Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

Currently there is a large gap in available data for Peel Region regarding sexual assault in general; in particular sexual assault in immigrant and visible minority women. This gap extends to the provincial, national and international levels. However, anecdotal evidence from service providers within the region of Peel indicates that there may be work that can be done to improve primary health care services, and access to primary health care services for immigrant and visible minority women survivors of sexual assault. Through the informal café scientifique format we aim to gather some informal data about the experiences of immigrant and visible minority women survivors of sexual assault in accessing primary health care services. This informal data will be used to contribute to our initiative in identifying existing gaps in primary health care services in response to the needs of immigrant and visible minority women survivors of sexual assault in the region of Peel. Given the historic experiences of the PCSA, and the continued commitment and dedication to improving services and programs, impacting policy development and change, and influencing research around sexual assault and the impacts on health, the PCSA is embarking on this initiative as the first step in developing a full research agenda on the experiences of immigrant and visible minority women survivors of sexual assault in accessing primary health care services.