Mia Sisic, Evie Tastsoglou and Cathy Holtmann
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Gender-Based Violence in a Migration and Refugee Context: Forms, Impacts, Barriers and Responses
This Webinar was presented and recorded on October 6, 2026.
This webinar is based on research conducted by a Canadian research team as part of the multi-country, interdisciplinary project, Violence against Women Migrants and Refugees: Analysing Causes and Effective Policy Response. The Canadian team was led by academic co-investigators from Saint Mary’s University, University of Guelph, University of Manitoba and University of New Brunswick.
To better understand Canadian migrant and refugee women’s (MRW) experiences of gender-based violence (GBV), interviews were conducted with policy makers, advocates and service providers (N=43) as well as with MRW survivors of GBV (N=48).
In this webinar, the speakers presented their analyses of the two datasets with a focus on GBV forms, impacts and barriers and MRW responses and resilience, amplified by the structural vulnerabilities of the immigration/settlement and anti-violence sectors when it comes to supporting MRW GBV survivors.
The presenters drew upon theoretical approaches such as the continuum of violence, intersectionality, social determinants of health, vulnerability, and the social ecology of resilience. They concluded the webinar with recommendations for changes to policy and practice.
Webinar Recording
Learning Objectives
By viewing this Webinar, participants will be better able to:
- Recognize what GBV means in the context of migration, including forced migration. Specifically define:
- Who are the MRW?
- What are the forms / impacts of GBV?
- Why do we look at MRW in the context of Canada?
- Expand the range of violence and the tactics of victimization experienced by immigrant and refugee women and how they differ from the Canadian-born population
- Distinguish the unique vulnerabilities of migrant and refugee survivors of GBV as well as opportunities for building resilience
- Appreciate the agency and resilience of migrant and refugee women
Speakers
Dr. Mia Sisic graduated from the Applied Social Psychology program at the University of Windsor. Her work focuses on men's violence against women. She is currently the Senior Research Associate for Girls - Flip the Script with EAAA® Across Canada, a project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to examine the scaling of an evidence-based sexual violence resistance intervention.
Evangelia (Evie) Tastsoglou is Professor in the Department of Sociology, cross-appointed in Political Science and Global Development Studies, at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Educated in the USA (PhD in Sociology, Boston University, Boston), Canada (LLM, Dalhousie University, Halifax), and Greece (Law Degree, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens). She has published extensively on gender and various aspects of international migration; Canadian immigration and integration; violence, citizenship, transnationalism and diasporas. Recent volumes include: Gender and the Continuum of Violence in Migration, Special Theme, in Frontiers in Sociology, Vol. 9, 2024 -2026; Gender-Based Violence in Migration: Interdisciplinary, Feminist and Intersectional Approaches (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2022); Gender, Violence and Forced Migration, Special Theme of Frontiers in Human Dynamics – Refugees and Conflict. 2021; and Gender and Violence in a Migration and Refugee Context: Agency, Resilience and Resistance, Special Issue in the Canadian Ethnic Studies journal (Vol. 55.3, 2023). She has been the PI of the Canadian team of researchers in the multi-year CIHR-funded project “Violence against Women Migrants and Refugees: Analyzing Causes and Effective Policy Response.” (2019-2025).
Dr. Tastsoglou has also served as president of the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association (2018-2022); president of the Research Committee on Women in Society of the International Sociological Association (ISA) (2010-2014); member of the ISA’s Research Council (2014-2018); chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Saint Mary’s University (2006-2012); and International Development Studies Coordinator (2017-2021). She was the recipient of the Saint Mary’s University President’s Award for Excellence in Research (2020); the “Sociologist of the Month” for the journal Current Sociology (SAGE Publishers, July 2018) and the “Best article of the Year” (2025) nominee of the journal International Sociology.
Catherine Holtmann is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. Her expertise is in the areas of gender and religion, family violence and immigrants. She is the academic lead of the Religion and Violence Research Team at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research and currently partners on the Muslim Family Safety Project with the Arabic Cultural Community of Fredericton, New Brunswick and the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration in London, Ontario. She is a co-author of the open access article “Vulnerabilities and Inequities: Challenges Experienced by Professionals Engaged with Migrant and Refugee Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Canada” in Social Sciences (2026) and a co-author of the book Sacred Snaps: Photovoice for Interfaith Engagement (Routledge, 2025).
La violence fondée sur le sexe dans le contexte de la migration et des personnes réfugiées : formes, effets, obstacles et réponses
Ce webinaire a été présenté et enregistré le 6 octobre 2026.
Ce webinaire s’appuie sur des recherches menées par une équipe de recherche canadienne dans le cadre du projet international et interdisciplinaire Violence à l’égard des femmes migrantes et réfugiées : analyse des causes et des réponses politiques efficaces. L’équipe canadienne était dirigée par des cochercheur.e.s universitaires de la Saint Mary’s University, de l’Université de Guelph, de l’Université du Manitoba et de l’Université du Nouveau-Brunswick.
