Twenty years after Ontario's Pay Equity Act was passed, Ontario women continued to suffer systemtic gender-based discrimination in pay. In this repot, the Equal Pay Coalition calls upon the Ontario government working with employers and trade untions to take both immediate policy shifts and to institute gender mainstreaming measures to close the gender pay gap. The report also highlights many different considerations which should be taken into account in building a culture of non-discrrimantory pay including: recognizing the equality role of government; need for planned, integrated and mutli-faceted approach; ensuring a pro-active, prevenatative and results-based approach; taking measures to build into public policy measures to close the pay gap; instituting the mapping and making visible women's diverse work and its pay inequalities; developing pay equality mechanisms for precarious work; and ensuring effective mechanisms. Includes statistics and analysis of the gender wage gap and gender-based pay discrimination.
This thematic report addresses the topic of gender-related killings of women. Gender-related killings are the extreme manifestation of existing forms of violence against women and are not isolated incidents that arise suddently. Women subjected to continuous violence and living under conditions of gender-based discrimination and threat are always under threat. Different manifestations of gender-related killings are rising and impunity remains the norm. States must act with due diligence in the promotion and prtection of women's rights.
Fifteen years after the creation of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the report reviews 15 years of work on the VAW mandate given to it as the mechanism for implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The report covers the tools developed to faciliate compliance with CEDAW, conceptual advances made by the mandate in relation to the human rights of women, and looks at challenges and potential for on-going work.
This interview-based study looks at the factors associated with shelter residence in women with recent histories of intimate partner violence (IPV). The study analyzes what factors affect whether or not women go to a shelter. Overall, it was found that ethinicity, income, housing stability, and mental health were significant factors affecting which women went to shelters. Trauma symptoms, housing instability, and ethnicity best predicted shelter residence.
This article was published in Violence Against Women 19(4), pp. 518-535 and is reproduced here with permission.
Authors: Maria M. Galano, Erin C. Hunter, Kathryn H. Howell, Laura E. Miller, and Sandra A. Graham-Bermann
The provincial government announced increases to Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates in the 2017 Ontario Budget. Increases will appear on OW and ODSP cheques received at the end of September. See page 2 for more information.
The table below shows current and new Basic Needs and Maximum Shelter amounts for different family types. It also shows maximum Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) amounts. The OCB was increased by the rate of inflation in July 2017 and is an important part of the total incomes of people on OW and ODSP who have children.Â
Transforming Our Communities
This was an exceptional opportunity for people working in the area of domestic violence to come together and share different perspectives. The years of experience and level of expertise made the conversations rich with understanding and knowledge.
We have benefited from this dialogue and believe that the women and children of Ontario will benefit from the implementation of the recommendations in this report.
We have come to understand that supporting a dialogue amongst sectors can produce better public policy. We strongly encourage the Government of Ontario to continue to provide opportunities for people dedicated to ending violence against women to come together to support public policy in this area.
Clare Freeman
Chair, Domestic Violence Advisory Council
Student achievement from kindergarten to Grade 12 is the top priority in education. The overall skill and knowledge level of Ontario's students must continue to rise to remain competitive in a global economy. At the same time, the achievement gap must continue to be closed between students who excel and students who struggle because of personal, cultural or academic barriers.
Preventing sexual violence
Everyone in Ontario has a role to play in ending sexual violence. The government is investing in public education to raise awareness and understanding of sexual violence, and change the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate it. Our campaigns are encouraging all members of the community to play an active part in preventing sexual violence from occurring in the first place.
The government is also supporting a number of focused initiatives to respond to the unique needs of women across Ontario, including women in the North, young women on campus, and older women.
This guide has been developed by the Ontario Women's Directorate in collaboration with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, with input from subject matter experts and representatives of the following provincial organizations: Colleges Ontario, Council of Ontario Universities, the Ontario Association of College and University Security Administrators, Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario, the College Student Alliance, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes, Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres, George Brown College Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor/Advocate Program, METRAC (the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children), and Springtide Resources.
Introduction
Many Ontarians are not aware of the alarming statistics surrounding sexual violence and its prevalence in the lives of far too many women. Women represent over 93 per cent of all sexual assault victims, and female college and university students are particularly vulnerable. North American research suggests that anywhere from 15 to 25 per cent of college and university-aged women will experience some form of sexual assault during their academic career.