GVLIP Equity & Justice Resources
Safe Houses, Supportive Communities
This study was designed to gather information from immigrant communities in the Capital region to gain deeper insight into how immigrant women survivors of domestic violence seek support.
Through several semi-structured interviews and focus groups, 11 recently arrived immigrant women shared when, where, and how they reach out for help, what they knew of existing support systems, and what recommendations they have for lowering barriers to accessing these systems and services.
The information in this document:
- The most often mentioned barriers to seeking help,
- The most common places participants looked for support,
- Recommendations.
Community Response Protocol Against Racism and Hate
What do you do when you experience or witness hate? We have created several resources with useful information.
Discrimination and hate threaten the health, security, and well-being of our community and should be met with a united, agency-centred, and community-based response. The information in this document:
- Aims to keep individuals safe and informed,
- Emphasizes the agency of the person targeted by hate,
- Provides clarity on what the legal protections are, and
- Covers hate-motivated crimes, discrimination, racial and social profiling, hate on social media and internet platforms, hateful graffiti and vandalism, and, in a more limited fashion, microaggressions.
A list with local resources and organizations offering support is included. This resource is part of our work as a spoke in the Resilience BC – Anti-Racism Network.
Translations available here: 中国人 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ and عربي
Anti-Hate Posters
These posters provide quick reference information in English, Chinese, Punjabi and Arabic.
Racism in Greater Victoria: A Community Report
This report shares the perceptions, experiences, and responses to racism by racialized residents in Greater Victoria. It is based on an online survey on racism in the community and a community dialogue conducted by the greater Victoria Local Immigration Partnership in late 2020.
• 71% of racialized respondents shared that they regularly experience racism in Greater Victoria and that this made them feel lonely and unsafe.
• More information on our work on anti-racism in the workplace can be found through our Anti-Racism At Work Campaign.
Immigrants’ Legal Needs Report
This study was designed to gather information from immigrant communities in Greater Victoria and the Vancouver area to gain deeper insight into the immigrant experience when navigating through serious legal problems.
Many immigrants expressed that their unfamiliarity with Canadian laws and rights together with the uncertainty that comes with the first years of living in a new country affected their readiness to respond to serious legal problems.
This presentation from Pathways to Prosperity 2022 also highlights the main take-aways from the report.
Contact us to become a partner
Hanna Kontomyrova, Greater Victoria Local Immigrant Partnership (GVLIP) Coordinator
Email: hkontomyrova@icavictoria.org
Tools for Equity
ICA’s Tools for Equity training program for businesses and organizations, addresses racial disparities and employment barriers faced by immigrants, refugees, and communities of colour in the Capital Regional District.
LGBTQI2S+ Services
ICA can help you navigate the services and supports you need with social programs, one-on-one supports, navigating immigration, healthcare and employment. ICA has many services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender-diverse newcomers and refugees.