The introduction of Bill S-7, the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, in 2015 garnered major critical attention across Canada. Amid an already tense climate of anti-immigrant sentiment in the post-9/11 era, the title chosen for the bill by the Conservative-led government catalyzed xenophobia, perpetuated the “us versus them” rhetoric, and culturalized violence. While originally touted as an opportunity to enhance protection for girls and women against the “foreign” horrors of polygamy, early and forced marriage, and “honour”-based killings, Bill S-7 instead fanned the flames of xenophobia on a mass level, failed to protect women, and, in fact, created higher risk of harms for women who are victims of gender- or family-based violence. In this commentary, we provide an overview of Bill S-7, the amendments to legislation made as a result of its passing, and some of its many problematic elements. We address the barriers to disclosing violence in racialized communities and subsequently provide suggestions on how to effectively address gender- and family-based violence in Canada in an effort to support survivors and prevent further harm.

中文翻译：

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“野蛮”文化习俗：暴力文化化和加拿大未能保护妇女

2015 年，《野蛮文化习俗零容忍法案》S-7 法案的出台在加拿大引起了广泛的关注。在后 9/11 时代反移民情绪已经紧张的气氛中，保守党领导的政府为该法案选择的标题助长了仇外心理，延续了“我们与他们”的言论，并使暴力文化化。虽然最初被吹捧为加强保护女孩和妇女免受一夫多妻制、早婚和强迫婚姻以及基于“名誉”的杀戮的“外国”恐怖的机会，但比尔 S-7 反而在大规模层面煽动仇外心理，未能保护妇女，事实上，对遭受基于性别或家庭暴力的妇女造成了更高的伤害风险。在本评论中，我们概述了法案 S-7，由于其通过而对立法进行的修正，以及其中一些有问题的元素。我们解决了在种族化社区中披露暴力的障碍，并随后就如何有效解决加拿大基于性别和家庭的暴力提供了建议，以支持幸存者并防止进一步的伤害。