Domestic violence and sexual assault programs are increasingly using social networks, such as Facebook. There are many benefits to joining a social network: networking with peers, reaching out to potential funders and allies, and raising awareness. However, there are legitimate concerns about safety risks and confidentiality. What to Post Remember that nothing online is completely private and even social network pages that are set to "private" may still be accessible by others. So think about what you share online, how it represents your organization, and who can potentially see it. Be careful about posting information about your colleagues; whether it's a link, a video, or a picture, get their consent before you post it. Never share personal information about survivors without a written release.
Elder abuse is a global health problem (Sherman, Rosenblatt & Antonucci, 2008). Despite the United Nations (UN) call in 1991 for dignity for all aging populations, elder abuse, "one of the most perplexing crimes of our times" continues (Sev'er, 2009, p. 279). Given that older people are the fastest growing subgroup of people worldwide, and the number of people over 60 years of age is expected to almost triple within the next few decades from 672 million in 2005 to nearly 1.9 billion by 2050 (UN, 2004), the rates of elder abuse are likely to increase.
This Manual identifies best practice issues and provides practical guidelines for Stopping The Violence Counselling, for both clinical and administrative practices. It is the hope of the B.C. Association of Specialized Victim Assistance and Counselling Programs (BCASVACP) and the authors that this Manual can support STV counsellors by identifying practices that can be applied consistently province wide, despite the wide variety in programs. The Manual is not comprehensive, nor is it a policies and procedures manual, although policy issues are addressed. Group work is one important part of STV counselling that is not addressed, although a list of group work resources is included in Section 8.1.
Who is This Handbook For?
This handbook has been developed to assist anti-violence workers to provide information and emotional and practical support to survivors of sexual assault. It will be of use to community-based victim service workers, sexual assault support workers, Stopping the Violence Counsellors, outreach workers, multicultural outreach workers, Band workers, immigrant and settlement workers, medical personnel, social workers, advocates, police-based victim service workers, and anyone a survivor may go to for help. For the sake of simplicity, we will largely use the terms "antiviolence worker" and "support worker" throughout this manual.
As victims' advocates, we are committed to the goals of eliminating sexual and intimate partner violence and increasing safety for women and children. Today Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould continues to show her commitment to these goals, too. The Minister introduced Bill C-78, which comes on the heels of bold reforms which were introduced last month in C-75. These bills make concrete improvements to the family law and criminal justice systems.
Introduction
The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) works toward the prevention and eradication of sexual assault. OCRCC's membership includes community-based sexual assault centres from across of Ontario, offering counselling, information and support services to survivors of sexual violence.
The use of technology for communication, maintaining social connections, and day to day organization is a reality for young, adult, and older women today. In recent years, technological tools like text-messaging, Skype, online correspondence and social media have overtaken traditional tools (i.e. voice calling, mail) in both popular usage and accessibility. Anecdotally, we know that some of these technologies have greatly increased access to health, language interpretation, or mental health supports in under-serviced regions of Ontario by creating remote or virtual service access in Northern, rural and isolated regions. In response, many social service agencies are utilizing e-counselling, texting and other technologies in their frontline work to connect with and check-in with support-seekers.
1. Si l'industrie du sexe est décriminalisée, existera-t-il des lois visant à lutter contre le préjudice et l'exploitation?
OUI. Les lois qui ciblent directement ces préjudices seront maintenues, y compris celles qui interdisent les agressions physiques et sexuelles, les menaces, le harcèlement, le meurtre, l'extorsion, la traite de personnes et l'exploitation des enfants.
1. If sex work is decriminalized, will be there be laws in place that target harm and exploitation?
Yes. Laws that directly target these harms will remain in place including those that prohibit physical assault, sexual assault, threatening, harassment, murder, extortion, human tra cking, and child exploitation.