Better service coordination needed to help torture survivors, study finds

More work must be done to better coordinate Windsor's services to help female refugees who have survived political torture in their home countries, according to a researcher in social work.

That was the message student Theresa Hughes—also an employee at the Sexual Assault Crisis Centre of Windsor and Essex County—delivered to community service agencies who attended a research dissemination event held Tuesday at the Toldo Health Centre.

Under the direction of assistant professor Sung Hyun Yun, Hughes interviewed hundreds of refugee women to better understand their needs as they struggle to adapt to life in their new country. Tuesday's event was held to share the findings of her two-year study with community service agencies so they can better serve those women.

Hughes said services exist, but there should be more coordination and communication among agencies. To read an article about the project in Wednesday's Windsor Star, click here.

Social work professor Sung Hyun Yun listens as Theresa Hughes shares the findings of her study into the needs of refugee women who have survived poilitical torture in their home countries.

Excerpt from the Dailynews-March 31, 2010