No one should ever have to fear going to work every day. No one should have to worry about violence, humiliation, the threat of robbery, or arrest. And yet this is what sex workers in Canada must deal with, despite Canada's prostitution law that claims to help them by criminalizing only their clients, and assuming that sex workers are all victims.
To recognize and advance the human rights of sex workers, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada supports the full decriminalization of consensual adult sex work.1 Our position is based on the best evidence available2 and respect for the autonomy and dignity of sex workers.
In addition, we believe that the right to do sex work legally (and as safely as possible) has parallels with the right to legal and safe abortion. Both issues directly involve the rights to life, liberty, security of the person, equality, privacy, and conscience, and in the case of sex work, the right to free expression and association as well. Like abortion, doing sex work is also a matter of choice in most cases, even if it's a constrained or unhappy choice for many. But when abortion or sex work is criminalized, those affected have even less choice and control – for example, they can be more easily exploited or harmed by unaccountable third parties, putting their lives and health at risk. Just like women who have abortions, sex workers face stigma and judgment and are often shamed and silenced, especially women and transgender workers.
What is verbal abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
What is emotional abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
What is sexual abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
What is financial abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
For more cards in more languages please see this link: http://www.immigrantandrefugeenff.ca/safe-and-loved-at-home-cards
What is physical abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
For more cards in more languages please see this link: http://www.immigrantandrefugeenff.ca/safe-and-loved-at-home-cards
What is controlling behaviour? What is abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
For more cards in more languages please see this link: http://www.immigrantandrefugeenff.ca/safe-and-loved-at-home-cards
What is stalking? What is abuse? How will I know if my friend or family member is living with abuse?
Please note, images in this series were designed to be printed as information brochures and some images are upside down.
For more cards in more languages please see this link: http://www.immigrantandrefugeenff.ca/safe-and-loved-at-home-cards
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The need for a response to violence against  Non-Status, Refugee and Immigrant Women (NSRIW) is timely as representation from these communities continues to grow in almost every village, town and city in Canada. This resource manual recognizes that principles, practices and tools that reflect the diversity of communities can lead to better practices when working with NSRIW who experience violence in their intimate relationships. The women-centred approach comes from a desire to end oppression against women at a personal and societal level. Insufficient operating funding, limited and/or non-specialized training for community workers, lack of resources for organizational development, a strong local focus and lack of connections between agencies are some of the obstacles facing community organizations working with NSRIW.
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Abstract: This article discusses the theoretical and analytical intersectionality approach, focusing on its application to an analysis of empirical data obtained from qualitative research into domestic violence against Aboriginal women living in four remote communities in Quebec. Nonprobability sampling was used to select and recruit 40 participants. Four focus groups took place, one in each of the participating communities. The qualitative data were subjected to a thematic content analysis emphasizing the feminist intersectionality perspective. The findings revealed the existence of different domination systems, as well as oppressive actions that interlock and interact at multiple and shifting levels, all of which shape and contribute to the reproduction of domestic violence among women living in remote Aboriginal communities. The intersectionality approach highlighted the important role played not only by race, gender, and social class, but also by the historical context and the degree of geographic isolation in the domestic violence experienced by Aboriginal women living in remote communities. All these social systems increase the vulnerability of Aboriginal women to domestic violence. This paper is one of the few scholarly attempts made so far to apply intersectional analysis to empirical data on the phenomenon of domestic violence as experienced by Aboriginal women.