assault, coercive control, systemic neglect, and more recently, digital harassment and housing-related abuse. These experiences are often shaped by social, legal, and cultural barriers unique to their status and identity.

  • Barriers include fear of deportation, lack of knowledge about available resources, language difficulties, and past negative experiences with institutions. These challenges can discourage women+ from reporting violence or accessing support services.

  • Systemic neglect can show up as insufficient language support, a lack of culturally appropriate services, and institutions that are not trauma-informed. This can result in discrimination, retraumatization, or being turned away without proper help.

  • Because immigrant women+ do not experience violence in a vacuum. Their experiences are shaped by their race, gender identity, immigration status, socioeconomic background, and more. An intersectional approach helps ensure that solutions address the full scope of their realities.