The Ethnic Minority Community in Britain - Term Paper Example

The ethnic minority community in Britain – An Introduction The ethnic minority community comprises of people who have a different social or cultural background from the place in which they are living. Britain is a country that has a substantial population from different ethnic backgrounds. In the year 2001-2002, the ethnic minority community in Britain was 7.6 percent. Indians were the largest minority group, followed by Pakistanis, Black Caribbeans, Black Africans, and those of mixed ethnic backgrounds. In England the ethnic minority groups constituted about 9 per cent of the total population in the year 2001-2002. Nearly half (48 per cent) of Britain’s total ethnic minority population lives in the city of London. This makes it very important to have laws and regulations in place to deal with the social and economic issues faced by members of the growing ethnic community. The employment factor in ethnic communities Statistics show that people in minority groups in the U.K. have high unemployment rates when compared to the rest of the British population. If the Bangladeshi community is taken as an example, about 20 per cent of the men and 24 per cent of the women are unemployed. If the rates of unemployment are taken from each ethnic group living in Britain, it will reveal the extent of the group’s self sufficiency and the growth of its community members. Protecting the right of women belonging to ethnic communities There have bee several laws enacted to protect women of ethnic minorities from suffering, such as abuse at home or in the work place. The Family Law Act of gives access to women in protecting themselves against such abuse in the domestic front. There are also laws protecting women from abuse in the workplace. Here a look at some organizations which offer support to women affected by abuse at home and in the work place: Hemat Gryffe Women's Aid – This organization protects women in ethnic communities living in Britain by providing them with a safe and temporary accommodation facility. They offer vital support and information such as immigration advice and details legal rights to these women and so that they can seek help to get out of their problem situations such as domestic abuse, being forced into marriage situations, work problems and so on. Breakthrough for Women – This centre provides support and counseling for women who have been affected by abuse, assault and violence. The centre is staffed by women and is intended to give help to women belonging to ethnic minorities. Glasgow Women's Aid – This centre is a service run by women for women and gives information pertaining to the law, housing rights and ways to avail protection from a safe home. They provide a play space for children, within their vicinity and also temporary, safe accommodation for women seeking help desperately. Justice For Women – This is a feminist organization that campaigns and supports women who have fought back against extremely violence from their partners, like Sara Thornton, Kiranjit Ahluwalia, Emma Humphreys and Diana Butler. They provide counseling and legal advice for women in England. Right of women – This is a voluntary organization which provides advice on all legal issues pertaining to women In the U.K. Women can seeks assistance on legal issues through the organization and and get to know the rights that empower them. This way they can fight back against any injustice meted out to them both in the domestic as well as in the work front. Ethnic Minorities Law Centre - This centre offers free, independent and confidential support to women who fall victims to domestic violence. Most of the women who seek help from this organization are asylum seekers or refugees. They have undergone traumatic gender violence in their country of origin. Such women are provided with information on where to seek, in the language in which they speak and in the context of their cultural setting, by social workers of this organization. GAMH North & East Project - Asian Women’s Group - This group assists Asian women who experience problems in mental health. Their difficulties are assessed by GAMH, with the aim to give moral support and help reduce loneliness and isolation, through such support. They carry out activities, discussions and occasional outings as part of their services to improve women’s mental health. Saheliya -This organization helps black and minority ethnic women in Edinburgh and its surrounding areas. It aims to promote positive mental health, and develop confidence in women’s so that their self esteem rises. This in turn help to reduces problems such as isolation and depression, which are often faced by women in ethnic communities owing to the vast cultural and social difference they face in the place they are living. Most of the centers which offer support and counseling to women also provide and an emergency help-line for women in trouble to call up in case they require emergency help. Problems faced by ethnic women in the domestic and work front Despite help available from such centers asian, black and ethnic minority women continue to suffer because their situation is aggravated due to lack of support from members of their own by communities and also by racism of the host community in which they are living. If you take the instance of domestic violence, this negative behavior is the mental, physical abuse of women by men that they are, or have been, in a relationship with. Looking into domestic violence, as a form of abuse faced by women of ethnic communities, following is a list of reasons which brings out why these women face problems in getting help against domestic violence: Women from ethnic minority communities are not aware of the agencies set up to help them out of their problems. They do not have knowledge of mainstream culture to do this. The women belonging to ethnic minority communities often do not know the language (English) required to empower them to survive in the foreign place in which they are living with their spouse and seek help against domestic violence. The immigration rules of the country require that a woman must stay with her abusive husband; otherwise she will face destitution and deportation from the country, which will make her matter worse. The woman faces abuse from a forced marriage, which is basically