Sabrine Azraq, Yasmin Hussain, and Yasmine Youssef

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Gender-Based Violence in the Lives of Muslim Women in Canada: Realities, Challenges, and Resistance

This Webinar was presented and recorded on April 18, 2023.

In this Webinar, expert panelists discuss experiences of gender-based violence (GBV) in the lives of Muslim women across Canada. Panelists explore the intersections of GBV and Islamophobia, barriers to accessing culturally-informed supports and services, and impacts on the health and wellbeing of survivors. Lastly, panelists share the many ways that Muslim women stand up and resist acts of violence and oppression in their everyday lives.

Webinar Recording

 

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Learning Objectives

After participating in this Webinar, participants will better be able to:

  • Understand the experiences of gender-based violence encountered by Muslim women in Canada
  • Acknowledge barriers such as Islamophobia to seeking supports and services
  • Recognize that Muslim women and girls are actively engaged in resistance

Speakers

Sabrine-Azraq.pngSabrine Azraq is the National Legal Services Coordinator for the first-ever legal services coordination program geared specifically to Muslim women in Canada. The Legal Services Coordination Program is spearheaded by the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) and funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario. Within her role, Sabrine provides legal services coordination to Canadian Muslim women seeking legal counsel. 

Sabrine also simultaneously manages CCMW's Addressing barriers for Muslim women and girls facing GBV project which provides services coordination for Muslim women and girls facing GBV. 

Sabrine has both a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Master of Education.

Yasmin-Hussain.pngYasmin Hussain is the Manager of Public Education and Community Programs at the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration (MRCSSI). In her role, Yasmin leads the development and implementation of creative community education strategies and programs that address gender-based violence, promote healthy relationships, and foster healing for survivors.

Her areas of expertise include leading community-based and participatory education strategies with women and youth to engage communities, raise awareness, and/or develop resources on gender-based violence within Muslim communities.

Currently, key programs and projects of focus include Supporting Her Safety, a community education program focused on equipping community members with the skills and knowledge to provide compassionate practical peer support to a friend or loved one experiencing IPV using trauma and culturally informed guides developed by MRCSSI; and Not In Our Backyard: Reclaiming Our Safety a community-action project with young Muslim women responding to realities of gendered Islamophobia and creating spaces of collective healing.

Yasmine-Youssef.pngYasmine Youssef is the Program Director of Nisa Homes, a national group of transitional shelters for Muslim women and children in Canada. She has been passionate about helping women experiencing and fleeing abuse since high school. She has a decade of experience in the social services field, including working in mental health and union advocacy. She joined Nisa Homes during its infancy in 2015 and has since helped grow and establish homes in 10 cities across Canada. She is also the mother of two boys, and when she isn't busy running after them, she tries to paint to maintain her sanity.

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