South Asian Women Against Male Violence in Canada

Had enough' of domestic violence, Asian women say they are organizing a rally to protest a series of attacks in their community

Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
South Asian women who want to fight back against domestic violence are organizing a rally Thursday to protest a series of high-profile attacks and murders in their community in recent months.

"We are angry and distressed about the recent attacks on us. We have had enough!" says a poster for the event organized by Vancouver Rape Relief and a new group called South Asian Women Against Male Violence. It will take place at 6 p.m. at Main Street and 49th Avenue in the heart of Vancouver's Punjabi Market.

Daisy Kler, of Rape Relief, said the new organizations came together last fall after three South Asian women were attacked, allegedly by their husbands. Two died and their spouses have been charged. A third is recovering and her husband committed suicide.

In February Surrey mother Amanpreet Kaur Bahia was stabbed to death in her home and on the weekend, Vancouver resident Avtar Singh Grewal was charged with killing his wife Navneet Kaur in Phoenix.

Kler stressed domestic violence exists in all communities, but she said Indo-Canadian women want to make themselves more visible on the issue by taking to the streets.

"We want the men in our community to take responsibility," she said. "We are distressed by the instances of violence."

The rally is being held on the anniversary of the 1996 Vernon massacre of Rajwar Gakhal and eight members of her family by her ex-husband, who later committed suicide.

A candlelight vigil marking the anniversary is also being held at the same time in the Okanagan city by the Vernon Women's Transition House Society, with relatives of the victims in attendance.

Kler said that despite a review of policing after the Gakhal massacre 11 years ago, little has changed.

"We have not seen a significant change in policing in Canada," Kler said, adding that some officers responding to domestic cases still threaten to charge both the man and the woman.

Community activist Raminder Dosanjh was shocked when she heard Sunday that there had been another murder allegedly committed by a South Asian woman's husband.

"It is appalling. We need to do something," Dosanjh said in an interview. "This highlights the seriousness of the attention that's needed to deal with this situation."

Dosanjh, a founder of the India Mahila Association, said law enforcement, community groups, and people in the justice system need to put their heads together to strategize on how to tackle domestic violence. "I am dumbfounded. It is hard to believe this is really happening," Dosanjh said.

Reporter Kim Bolan