The Stories
The digital stories in this collection were sponsored by Migrant Mothers Project (MMP) for public education and to train service providers who work with immigrants across Canada. Each story in this collection was created by an immigrant women, who wanted to share part of her experience either living with precarious immigration status or working with women who are seeking permanent residence in Canada.
The people who shared their stories in this project had different reasons for entering Canada as a result of seeking safety from insecurity and persecution related to their sexual orientation, domestic violence and or state violence. Nonetheless, they share a desire to live peacefully in Canada and to take part as full members of society, without fearing detention or deportation. Through documenting their stories in a digital format, each storyteller wishes for their story to be shared with others in the community in order to recognize and bring awareness to this growing population in Canada.
The people who shared their stories in this project had different reasons for entering Canada as a result of seeking safety from insecurity and persecution related to their sexual orientation, domestic violence and or state violence. Nonetheless, they share a desire to live peacefully in Canada and to take part as full members of society, without fearing detention or deportation. Through documenting their stories in a digital format, each storyteller wishes for their story to be shared with others in the community in order to recognize and bring awareness to this growing population in Canada.
Inequality Continues (view story)"Inequality Continues..." highlights the injustices, and limitations encountered by domestic workers in the Live-in-Caregiver Program. More importantly, it follows a woman's journey to activism for immigration rights and women. Her personal and shared experience -- finding strength through struggle -- becomes crucial in paving her road to advocacy.
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Leaving My Child Behind (view story)Living with precarious status in Canada, "Leaving My Child Behind" examines the ways in which fear and deportation anxiety affects both mother and child as they live "in a constant state of flight or fight." After being denied refugee status, the mother and her child struggle to build lives without proper identification. They are nobody in the eyes of the state. This story illustrates how families are faced with difficult decisions, in their search for a better future.
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My Personal Story (view story)"My Personal Story" is told by a domestic worker who entered Canada as a Live-in-Caregiver. It follows the hardships of poverty she faced in the Philippines, the exploitation of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, and finally, her experience in the Live-In Caregiver Program in Canada. Faced by the dire straits of family separation and eventual reunification, this is a story about the journey from impoverishment and separation to stability and re-connection.
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Immigration to Canada (view story)Searching for protection and security, "Immigration to Canada" follows a lesbian woman who left everything behind to immigrate to Canada in hopes of starting once again in a new country where she could leave freely and be accepted. Yet, instead of finding safety and refuge, she is met with discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and the fear of deportation.
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My eyes have been opened (view story)"My Eyes Have Been Opened" is about an immigration story that is fraught with rejection and helplessness. It follows a mother separated from her son as Immigration Officers came knocking at their doors in the middle of the night. Yet despite this constant cycle of abandonment and fear, this story shows a woman who is determined to prove that she is one more immigrant capable of moving forward.
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Mi Hope (view story)Stricken by the discrimination and homophobia present in Mexico, "Mi Hope" is a story that follows a woman searching for acceptance and liberation as she immigrated to Canada. Instead, she had been denied status in Canada despite living in the country for nearly 16 years. It is a story of the constant search for belonging, living adrift without security or stability.
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Safe Spaces (view story)"Safe Spaces" offers a story of the experience of working with immigrant women with precarious status in Canada. It follows a social worker and her journey with her client as their story highlights the important in understanding the difficulties of seeking help. Most importantly, this story serves as a reminder that for immigrant women living with precarious status, the creation of safe spaces for them is vital to their lives.
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Healing the Hurt (view story)
“Healing the Hurt” tells the story of a social worker from Columbia, their passion of resilience, searching for equality, and a sense of belonging . This digital story examines the roles and responsibilities of advocates and community members in dealing with violence against women to ensure healing and safety. “Healing the Hurt” is a testimony to the difficulties of rebuilding a community that is faced with violence and trauma.
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