migrant women and homelessness in ireland: the role of gender-based violence

EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCEHomelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in Europe

Pisa, 16th September 2011

Interdisciplinary Center 'Sciences

for peace’

Migrant Women and Homelessness in Ireland:

The Role of Gender-based Violence

Paula Mayock and Sarah Sheridan

Trinity College Dublin

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EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCEHomelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in

Europe Pisa, 16th September 2011

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

Homeless women participants and service providers.

Funders: Irish Research Council for the Humanities

and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) Research Fellowship Scheme (2009-10)

Health Service Executive, Ireland (2010-11)



Contextualising Immigration into IrelandContextualising Immigration into Ireland

Ireland traditionally has a history of emigration. ‘Celtic Tiger’ economic boom saw reversal of migration flows Percentage of non-national residents, according Central Statistics Office:

1996 – 7% non-nationals 2002 – 10% 2006 – 15% 2011 – Figures forthcoming.

Countries of origin [source: Census 2006]: UK EU25 states – in particular Eastern Europe (Poland , Lithuania,

Romania…) Africa (in particular Nigeria) Asia (China, The Philippines…) United States of America



Ireland’s Homeless Population

Counted In (2008): 407 non-nationals, asylum seeker and refugees using homeless services in Dublin.

The most recently published survey figures suggest that women make up approximately 32% of the homeless population (Homeless Agency, 2008).

Immigrant women may be ‘hidden’ or ‘concealed’ because of their preference for relying on family or other unofficial networks of support (Nicholls & Quilgars, 2009).

Women are in general a poorly researched sub-group of the homeless population (Baptista, 2010).



Women and Homelessness in Ireland: Women and Homelessness in Ireland: A Biographical Pathways AnalysisA Biographical Pathways Analysis

Biographical Interviews with 60 Homeless Women:

‘Life Story’ – open invitation; women take control of the interview

Time Line – chronology of life events/housing and homelessness

Survey Instrument: administered after LH interview

Ethnographic Observation (at 4 sites; 3 key informants)

Photography Project : 10 participants



Age of Homeless Women (n=60)Age of Homeless Women (n=60)



Living Situations of the Women (n=60)Living Situations of the Women (n=60)



Violence during Childhood (n=60)Violence during Childhood (n=60)46 of the women (76%physical, sexual or emotional abuse )

either witnessed or directly experienced during childhoodOf this sub-group of women:

38 women (63% of the sample) experienced physical abuse as a child

Perpetrator usually a close family member 5 experienced violence in a care/institutional setting In addition to this, 3 women reported having witnessed DV in their

family home 31 women (52%) reported child sexual abuse

Three-quarters of these were abused by an immediate family member

2 women was coerced into prostitution at the age of 13 7 women reported rape during adolescence.



Violence during Adulthood (n=60)Violence during Adulthood (n=60)

50 women (83%) had experienced some form of violence during adulthood.

27 women (45%) reported some form of sexual violence as an adult (including in the context of an intimate relationship)

43 women (72%) experienced intimate partner violence or abuse.

9 women experienced intimate partner violence in more than one relationship.

34 women (57%) suffered violence during BOTH childhood and adulthood.



Immigrant Women in the Sample (n=17)Immigrant Women in the Sample (n=17)

17 Immigrant Women Interviewed (28% of sample)

Countries of Origin:

Eastern Europe n= 10Southern Europe n= 1 Asia n= 4

Africa n= 1Americas n= 1

(11 different nationalities)



Profile of the Migrant Women

Ranged in age from 25-52 years (mean 33 years). Living in Ireland from between 1 and 10 years (mean 4

years). The duration of their homelessness ranged from

between 2 weeks and 10 years. The majority (n=14) were mothers with children in their

care. Relatively well educated. Fifteen of the seventeen women were unemployed. Fourteen of the women held official residency rights.



Migrant Women: Migrant Women: Living Situations at Time of InterviewLiving Situations at Time of Interview

Temporary emergency

accommodation5

Private-rented accommodation

4

Domestic violence refuge

3

Transitional housing

3

Friends1

Rough Sleeping1 Migrant

Women n=17



Photo taken by Delilah (Age 30) of her shared living quarter in temporary emergency accommodation, where she lives with her child. At time of interview, she had been living here for 19 months. Delilah has no immigrant status, which significantly restricted her move-on options.



Migrant Women’sMigrant Women’sExperiences of ViolenceExperiences of Violence

15 of the 17 migrant women had experienced violence.

14 of the 17 migrant women had experienced violence in the context of an intimate partner relationship.

Of these 14 women: All reported emotional abuse from an intimate partner. All reported at least one incident of physical violence; 11 had

experienced violence on a frequent basis. 6 /14 reported sexual violence in the context of an intimate

partner relationship.



Migrant Women’s Pathways to Migrant Women’s Pathways to HomelessnessHomelessness

10 of the migrant women attributed their homelessness directly to intimate partner violence.

