TORONTO, November 21, 2002 -- York University's Centre for Feminist Research, in association with the Hong Fook Mental Health Association, is hosting a one-day conference to examine how women in Canada from Asian countries, such as China, Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam, are marginalized by the health-care system.
The conference will take place on York's Keele Campus, tomorrow, Friday, November 22.
"Women who come from many countries in Asia have not received sufficient attention from health researchers, service providers and policy makers," says Social Science Professor and Director of York's Centre for Feminist Research Vijay Agnew. "This interdisciplinary conference seeks to bring together university and community researchers and activists with an interest in understanding how immigration and the intersection of race, class, and gender impact Asian women’s health status, help-seeking behaviour, and use of health services, including alternative and traditional therapies."
The conference will feature presenters who deal with all aspects of Asian women immigrants’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, including barriers to health care, health services for women living in poverty or those with limited English proficiency, sexual and reproductive health of young women, and the social determinants of health. A sampling of presenters follows:
Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp, Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (Thailand-based NGO), Thai Migrant Sex Workers' Health -- legal restrictions related to prostitution and migrant sex workers’ undocumented status in Canada hinder their from access to health care and social services, and the right to grieve contract violations, labour exploitation, and abuses;
Shirley Cheng, Hong Fook Mental Health Association and Prof. Renita Wong, Atkinson School of Social Work, Challenging stereotypes and embracing diversity: Developing culturally competent and holistic health promotion with East and Southeast Asian immigrant/refugee women -- dispels the commonly held assumptions about East and Southeast Asian cultures, gender roles, and health beliefs;
Prof. Janet M. Lum, Ryerson, Prof. Joseph H. Springer, Ryerson and A. Paul Williams, Nonprofit Community Service Agencies and the Well Being of Asian Women -- the critical role of Community Service Agencies in providing health and community support services to elderly, immigrant, low income, Asian women with limited English language skills based on a survey of 572 Chinese residents living in social housing;
Rekha Lakra and Tony Wong, Dynamics of Organ and Tissue Donation among Asian-Canadian Women -- Chinese-Canadian and Indian-Canadian conceptions around the meaning of the body and end of life rituals as derived from religion, and ethno-cultural beliefs.
Conference registration takes place in York's Vanier College, Lecture Hall "L", 4700 Keele St.
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For more information, including the full conference itinerary, please contact:
| Annis Karpenko | Ken Turriff |
| Centre for Feminist Research | Media Relations |
| York University | York University |
| 416-736-5915/cell: 416-697-4223 | 416-736-2100, ext. 22086 |
| cfr@yorku.ca | kturriff@yorku.ca |
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