Nigerian mother of four alleges discrimination in Canada

 

A Nigerian mother of four has alleged that she is being discriminated against in Canada because she has children.

The lady, Obianuju Okwuogu, is an international student trying to move to Moncton.

Okwuogu has been looking for an apartment in Moncton for her family since April so she can attend Crandall University in person. However, she disclosed to CBC News that when she’s asked how many people would stay in the apartment, and says she has four daughters between two and nine, she gets turned away.

The Nigerian woman had reportedly started online classes at Crandall University in January. Thereafter, she moved to Canada from Nigeria with two of her four children and has been staying with her sister in Edmonton; while she looks for a place in Moncton. Her husband is still in Nigeria with their other two daughters.

She has been searching for an apartment in Moncton with little success. Okwuogu says she she has been turned down by about 20 different landlords. She insists that the rejection is because of the number of kids she has.

Further, she told CBC News that one landlord told her it would be easier if she only had two children, and they needed to be older.

“She thought she was being helpful, but it was pretty offensive. I felt like I was being rejected.’’

Another landlord said her children would disrupt the neighbours and referred her to an apartment too small to fit the six family members.

“I started realizing at that point it wasn’t about the space. It wasn’t about the size. It was just because they were children and they were young…They thought they would be an inconvenience to the neighbours. “

Meanwhile, the Nigerian lady says she had also looked at duplexes in Moncton. One landlord worried about her paying rent because she was a student; adding that Okwuogu woud have to pay six months’ rent up front.

However, when she told the landlord about her four children, she was rejected.

“I was heartbroken. I felt like I was being rejected because I had children. Also, I felt like I was being told that my child was an inconvenience. I feel like I’m being told I should not have had my children, and that’s really depressing.”

She said it’s also a violation of human rights; adding that government officials in Canada need to do more to prevent this from happening.

When contacted by CBC News, Claire Roussel-Sullivan, chair of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, said housing is a human right under the New Brunswick Human Rights Act.

This means landlords are prohibited from discriminating against people who have children.

“Every person has a right to enjoy safe, secure housing and to live in a community with dignity, inclusion and self-respect.”