On November 25, 2004, OAITH wrote an Open Letter to Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, to raise issues about women's experiences of violenece in recogniition of the International Day for the Eliminitation of Violence Against Women. Issues raised were: Social Assistance, Housing, and the Domestic Violence Action Plan.
In November, 2006, OAITH responded to Bill 107: Human Rights Code Amendment Act (2006) to focus how to make sure that reforms in the Ontario Human Rights Commission would provide a system that supports and benefits women who experience violence and oppression. Particular areas of concern include: direct access to hearings; legal supports for complainants; independence and integrity of the human rights protection system; powers of the Commission; adequate powers given to new Racism and Disabilities Secretariats; and options for groups and advocates to make complaints or intervene.
OAITH wrote to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty on November 1, the beginning of Women Abuse Awareness Month in Ontario, to request support for publicly opposing the ending of the federal long-gun registry and destruction of all related records. While the debate has largely focused on hunters and rural communities, little attention has been paid to violence against women in relation to registering and recording weapons. Various studies have shown that weapons are often used to threaten women and that the risk of lethality is higher when an abuser owns or has easy access to a gun. It will not be possible to continue using this as a screening mechanism in risk assessment if there is no registry or record of gun ownership.
This is a Social Policy Research Paper for the Take Action Project, a public policy initiative to address women's poverty and violence against women. The paper examines the intersections of violence against women and poverty. Using a partciipatory action research model with consulations with partners and interviews with women on their experiences of poverty and violence. The paper describes the findings of the multiple factors that affect women's lives, causes and experiences of poverty for women, and how these factors intersect with experiences of violence.
Produced by the United Way Toronto, Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC), and the Woman Abuse Counctil of Toronto (WACT).
In 2008, the United Nations made 2 priority recommendations to Canada based on failure to comply with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In particular, Canada was asked to take action on two critical issues: women's poverty and inadequate social assistance rates; and, police and government failure to prevent or promptly and thoroughly investigate violence against Aboriginal women and girls. Canada had not replied by 2010, when the FAFIA report was written. The report gives an in-depth look at how poverty and inadquate social assistance impacts on violence against women and on the failures of policy and other government actors to take seriously the high incidence of missing Aboriginal women and girls.
This report identifies a strategy for implementing the Neighbours, Friends and Family (NFF) campaign with a focus on women with disabilities and Deaf women. Based on focus groups with women who identified as having disabilities, the report shows the factors that affect women's experiences of abuse and ability to get support, and identifies a what can be done to overcome barriers. The strategy emphasizes the importance of using an intersectional lens to ensure services, supports, and public education reach all women with disabilities and Deaf women.
In 2011, OAITH was signatory along with feminist acadmics and community advocates to a ltter to the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario. The letter urges the Commission to follow four key concerns in their review process:
- Gendered Equity Perspective
- Strong Evidence-Based Analysis
- Poverty Reduction
- Attention to Implementation and Access Issues at the Ground Level