In this episode of Civic Issues, volunteer host Ganiyat Saruma interviews three of the professionals who work at Healthy Muslim Families about the issues around family law that newcomers, refugees and immigrants face.

First up is the executive director at Healthy Muslim Families, Humaira Jaleel, who explains that many women were approaching them and asking questions about challenges in their marriages, which inspired the clinics.

“Some of them were looking for advice and information on divorce processes, custody challenges, and those kinds of things, and obviously, we did not have that knowledge, so we could only provide services up to a certain level. We understood that this was a need in the community. So that is why we established this family clinic, which helped us provide legal services. The family law clinics have been happening since February, and we do them every week on Thursday evening so people can get appointments and come and get free advice from a lawyer.”          

The primary goal of the clinics is to empower individuals to understand their rights and responsibilities within the Canadian legal framework. She explained that 'there is a lot of misconceptions' about going to lawyers and their aim is to "reduce barriers." People at the Healthy Muslim Families organization speak three languages common to Muslim immigrants and are sensitive to their issues, for example, the desire to have a Muslim divorce, which can be facilitated after a legal divorce in Canadian courts. She explained that mediation is also an option many want that she can provide.

Jaleel said these clinics are open to everyone, not just the Mulsim community. 

“When people come here, they are just thinking about what are my options? As immigrants, we know that anything that happens is tied to our immigration status, so sometimes people have just come here a couple of years ago. They were sponsored by their spouse, and then they want to know if they divorce -  does that mean their permanent residency will be cancelled, or will they have to go back? Obviously, that’s not true, but because people who are arriving in Canada are not familiar with the laws, there are a lot of misconceptions out there, so the first thing that we do is give them reasonable information.”

Samura also interviewed  two others from the organization - Omar Fahmaril, co-ordinator for the legal clinic, and another lawyer, Chau Tran, who not only specializes in family law but also can advise on fertility issues, adoption and wills and estates.