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.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is de ned as violence that incorporates physical, sexual, or emotional harm by any partner against women (Salzman, Fanslow, McMahon, & Shelley, 2002). is de nition was developed by an expert panel convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1996 to formulate a uniform de nition and recommend data elements for gathering public health data on IPV, and is widely used in IPV research today.
Involvement in the criminal justice system carries stigma for women. This can be compounded by other factors, including race, sexuality, immigration status, and other intersecting systems of oppression. The stigma of criminalization impacts a woman’s help-seeking intentions and access to services such as housing, health care, employment, and services for survivors of gender-based violence.
This report is part of the Reducing Stigma project, which is led by Elizabeth Fry Toronto and WomanACT and is looking into the experiences of racialized trauma survivors with experience of criminalization. The research was designed and conducted in collaboration with Community based Researchers with lived experience of criminalization. The project aims to improve women’s access to and experience in services, through research, education, and policy reform.