Afin de mieux comprendre les expériences vécues par les femmes migrantes et réfugiées (FMR) au Canada en matière de violence fondée sur le sexe (VFS), des entrevues ont été menées auprès de responsables des politiques publiques, d’intervenant.e.s et des prestataires de services (N=43) ainsi qu’auprès de femmes migrantes et réfugiées ayant survécu à la VFS (N = 48).
Dans ce webinaire, les présentatrices ont présenté leurs analyses des deux ensembles de données, en mettant l’accent sur les formes de VFS, leurs répercussions et les obstacles rencontrés, ainsi que sur les réponses et les stratégies de résilience des FMR. Ces éléments seront mis en perspective avec les vulnérabilités structurelles des secteurs de l’immigration et de l’établissement et du secteur de la lutte contre la violence lorsqu’il s’agit de soutenir les survivantes de VFS parmi les FMR.
Les présentatrices se sont appuyés sur plusieurs approches théoriques, notamment le continuum de la violence, l’intersectionnalité, les déterminants sociaux de la santé, la vulnérabilité et l’approche écologique de la résilience. Le webinaire s'est conclu par des recommandations visant à faire évoluer les politiques et les pratiques.
Enregistrement du webinaire
Objectifs d’apprentissage
Ce webinaire permet aux participant.e.s de :
- Reconnaître ce que signifie la VFS dans le contexte de la migration, y compris la migration forcée. Définir précisément :
- Qui sont les FMR?
- Quels sont les formes et les effets de la VFS?
- Pourquoi nous intéressons‑nous aux FMR dans le contexte du Canada?
- Élargir l’éventail des violences et des tactiques de victimisation vécues par les femmes immigrantes et réfugiées, et comprendre en quoi ces violences et tactiques se distinguent de celles vécues par la population née au Canada
- Distinguer les vulnérabilités particulières des survivantes migrantes et réfugiées de la VFS, ainsi que les possibilités de renforcer la résilience
- Reconnaître le pouvoir d’agir et la résilience des femmes migrantes et réfugiées
Conférencièr·e·s
La Dre Mia Sisic est diplômée du programme de psychologie sociale appliquée de l’Université de Windsor. Ses travaux portent sur la violence masculine envers les femmes. Elle est actuellement associée principale de recherche pour Girls – Flip the Script with EAAA® [Renverse les codes avec BÉRA] partout au Canada, un projet financé par l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada afin d’examiner le déploiement à plus grande échelle d’une intervention de résistance à la violence sexuelle fondée sur des données probantes.
Evangelia (Evie) Tastsoglou est professeure au Département de sociologie, avec une affectation conjointe en science politique et en études du développement mondial, à l’Université Saint Mary’s, à Halifax, au Canada. Formée aux États‑Unis (Ph. D. en sociologie, Université de Boston, Boston), ainsi qu’au Canada (LL. M., Université Dalhousie, Halifax) et en Grèce (diplôme en droit, Université nationale et capodistrienne d’Athènes), elle a publié abondamment sur le genre et divers aspects de la migration internationale; l’immigration et l’intégration au Canada; la violence, la citoyenneté, le transnationalisme et les diasporas. Parmi ses ouvrages récents figurent : Gender and the Continuum of Violence in Migration, thème spécial, dans Frontiers in Sociology, vol. 9, 2024-2026; Gender-Based Violence in Migration: Interdisciplinary, Feminist and Intersectional Approaches [La VFS en contexte migratoire : approches interdisciplinaires, féministes et intersectionnelles] (Palgrave‑Macmillan, 2022); Gender, Violence and Forced Migration, thème spécial de Frontiers in Human Dynamics – Refugees and Conflict. 2021; et Gender and Violence in a Migration and Refugee Context: Agency, Resilience and Resistance [Genre et violence en contexte de la migration et des personnes réfugiées : pouvoir d’agir, résilience et résistance], numéro spécial dans la revue Études ethniques au Canada (vol. 55.3, 2023). Elle a été la chercheuse principale de l’équipe canadienne de chercheuses du projet pluriannuel financé par les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC) « Violence against Women Migrants and Refugees: Analysing Causes and Effective Policy Response » (2019-2025).
La Dre Tastsoglou a également été présidente de la Société canadienne d’études ethniques (2018-2022); présidente du Comité de recherche sur les femmes dans la société de l’Association internationale de sociologie (AIS) (2010-2014); membre du Conseil de recherche de l’AIS (2014-2018); directrice du Département de sociologie et de criminologie à l’Université Saint Mary’s (2006-2012); et coordonnatrice des études du développement international (2017-2021). Elle a reçu le Prix du président pour l’excellence en recherche de l’Université Saint Mary’s (2020); le titre de « sociologue du mois » pour la revue Current Sociology (SAGE Publishers, juillet 2018) et a été mise en nomination pour le « meilleur article de l’année » (2025) de la revue International Sociology.
