isolation – SAWNTV

Why isolation is deadly for South Asians Why isolation is deadly for South Asian? Although we are surrounded by friends and family, yet if you cannot reveal your true self, it is equivalent to living in isolation. On the outside you seem like you are sharing, but it is conforming to the norms of expectations. Being appropriate, being accepted, being liked and being loved are needs that rob us of being authentic, true and genuine to ourselves. Family honour, privacy, shut up and put up mentality is ramped in South Asian communities. You don't air your dirty laundry in-front of others due to fear of shame, labelling and stigma. As much as their is a place for living in harmonious conditions with others, there is a need for being your authentic self. "Countless people in our world are made invisible and powerless through the silence enforced upon them. The elderly, the oppressed, homosexuals, women, children, and dissidents are cost into the shadows of life through the gagging of their voice. In a military prison lives a man sentenced to solitary confinement for murdering a prison guard. Enforced upon him is the order for "no human contact." For years he hasn't heard the voice of another human being, he hasn't spoken, hasn't been touched. In truth he is a walking dead man. Silence, misused, is a weapon of isolation and a form of torture. The abandoned heart is disenfranchised from life and love." -Written by Chrisina Feldman in her book Silence. Why isolation is deadly for South Asians “Violence and abuse in South Asian families are rooted in complex family dynamics and broader systemic barriers,” she said. “These dynamics differ from the dominant mainstream culture and, therefore, demand different kinds of interventions and approaches. Newcomer victims of partner abuse remain mute because they lack knowledge of our health, social service and judicial systems. Religion and culture are often used to justify and excuse violence and keep women oppressed within South Asian communities. In South Asian families, victims want the violence to stop, but not if it means their family will be torn apart. There are a number of institutional and systemic challenges that contribute to the continuance of violence in South Asian homes.” Social Services Network executive director, Dr. Naila Butt