New research reveals urgent need for Caribbean community response to violence against women

Recent estimates from the Pan American Health Organization highlight violence against women as a pervasive issue across the Americas, with Caribbean communities facing particularly challenging circumstances that demand immediate attention and culturally informed solutions.

Research conducted across five CARICOM nations reveals that approximately 46 % of ever-partnered women aged 15 to 64 in five CARICOM countries (Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago) had experienced some form of IPV (physical, sexual, or psychological) in their lifetime and 14 % experienced intimate partner violence (IPV).  The same study found that 32 % of women encountered physical, or sexual IPV during their lifetime and 7% in the past year. Psychological abuse (controlling behaviour, insults, humiliation and economic restrictions), was the most prevalent, affecting 34% of women.

These statistics reflect broader patterns that extend into Caribbean diaspora communities throughout Canada, with many stressing the underreporting of IPV. According to Statistics Canada’s 2018 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, 42% of Black women reported experiencing some form of intimate partner violence since age 15, significantly higher than the 29 % reported among visible minority women overall.

“The roots of this crisis stretch deep into Caribbean history and culture.”

Criminalization and systemic racism

The roots of this crisis stretch deep into Caribbean history and culture. Researchers identify connections between contemporary violence and colonial legacies of slavery, indentureship, rigid patriarchal norms, inter/transgenerational trauma, and socio-economic stresses that have normalized control and various forms of abuse, silencing victims. Traditional gender expectations, systemic racism, fears of criminalization and cultural expectations of strength often discourage women from seeking help, creating what experts describe as a “culture of silence” where survivors are expected to demonstrate strength through endurance.

Experiences of Caribbean Canadian women

Many Caribbean women immigrated to Canada through programs like the West Indian Domestic Scheme and arrived alone, working as domestic servants before gaining citizenship; isolation, racism and precarious status compounded their vulnerability. This isolation, combined with systemic racism and precarious immigration status, compounds vulnerability to abuse.

Toronto’s Caribbean community organizations have developed specialized responses to address these unique challenges. The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre operates the Older Black Women’s Group, the centre’s longest running support program, providing healing spaces where mothers and elders of African ancestry share experiences and empower one another.

Afrocentric praxis and culturally responsive services

Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN) offers “OUCH! That Hurts” violence prevention services, delivering individual counselling, legal support, housing assistance, and safety planning specifically for Black women and children. Similarly, Tropicana Community Services (Violence Against Women Counselling) in Scarborough provides free counselling and transitional housing support through programs like Women Empowering Women.

Roots Community Services focuses on Black, African, and Caribbean populations in Peel Region (Gender Based Violence Prevention Program), offering court accompaniment, support groups, and monthly gender-based violence workshops. Their programming recognizes that prevention requires engaging men through anger management and counselling services.

Recent academic research emphasizes the importance of Afrocentric approaches that incorporate Ubuntu, Kujichagulia, and Ujima principles. These community-centred philosophies emphasize collective responsibility and healing through storytelling, cultural rituals, and shared symbols that resonate with African and Caribbean worldviews.

However, significant barriers persist. Many women hesitate to contact police, or mainstream agencies due to concerns about: racism, fear of deportation, or mistrust of authorities. Cultural expectations around family privacy and strength can discourage disclosure, while mainstream services often fail to recognize the intersection of race, immigration status, and cultural identity.

The federal government’s recent $660 million investment in the Department of Women and Gender Equality, confirmed in Federal Budget 2025, offers new opportunities for expanding culturally responsive services. The Canadian Women’s Foundation welcomed this commitment, emphasizing that investing in women’s safety and financial security benefits entire communities.

With another call from Canadian Women’s Foundation for the Canadian government to ensure a $1 billion commitment for supportive and transitional housing could particularly benefit Caribbean women and their children, who often face unique housing challenges when leaving abusive relationships.

“Community advocates continue pushing for recognition of intimate partner violence as an epidemic.”

Community advocates continue pushing for recognition of intimate partner violence as an epidemic requiring dedicated resources. Organizations including CAFCAN have joined coalitions urging the City of Toronto to make this formal declaration while calling for reforms to mandatory charging policies that sometimes criminalize survivors.

Moving forward, experts emphasize that sustainable change requires trauma-informed, decolonized interventions that centre Caribbean women’s lived experiences. Strengthening existing community programs, expanding Afrocentric healing approaches, and ensuring adequate funding for Black-led organizations represent crucial steps toward breaking intergenerational cycles of violence.