About two years our little community welcomed a new family to Canada. A documentary by SBS Dateline called “Canada’s Open House” documented the Rafia’s from Chipman, New Brunswick as well as another family placed in Nova Scotia. This documentary can been seen on youtube.
To say this was an ill conceived plan on the part of the Govt of Canada Immigration and the church sponsors, appears to be an understatement at this point. There are approximately 1200 people living in Chipman. There are no buses or taxis. The nearest town is one hour away. There is no halal food, no jobs, in fact no services at all to accommodate the everyday needs of the Rafia family.
The documentary shows an increasingly frustrated Mr Rafia struggling to fit in. Mrs. Rafia talked about not wanting to be around her husband all the time. The sponsor hinted she knew more than she wanted to about the family dynamics. Mr. Rafia hated our little community, calling it guantanamo bay.
The Rafia family relocated to Fredericton, New Brunswick a few months ago. Fredericton is home to around 60,000 people. All the services the family needed can be found there. There are other refugee families living there as well. The Rafia family was no longer isolated.
Happy ending? Not so much. Shortly after moving to Fredericton, Mr. Rafia beat his wife for over half an hour with a hockey stick. She was admitted to hospital. The whole family including Mrs. Rafia insisted she had fallen in the bath tub. The hospital called the police. Mr. Rafia was charged with assault and uttering threats. Apparently he said he'd kill her if she talked about leaving him again.
Mohammed Rafia received a sentence of time served (eight days in jail) and one year of probation. What happened to Raghda? She was released from hospital right back into the loving arms of her abusive husband. Rafia told the judge he didn't know beating his wife was illegal in Canada. No one told him. Yes that was his defence. The court heard that he hit his wife all the time.
Canadian law is based on precedent law. That means everyone receives relatively the same punishment for similar crimes. A quick google search comes up with a three year sentence for beating someone with a pool cue. Any other victim would have been taken to a battered women's shelter and the kids placed in care. The wife beater would have been issued a restraining order stating he was not to go near his wife.
Make no mistake here. Rafia will probably end up killing his wife. That's what happens with spousal abuse. The abuser just gets more and more emboldened with every beating. Did Raghna come to Canada hoping things would be different for her here? Was she dreaming about a better life where she would feel safe and be treated with respect?
I'm so sorry, Raghna. Canada has failed you badly. No one can help you. We are not allowed to talk about this. It's hate speech. Your brutal beating has been swept under the rug of political correctness. Don't mention it again eh!
Happy Canada Day everyone!
Resteemed
I have also resteemed your post so that my few followers might see it also.
Awesome!
Resteemed.
Thanks @blakadder. This subject affects women around the world (and some men also). I think there is an info overload situation. I think most people go directly to whatever tags they are interested in like cats, food, etc. So who is going to go directly to the violence tag, or the freedom or justice tags every day to check for new content? Probably no one. My next post is going to be on fermented garlic scrapes posted under food. I'm pretty sure everyone on Steemit eats food so I'll see how that goes LOL!
Interesting
When I upvote you it does not give you any credit...
I have an opinion also which I would like to share.
This story is a very common story, this time it has real peoples names attached to it but it happens all the time.
The Real Problem
I am a Christian so I am a humanitarian. It does not matter where they come from or what they believe, we have a duty to help them if they are genuine refugees fleeing from genuine persecution (I am not talking about economic refugees - that is whole different topic).
BUT we are FAILING the refugees
We think that taking refugees and putting them straight into the community is the best thing for them, when really it is not. No, refugee camps is not the answer either.
We need a better transitioning method to help them integrate into our society. In Australia we have had refugees touching girls in the sea at the beach! and many other more serious cases.
We must understand that these people have come from a completely different culture and they need help to integrate.
I am working on blog for a better solution to handling refugees, giving them dignity and respect but with a methodology to help them integrate and to be better residents in their host countries.
Just because someone was allowed to beat his wife in his originating country does not allow him to do it here. We respect culture but our laws must override any cultural inheritance that a refugee may have brought with him or her.
I appreciate your efforts to highlight this news and hope and pray this woman will not become another statistic.
The Rafia family should have been placed in a larger city where they could get the support they needed. There was absolutely nothing for the family in the little community of Chipman. How many more people were placed in communities with zero resources! I guess we'll never know until the next disaster.. I met Raghna once. I hope so too. Just thinks about her injuries brings tears to my eyes all over again.
I feel your pain.
There is no responsibility taken for the government actions... these days budgets are always being cut and human lives have no value in a budget or on a balance sheet... very sad... the notion of our governments are specious (superficially plausible, but actually wrong)!
Totally agree!
This is an absolute abominable disgrace and those are just mild words for the revulsion that wells up in my stomach and heart when I read stories like this. Political correctness be damned!!!
I have for a long time felt that political correctness was just an excuse those in power used to stifle our ability to question what is right and what is unquestioningly wrong. They wield it like a weapon. And to use it to excuse the beating, hospitalisation and potential death of any individual is abhorrent and vile!!! Raghna and all those who are beaten to a pulp to the point where they are either put in hospital or killed deserve so so so much more on a base level. They are being failed.
My feelings are a mix between disgust and utter sadness and it would be easy to sit here and say DAMN YOU CANADA!!! But the facts are that there are almost no western countries now where those like Raghna are defended. All we do is defend the monsters who commit these acts in the guise of political correctness for fear of being branded as Racist or Bigots etc. But this itself has inherent flaws in that we are now culpable of these acts as if we were committing them ourselves (those who create the laws and rules).
I could go on and on with my feelings on this matter because I have known too many people who have been abused by their spouse or partner and for the abuser to get off relatively scott free. No-one should have the right to destroy someones physical, emotional or mental wellbeing - NO-ONE!!!!!
I would also like to add for the record that I don't feel you have reported or posted anything wrong (unless there are any factual inaccuracies). However beyond that these atrocities must been revealed to the blinding light of day so that all those who do not realise that this goes on are awakened. We all need to fight this fight together!! We need to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and are powerless.
@leopotato you are incredible for getting this story out to the world no matter who stifles your voice. You have found another voice who will not be silenced!
Much love to you and all who read this.
Thanks @alioops
Thanks @johncarteroz for your support not just for me but for all the battered women around the world!