an abuse of human rights. They find difficulties in seeking help due to lack of adequate interpreting facilities and this prevent them from gaining access to services such as social work, police and law and so on. These women suffer abuse not only from their partner, but also from other members of their family such as their mother in law, sister in law and so on. They have to put up with bad situation because everywhere they turn they are treated badly. Domestic violence is an issue which is clouded in myths and prejudices. Most people either blame the woman, for being abused and staying with the abuser or say that she did something to provoke such violence. These prejudices affect women and prevent the from in gaining help against the violence meted out to them. On the work front, the Equal Opportunities Commission launched an investigation into the problems faced by women in ethnic communities in Scotland. The report stated that ethnic women are affected by race and sex discrimination in the work place. Of the ethnic minority communities Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are seen to have particularly high unemployment rates, of 10%-14%. Indian women are more likely than any other ethnic group, to have a degree or professional qualification, but face social pressure in climbing up the corporate ladder. The findings of this report indicate that minority ethnic women face issues such as discrimination in interviews based on their race, religion and gender. They have to take up jobs below their skills and qualification level because they are women belonging to an ethnic community. They face issues such as a lack of support in gaining access to the job market and in developing appropriate skills for success.   According to the EOC Scotland Commissioner, Rowena Arshad, ever since the launching of their investigation into the inequality faced by black and minority ethnic women at work, what came out was that these women are marginalized in society and discriminated against at work.  It is time for cultural assumptions to be challenged because the stereotype of minority ethnic women not wanting to work is not true and a vast majority of women actually enjoy going to work and being independent. Solution against the problems faced by women in ethnic communities It is obvious that though there are many centers established to support women against abuse in the domestic and professional front, a lot more need to be done. This fact is reinstated by Women's Aid Federation of England. Women's Aid Federation of England also known as Women's Aid, is U.K’s domestic violence charity organization. It co-ordinates and supports a network of over 250 local organizations. It has provided help for over 400 refuges and gives affected women, access to help through help lines, outreach and advice services. They have been working in partnership, for nearly 30 years, with government departments, social services, police, courts, health care professionals and other voluntary organizations to promote the need for an integrated approach to domestic violence. Even such an organization which provide such a vast array of support to women, states that a lot more has to be done because women's who get into seeking support, safety or who want to escape from domestic violence, in ethnic communities find it very difficult and often very dangerous to do this. What is required is for adequate laws to be enforced, to provide safety for such women. It is important to understand that domestic violence experienced by women is not a trivial matter. If it is thought of as a one-off incident, this only implies a gross misunderstanding of the problem. Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive control, which is seen to increase in intensity and severity over a period of type for the victim. The problem continues when the woman seeks help or attempts to leave the perpetrator. This fact is also supported by the British Crime Survey. This survey shows that women are more likely to be repeat victims of domestic violence. They can be seriously injured and psychologically affected by the continuous nature of the domestic violence they experience after they end the relationship with a violent partner and also after their separation. This comes to the point, why women of ethnic communities put up with the problem, given the seriousness of it. One aspect is their low self esteem and lack of education. Another significant barrier to accessing protection is the cost of gaining an order, which is too high for women for whom legal services funding is not available. They have to face the cost of re-housing, financial difficulties at separation, and increased childcare costs. The only way out of such problems is education and provision for employment and laws being implemented to allow women in ethnic communities to have a dignified work atmosphere. The laws in the country of origin of these women should also change to help them ward off human rights problems outside their place of origin. In India, a grounding breaking law has been implemented which bans harassment by way of dowry demands. The laws also gives sweeping powers to a magistrate to issue protection orders where needed. This means empowerment of women who live not just in India, but also elsewhere in the world. Women will not have to worry that they will be persecuted if they return home from abusive partners. It will inculcate a sense of responsibility in members of the community in analysis their behavior and induce some meaningful change in social behavioral patterns. When more such laws are implemented for women belonging to ethnic communities in Britain and patterned in the same way, it is a sure signal to criminals in the work and domestic front that they have to pay for their abusive acts and will in due course of time put an end to such acts against women.   References: Black and Minority ethnic women Domestic Violence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_violence Ethnic minorities and EAL news updates Equal opportunities commission.< http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=18883> Feminists Deny Truth on Domestic Violence Minority ethnic groups in the U.K. Myths and facts about domestic violence Some United Kingdom statistics on groups at risk of social exclusion What is domestic violence? Women's Rights Read More