Check for updates Original Article "It Was Like Sugar-Coated Words": Revictimization When South Asian Immigrant Women Disclose Domestic Violence Wendy Aujla' Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work 1-22 @ The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0886109920916038 journals.sagepub.com/home/aff SSAGE Abstract This qualitative study explores South Asian immigrant women's experiences of domestic violence, their views on help-seeking, and access to informal or formal sources of supports. Drawing from grounded theory approaches, this article focuses on one major theme, revictimization, which provides insights into the mistreatment and experiences of seven women who encountered chal- lenges when disclosing abuse. Through an intersectional lens, this article examines how participants were revictimized and mistreated by people within and outside their own community including service providers who they trusted. Implications to reduce levels of mistrust for community members and service providers working with this specific population in Canada are discussed. Keywords disclosure, domestic violence, help-seeking, revictimization, South Asian immigrant women In recent years, research on domestic violence (DV) 1 has begun to capture the unique experiences of immigrant women in Canada, including South Asian (SA) women seeking help (Ahmad et al., 2009; Ahmad et al., 2004; Alaggia et al., 2009; Guruge, 2010; Shirwadkar, 2004). Yet little is written from the perspective of SA immigrant women with lived experiences of DV. Indeed, literature on SA women's experiences of DV "is largely invisible, especially within Canada" (Chokshi et al., 2010, p. 155). Studies in Canada likewise remain limited to larger metropolitan cities such as the Greater Toronto Area and the Greater Vancouver region, even while many new immigrants have established themselves in the prairie provinces (Statistics Canada, 2017; see also Ahmad et al., 2009; George & Rashidi, 2014a, 2014b; Okeke-Ihejirika et al., 2018; Thandi, 2011). This research contributes to scholarship on DV by examining the multiple interrelated challenges faced by seven SA immigrant women in Edmonton, AB, when reaching out for support. In line with previous studies, I apply the theoretical lens of intersectionality to analyze the interlocking systems of oppression from the community, professional agencies, and the dominant society, which I argue ' Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Corresponding Author: Wendy Aujla, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, 5-21 HM Tory Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H4. Email: waujla@ualberta.ca
2 Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work XX(X) work to revictimize SA women (see also Sokoloff, 2008; Sokoloff & Dupont, 2005). The term revictimization means to victimize again instead of preventing further harm. Shankar et al. (2013) use the term double victimization to classify experiences in which SA women first encounter abuse from their spouse/family and then from mainstream service providers. I expand this concept, using the term revictimization to indicate secondary victimization from professionals within SA or main- stream organizations who share the same ethnic or religious identities as the SA women seeking support. Importantly, this study distinguishes between informal and formal supports for DV (Ahmad et al., 2009; Barrett & St. Pierre, 2011; Guruge & Humphreys, 2009; Menjivar &