Catherine Holtmann est professeure et directrice du Département de sociologie à l’Université du Nouveau‑Brunswick. Son expertise porte sur le genre et la religion, la violence familiale et les personnes immigrantes. Elle est la responsable universitaire de l’équipe de recherche sur la religion et la violence au Centre Muriel McQueen Fergusson pour la recherche sur la violence familiale, et collabore actuellement au Muslim Family Safety Project [Projet de sécurité des familles musulmanes] avec la communauté culturelle arabe de Fredericton, au Nouveau‑Brunswick, et le centre Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration à London, en Ontario. Elle est coauteure de l’article en libre accès « Vulnerabilities and Inequities: Challenges Experienced by Professionals Engaged with Migrant and Refugee Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Canada » [Vulnérabilités et iniquités : les défis rencontrés par les professionnel·les qui interviennent auprès des personnes migrantes et réfugiées survivantes de violence fondée sur le sexe au Canada] dans la revue Social Sciences (2026) et coauteure du livre Sacred Snaps : Photovoice for Interfaith Engagement [Instantanés sacrés : la photovoix au service du dialogue interreligieux] (Routledge, 2025).
Gender-Based Violence in a Migration and Refugee Context: Forms, Impacts, Barriers and Responses
This Webinar was presented and recorded on October 6, 2026.
This webinar is based on research conducted by a Canadian research team as part of the multi-country, interdisciplinary project, Violence against Women Migrants and Refugees: Analysing Causes and Effective Policy Response. The Canadian team was led by academic co-investigators from Saint Mary’s University, University of Guelph, University of Manitoba and University of New Brunswick.
To better understand Canadian migrant and refugee women’s (MRW) experiences of gender-based violence (GBV), interviews were conducted with policy makers, advocates and service providers (N=43) as well as with MRW survivors of GBV (N=48).
In this webinar, the speakers presented their analyses of the two datasets with a focus on GBV forms, impacts and barriers and MRW responses and resilience, amplified by the structural vulnerabilities of the immigration/settlement and anti-violence sectors when it comes to supporting MRW GBV survivors.
The presenters drew upon theoretical approaches such as the continuum of violence, intersectionality, social determinants of health, vulnerability, and the social ecology of resilience. They concluded the webinar with recommendations for changes to policy and practice.
Webinar Recording
Learning Objectives
By viewing this Webinar, participants will be better able to:
- Recognize what GBV means in the context of migration, including forced migration. Specifically define:
- Who are the MRW?
- What are the forms / impacts of GBV?
- Why do we look at MRW in the context of Canada?
- Expand the range of violence and the tactics of victimization experienced by immigrant and refugee women and how they differ from the Canadian-born population
- Distinguish the unique vulnerabilities of migrant and refugee survivors of GBV as well as opportunities for building resilience
- Appreciate the agency and resilience of migrant and refugee women
Speakers
Dr. Mia Sisic graduated from the Applied Social Psychology program at the University of Windsor. Her work focuses on men's violence against women. She is currently the Senior Research Associate for Girls - Flip the Script with EAAA® Across Canada, a project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to examine the scaling of an evidence-based sexual violence resistance intervention.
Evangelia (Evie) Tastsoglou is Professor in the Department of Sociology, cross-appointed in Political Science and Global Development Studies, at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Educated in the USA (PhD in Sociology, Boston University, Boston), Canada (LLM, Dalhousie University, Halifax), and Greece (Law Degree, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens). She has published extensively on gender and various aspects of international migration; Canadian immigration and integration; violence, citizenship, transnationalism and diasporas. Recent volumes include: Gender and the Continuum of Violence in Migration, Special Theme, in Frontiers in Sociology, Vol. 9, 2024 -2026; Gender-Based Violence in Migration: Interdisciplinary, Feminist and Intersectional Approaches (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2022); Gender, Violence and Forced Migration, Special Theme of Frontiers in Human Dynamics – Refugees and Conflict. 2021; and Gender and Violence in a Migration and Refugee Context: Agency, Resilience and Resistance, Special Issue in the Canadian Ethnic Studies journal (Vol. 55.3, 2023). She has been the PI of the Canadian team of researchers in the multi-year CIHR-funded project “Violence against Women Migrants and Refugees: Analyzing Causes and Effective Policy Response.” (2019-2025).
Dr. Tastsoglou has also served as president of the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association (2018-2022); president of the Research Committee on Women in Society of the International Sociological Association (ISA) (2010-2014); member of the ISA’s Research Council (2014-2018); chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Saint Mary’s University (2006-2012); and International Development Studies Coordinator (2017-2021). She was the recipient of the Saint Mary’s University President’s Award for Excellence in Research (2020); the “Sociologist of the Month” for the journal Current Sociology (SAGE Publishers, July 2018) and the “Best article of the Year” (2025) nominee of the journal International Sociology.
Catherine Holtmann is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. Her expertise is in the areas of gender and religion, family violence and immigrants. She is the academic lead of the Religion and Violence Research Team at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research and currently partners on the Muslim Family Safety Project with the Arabic Cultural Community of Fredericton, New Brunswick and the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration in London, Ontario. She is a co-author of the open access article “Vulnerabilities and Inequities: Challenges Experienced by Professionals Engaged with Migrant and Refugee Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Canada” in Social Sciences (2026) and a co-author of the book Sacred Snaps: Photovoice for Interfaith Engagement (Routledge, 2025).
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