SWAN is a member of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and participated in their global feminist participatory action research study.
This study investigated the challenges faced by migrant and trafficked women relating to social and economic inclusion, including general settlement, employment opportunities, and community connection in destination and countries of origin. SWAN was one of 30 NGOs in 18 countries in 5 regions to participate in this study.
We spoke with 30 local Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American women in Vancouver, Canada to learn about their experiences.
SWAN found that many women faced barriers to finding good employment, including limited abilities to speak English and the lack of recognition of their education and work experience as newcomers to Canada. Women also shared about their experiences with racism and discrimination, which left them with few options for employment and therefore, vulnerable to exploitative work conditions.
Despite these challenges, however, most of the respondents expressed that they felt Canada was overall a just and fair country where they would be able to achieve their goals of supporting themselves and their families.
A member of SWAN’s Advisory Board, Menaka Raguparan, presented the findings as part of an international panel hosted by GAATW.
You can read more about these women’s experiences in the report, ‘Of Course People Will Hire the White Person: Social and Economic Inclusion of Migrant Women in Vancouver, Canada’.