The Tamil community of Canada is the largest to be found outside of Sri Lanka, with the vast majority residing in the Greater Toronto area (Mason et al., 2008). Within Toronto, there are many social service and advocacy groups, as well as organizations for social and community support, which serve the needs of the Tamil community.
Mental health
While 94% of Canada’s Tamil population reports that their spoken English is fair to excellent (Beiser et al., 2003), there is still a significant degree of isolation of the Tamil community from the community at large, especially among seniors (Sadavoy et al., 2004). Moreover, having moved from Sri Lanka and been witness to atrocities and traumatic events, many Tamil people suffer from mental illness. This is further augmented by the anxiety and depression caused by the political turmoil currently occurring in Sri Lanka (Mason et al., 2008).
For members of the Tamil community, there are barriers to accessing adequate mental health services; individuals often have a limited understanding of the workings of the health care system, mental health workers are inadequately trained to respond to the mental disorders of this population, and there is a severe shortage of interpreter services (Sadavoy et al., 2004). Often, members of this community rely on social services specific to the community, which are not actually meant to deliver formal mental health care (Sadavoy et al, 2004).
Education of the community and of mental health professionals is necessary to reduce stigma and to better understand the mental health issues and services available to this community.
Cervical cancer screening
In Tamil culture, preventative medicine does not have a prominent place, and sexuality is a sensitive, largely overlooked topic (Gupta et al., 2002). These factors, in conjunction with language barriers, prevent many Tamil women from undergoing regular cervical cancer screening (Gupta et al., 2002).
Although rates of cervical cancer have not been shown to be higher among Tamil women than among the population at large, screening is still important to reduce cancer risks (Gupta et al., 2002). Of Tamil women surveyed, only 75% had ever had a Pap test. Furthermore, only 21% were aware that a Pap test was a vaginal examination screening for cancer, highlighting the lack of awareness in this population (Gupta et al., 2002).
There was not a strong correlation between prevalence of Pap testing and length of residence in Canada, underlining the extent to which Tamil cultural beliefs are engrained and continue to influence the choices that individuals make (Gupta et al., 2002). This demonstrates that education of Tamil women regarding the importance of cervical cancer screening is imperative to reduce the risk of this cancer in the Tamil population.
Violence
A Canadian study on intimate partner violence found high levels of “wife abuse” among Toronto’s Tamil community (Mason et al., 2008). In addition to physical abuse, verbal, emotional, and financial abuse were frequently reported (Mason et al., 2008).
Tamil family structures are largely patriarchal and have clearly defined and firm gender roles, leading to fear among women and high levels of secrecy regarding violence. Also, the great stigma associated with divorce in this community leads many women to endure abuse silently in order to maintain the honour of her family (Mason et al., 2008).
Community action, including education of the public and of counselors serving the Tamil community, is underway to effectively prevent and respond to instances of abuse in this community (Mason et al., 2008).
References:
Beiser, M., Simich, L. & Pandalangat, N. (2003). Community in Distress: Mental Health Needs and Help-seeking in the Tamil Community in Toronto. International Migration, 41, (5), 233-245.
Gupta, A., Kumar, A. & Stewart, D.E. (2002). Cervical cancer screening among South Asian women in Canada: the role of education and acculturation. Health Care for Women International, 23, (2), 123-134.
Mason, R., Hyman, I., Berman, H., Guruge, S., Kanagaratnam, P. & Manuel, L. (2008). “Violence is an international language”: Tamil women’s perceptions of intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 14, (12), 1397-1412.
Sadavoy, J., Meier, R. & Ong A.Y. (2004). Barriers to access to mental health services for ethnic seniors: the Toronto study. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, (3), 192-199.
