Navigating the intersections: Supports for immigrant women experiencing intimate partner violence

With a rising immigrant population in Canada, it is increasingly important to ensure positive socioeconomic outcomes for all immigrants. Their ability to achieve positive outcomes is hindered by intimate partner violence (IPV), the victims/survivors of which are more likely to be women. Although all women experiencing IPV share some common experiences, immigrant women face unique structural barriers to seeking and accessing formal supports for IPV arising from their position at the intersection of gender, race, class, and immigration status. This study identifies the structural barriers faced by immigrant women, including women with precarious immigration status, and provides three policy options to improve their access to formal supports. Given the important role of the federal government in immigration policy and more recently in anti-violence initiatives through its Gender-Based Violence Strategy, recommendations are provided for the federal government to ultimately ensure safety for all immigrant women.