Shelter Sanctuary Status

OUT OF OUR SHELTERS! OUT OF OUR LIVES! was the message delivered to the Canada Border Services Agency on March 8th, International Women's Day, by the 120 plus women and trans-folks who poured into the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre for an Emergency Assembly.

The meeting began with a campaign organizer reading a statement from Jane, a single mother and survivor of violence from Ghana, "Last week, one of the residents from the shelter called me. She told me that immigration officers came into the shelter to look for me. I never thought that they would do something so low. I'm not a criminal. I'm a human being and shouldn't be treated like this. I have the right to be in a shelter without being afraid that they will come to get me," Jane told the crowd of supporters.

Nicholas Keung
The Toronto Star
March 8, 2010

Women’s and refugee rights groups are demanding homeless shelters be declared safe sanctuary from removal enforcement officials, who recently entered a Toronto shelter looking for a Ghanaian woman in hiding.

Shelter workers, residents and advocates worry that the February 27 incident at Beatrice House, a downtown shelter for women and children, would scare non-status women in need from seeking help in order to avoid potential arrests and deportation.

They will gather Monday morning, on the International Women’s Day, at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre on Phoebe St. to condemn the action by the Canada Border Services Agency.

“We have heard of the CBSA waiting outside of shelters, looking to apprehend women without status. But I have never heard of officers actually walking into a shelter to look for women,” said Eileen Morrow of the Ontario Association for Interval and Transition Houses.

International Women’s Day 2010

In the face of war, occupation, economic deprivation and domestic and sexual abuse, migrant women, transpeople and children have travelled to Canada.

These women, children and transpeople work in precarious jobs as temporary workers and immigrants. Many live without access to basic food, shelter, healthcare, job protection, justice or dignity when they are unable to gain full status.

In the past year, we have heard of numerous families arrested in spaces where they sought to rebuild their lives – in shelters, outside anti-violence against women organization and in community gardens.

Forcing women to places with little personal security or economic opportunity and away from communities they have created is Violence. Detentions and Deportations are Violence Against Women.

Enraged, the Women's Movement has risen to demand Status for All!

It is our responsibility to ensure that women, transpeople and children in our communities do not live in daily fear of detention and deportation, especially when seeking support.

For Immediate Release
08 March, 2010

WOMEN BREAKING THE SILENCE!
Emergency Community Assembly and Press Conference

March 8
17 Phoebe Street, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre
10:30am

TORONTO – On March 3rd, the Shelter | Sanctuary | Status campaign sent out a mass notice informing women and anti-violence against women organizations about Immigration Enforcement raiding Beatrice House in mid-February to arrest Jane, a single mother from Ghana. Since then, numerous women have decided to break the silence and spoken out about other raids that have been taking place.