Submission ID 118519
| Issue/Objective | Child separation due to homelessness remains an underexplored and deeply stigmatized issue, especially among women who experience compounding vulnerabilities. This study aims to illuminate the lived realities of mothers who have been separated from their children while navigating homelessness in two distinct socio-economic contexts: London, Ontario, Canada (a high-income setting), and Lagos, Nigeria (a low-to-middle-income setting). Grounded in critical theory, feminist theory, and intersectionality, the research investigates how systemic inequalities-such as poverty, gender-based violence, and institutional bias-shape maternal experiences and influence family disruption. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Employing a critical narrative inquiry approach, the study centers the voices and agency of women with lived experience, positioning their stories as vital knowledge in understanding the broader social and institutional mechanisms of child separation. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted between 2023 and 2024 in partnership with community-based organizations in both cities. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. |
| Results | Preliminary findings reveal shared themes of systemic neglect, emotional trauma, and social invisibility, alongside distinct regional differences in policy response, social support, and cultural narratives around motherhood. In Canada, participants described bureaucratic child welfare interventions and housing insecurity as key drivers of separation. In Nigeria, factors such as informal housing conditions, gender norms, and extended family dynamics played a central role. Across both contexts, participants expressed a profound sense of loss, alongside resilience and a desire for reunification and reform. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | This research challenges dominant narratives that individualize maternal failure, instead highlighting structural and institutional forces contributing to child separation. Implications include the need for trauma-informed, culturally responsive policy interventions and cross-national learning to inform inclusive housing and family reunification strategies. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Olayinka Ariba Western University Abe Oudshoorn Western University Cheryl Forchuk Western University Nadine Wathen Western University |
