Violence against senior newcomer women can be different from violence against younger women. This violence can sometimes be overlooked by neighbours, friends, family, or service providers.
Who Are Senior Newcomer Women?
Senior newcomer women are immigrant, refugee, temporary foreign worker, and non-status women ages 65 and older.
What Does Violence Against Senior Newcomer Women Look Like?
This section will cover the specific experiences of violence that senior newcomer women may face. Please add this information to what you learned in the sections on violence against women, the types of violence and the warning signs of domestic violence.
Senior newcomer women can experience violence in distinct ways. For example:
- The abuser may be a child, partner, or other family member
- Senior newcomer women may be in financial dependence on the abuser
- Internalized ageism and sexism may lead a senior newcomer woman to feel that she is not valuable or worthwhile
- Senior newcomer women may live in social isolation with limited opportunities to seek support or help
- There may be a dependence on an abuser for immigration status
- She may come from a country that has experienced war, she herself may have trauma, and she may not trust authorities or official organizations
- This violence may be compounded for LGBTQ+ senior newcomer women or couples
- She may face economic violence – family members taking jewellery, using her bank card and credit card without her consent
- There may be abuse related to Power of Attorney and giving misinformation to senior newcomer women about their rights and choices in that area
- Abuse may involve failure to provide access to medical care or health supports