THE ZUBIN FOUNDATION Improves the lives of Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities by reducing suffering and providing opportunities
CASE STUDIES ON SUPPORTING ETHNIC MINORITIES WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS #3 SARIKA: MARITAL CONFLICTS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BACKGROUND Sarika is 32 years old married women from India, living in HK with her husband and 2 sons (8 and 4 years) for more than 5 years. She is an art graduate and used to work as a salesperson before her marriage. She likes to paint and make sketches, but she has stopped as she is fully occupied with housework and taking care of her kids. Sarika does not have a good relationship with her husband. The marriage took a turn when she found out her husband was involved with an extramarital affair a few years back. Though he ended the affair, the relationship between them was never the same . Her husband is dominating, short-tempered, and does not take any responsibility at home. He views his only role as solely to earn money. He spends most of his time either at work or with friends. Her in-laws are in India she has no communication with them as they partook in a ‘love marriage’, it was not approved by his parents . Her in-laws are also financially dependent on her husband which Sarika is not happy about. On occasions Sarika brings up household and financial issues to her husband, it has turns into fights and, on many occasions, Sarika heas been physically attacked by her husband. Sarika has never officially complained about DV but the police were involved on one occasion, and for now he has stopped with the physical violence. Sarika’s parents are in India. Sarika prefers not to talk to them about her issues as they are old and sick. Her husband lost his job during the Pandemic and was only able to get another one with a very low salary; the financial burden has worsened the overall situation at home. Her financial problems have increased the conflicts at home. She has started feeling very sad throughout the day and often has crying spells. Not being able to share things with others has left her feeling trapped. At times she wants to separate from her husband, but she is afraid that she is not equipped to handle the kids alone and she does not have much support from anyone. She is also on a dependent visa sponsored by her husband, so she believes she cannot separate from him in HK. She has sleepless nights and has lost weight over the last 6 months. She keeps on worrying about the situation and has panic attacks, especially after the fights at home. She called the police after one such fight at home, as she thought her husband was on the verge of hitting her again. Police did not take any action as there was no DV but referred Sarika to a Social worker at the family center. ISSUES FACED BY THE CLIENT • Marital discord • Domestic violence in the past and can happen again • Financial worries • Issues with the extended family- not being favored by them, financially dependence from them • Lack of support from parents/others • Parents- sickness • Mental health symptoms How to help • Clarifying on safety procedure- how to seek help in terms of DV • Emotional awareness and emotional management • Healthy routine and encouraging self-care, hobbies, taking some time out and for self, exercise, involvement in the community • Diagnosing unhelpful thought patterns • Exploring various options for her marital relationship, clarifying what she wants to do and can do • Acceptance of the situations that she cannot change, but still focusing on the things that she can change (such as safety/ self care/ hobbies etc) • Exploring support network – other relatives/in-laws/friends The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited, known as The Zubin Foundation (registered charity in Hong Kong - IR 91/12344). 小彬紀念基金會 (香港註冊慈善機構 IR 91/12344) 。 Unit 5F, High Fashion Centre, No. 1 Kwai Hei Street, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong 香港葵涌葵喜街 1 號達利國際中心 5 樓 F 室。 Tel 電話: +852 2540 9588 E-mail 電郵: info@zubinfoundation.org Website 網址: www.zubinfoundation.org © 2023 The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited (registered charity in Hong Kong - IR 91/12344). All rights reserved.