Nature and duration of reported violence varied between participants but usually involved a combination of physical abuse (hitting, slapping, punching or choking), emotional/verbal abuse (intimidation, name calling, manipulation, controlling threats and/or focusing women to act against their religious beliefs), financial manipulation or economic abuses (e.g. controlling finances, tampering with women’s immigration documentation), and sexual abuse (e.g. sexual assault, rape).

Negative impact of abuse:

“I was really weak, like powerless and without my will and anything. I was just totally beaten dow n …” [Tereska, 25].

“I was down and depressed. My smile look like I am crying” [Aisha, 31]



Migrant Women’s Pathways to Migrant Women’s Pathways to HomelessnessHomelessness

Other Reasons for Homelessness (n=7) : Financial difficulties (n=5; 1 of whom had no immigration

status)+ Violence from landlord

Drug addiction (n=2)

Four of the women who have attributed homelessness to ‘causes’ other than domestic violence had also experienced violence in the past (two of them from an intimate partner).



Case Study: Bina’s Story (32 years)Case Study: Bina’s Story (32 years)

Born in Asian country; Hindu origin Highly educated – third level qualification Married Muslim man at 23 years – disowned by her Hindu family. DOMESTIC ABUSE shortly after marriage:

Physical abuse (punching, slapping, cutting hair…) Emotional abuse (intimidation, death threats, blackmailing…)

Gave birth to two children during her 20s. 30 years: Husband migrated to Ireland and continually encouraged

her to join; promising her that he would change his behaviour 31 years – MIGRATION TO IRELAND:

She and her two children followed husband to Ireland. He immediately confiscated their immigration papers and passports; domestic abuse ensued.



Bina’s Homeless Journey (31-32 years Bina’s Homeless Journey (31-32 years old)old)

Domestic violence and abuse escalated after migrating to Ireland

Cultural shame and stigma of violence“I don’t have the words but they have to, they are told to you have to endure and they just keep enduring and they like….uh, seeking help from the refuge is like a stigma for our community and people are too ashamed to say all these things.”

Parents at her children’s school grew concerned for her safety

She called Women’s Aid helpline (for victims of gender-based violence) Women’s Aid referred her to Domestic Violence refuge in Dublin. She took a

taxi later that evening.

At time of interview, had been living in an emergency refuge for 9

months. No immigration status

No right to work

No welfare entitlements; surviving on emergency payments and charity hand-

outs.

Eventually returned to country of origin – NO FAMILY SUPPORT IN

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN



Women Negotiating Violence in their Homes

Barriers to Exiting Violent Home Situations High level of economic dependence on abusive partner High level of dependence on partner in a social sense Fear of “revenge”/escalation of violence Low family/other social supports Fear of exposing their violent home situations to the

outside world:“So it [DV] started when I was 6 months pregnant and

then was very, very often because he know that I don’t tell anybody this. I was so scared talking, I never go to doctor to show my bruises” [Immanuela, 29]



Women’s Narratives on Help Seeking No/little knowledge about services: “didn’t know the system”.

“I had no idea a place like this (refuge) exist … I had no idea about anything. I felt alone and just because of that I didn’t leave him earlier” [Alexandra, 30].

Supported escape from abusive home situations a dominant: support from the police (n=3), social worker (n=2), GP (n=2) or a friend/neighbour (n=2).

Three of the women approached a stranger on the street for help.

“I just found him in the street, you know, we aree the same Filipino … he know I was really scared, I didn’t know where to go, I don’t know the system in Ireland … I was just living with him two days because he just offered me … he gave me information about that (refuge) and that made me go to that emergency accommodation” [Maria, 29].

Anxiety of approaching services linked to stigma and shame.

“This place has become my world to me: I have become so close to the staff and like, so attached to them, so I know all that very well and when I am feeling low and down, I go and have a little chat with them so I feel a bit better in me” (Bina, 32).



Barriers to Exiting Homelessness

Lack of affordable housing: ‘stuck’ or ‘trapped’ in emergency homeless/DV accommodation.

Low/no income Unemployment. Inadequate or poor English language skills. Challenges associated with balancing childcare

responsibilities with the demands of seeking and/or maintaining employment.

No immigration status or entitlement to welfare payments.



ConclusionConclusion Violence a prominent theme in the life stories of migrant women; many

attrtibuted their homelessness to the experience of DV. Migrant women’s pathways to homelessness were nonetheless

complex. Economic dependence on partners/income poverty: ‘trapped’ in contexts

of domestic abuse --- becoming what Wardhaugh (1999) dscribes as women ‘homeless at home’, where they continued to ‘suffer abuse, violence and the suppression of self withing the supposed safe haven of the domistic home’ (O’Sullivan & Higgins, 2001).

Findings reveal an intersection between gender and their immigration status (Pleace, 2010). This subordination, coupled with women’s economic insecurity, was strongly implicated in the processess leading to their homelessness and also limited the women’s ability to secure and maintain housing.



Photo taken by Delilah (Age 30)

migrant women and homelessness in ireland: the role of gender-based violence

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