This briefing looks a tthe effectiviness of the Act in terms of how well inequality if named and defined to cover all marginalized populations in Canada, and challenges the difference between prohibiting discrimination and affirming equality. The complaint procedures are also examined, identifying the challenges caused by long delays, weak investigative powers, and representation of claimants. The brief also analyzes the difference between individual and systemic discrmination, and takes issue with the failure to include immigrant and refugee women as protected under the Act.
Submitted by: Action traveil des femmes, La Table feministe de concertation provinciale de l'Ontario, and the National Association of Women and the Law.
This toolkit was developed to support a more coordinated and effective community response to older women abuse. Gaps in services stemming from perception of what abuse is and what services elders can access create concerns that need to be addressed. There are some promising practices, but few tools with direct input by older women who have experienced abuse and the gaps in service systems. Few tools provide resources for service providers and older women to use while working together. This toolkit aims to bridge those gaps by providing an innovative and relevant compliation of ideas and tools that can be used to support an effective and empowering response to older women abuse.
Breaking Free, Breaking Through: an arts-based research project to examine violence against Aboriginal women follows up on a 1989 report called Breaking Free: A Proposal for Change to Aboriginal Family Violence, which was the first report to highlight the prevalence and kinds of violence faced by Indigenous women in Ontario. The 2015 report sought to understand if Indigenous women would identify particular starategies or concrete moments which led them to break away from family violence. Instead, the findings were that there is a spirit of resilience among Indigenous women. The report highlights the strength of Indigenous women and the important roles they have in their families and communities. The findings also stress the importance of creating spaces were Indigenous women can build relationships, practice their culture(s) and share experiences. Breaking away from violence does not happen at specific moements, but is rather a pattern than shifts and changes shape, and resilience reflects relationships to others: people, things, cultures, communities, and histories.
The resarch was designed by the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) and the Ontario Native Women's Association (ONWA).
This report sets out to analyze two distinct conclusions drawn from two different studies showing that there was little to no effect of batterer intervention programs, despite initial studies which suggested that such programs reduced battering. As well as suggesting new methodologies to measure program effectiveness, the authors discuss the possible areas of improvement to intervention programs, including new theoretical foundations, working within a context of borader criminal justice system innovations, measures to reduce drop-out, and adapting different programs to different circumstances and individuals.
A poster from OAITH for Women Abuse Awareness Month (November), citing statistics about the relationships between violence against women and poverty, racialized women, and immigration and refugee status, among other connected issues. Slogan: Achieving Equity for All Women
On August 4, 2010, OAITH wrote a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper regarding Bill C-3, Equality for Aboriginal Women (Bill C-3: An Act to Promote Gender Equity in Indian Registration). OAITH requested that the Prime Minister support the work of Sharon McIvor in her on-going quest to undo the harm done by the Indian Act with the loss of status of generations of First Nations children. Ms. McIvor has spoken before the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs to propose amendments to Bill C-3 that would have remedied all the sex discrimination in the status registration provisions of the Act. Unfortunately, all but one amendment was ruled out of order by the Speaker. In advance of the bill returning for a 3rd returning, OAITH writes to ensure this opportunity is used to address the sex discrimination in the Act. reduction
A report Katerina Scott presented to the Ministry of the Attorney General on an evaluation of the Partner Assault Response (PAR) Programs. A study conducted showed that PAR participation had positive results in supporting attitudes changes and knowledge about abusive behaviours among abusers, but further study is needed to determine the extent to which this translates into changed behaviours. The study also identified a number of challenges with another goal of PAR programs, that of contacting women who had been abused to offer referall and support. These challenges were largely system-related. A third area explored was the range of needs of women in contact with the PAR agencies. Some evidence suggests that intervention may be more successful for men referred through the Early Intervention Court process.
On April 25, 2011, OAITH wrote a letter to Justine Akman, Director, Social Policy and Programs at Citizenship and Immigration Canada regarding the proposed amendment to regulations of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The letter was in reponse to a request for comments on a proposal to introduce a conditional permanent residence period of two years or more for sponsored spouses and partners in a relationship of two years or less with their sponsors. OAITH raised concerns about the proposed measure increasing the precarious nature of women's immigration status as well as the potential of jeopardizing women's personal safety and security rights under the Canadian Charter.
On April 21, 2009, OAITH submitted a brief to the Standing Committee on Social Policy regarding Bill 152, the Poverty Reduction Act 2009. The issues raised related to the challenge that women were often faced with unfair choices of poverty or violence, food or rent, and their health and well-being of their children. Women who use shelter services often report experiences of poverty as a major challenge in re-building their lives. OAITH applauded the principles of the poverty reduction initiative, and offered the following recommendations for strengthening its positive impact for women who experience violence. Recommentations included:
- Including recognition of the gendered nature of poverty in the preamble and specific clauses of the Act.
- Setting targets to include a minimum poverty reduction target and timeline.
- Identifying effective strategies that include affordable, publicly funded child care, pay and employment equity, match social assistance to the cost of basic needs, education and training, housing supports, among others.
- Incorporating a transparent, independent review into the strategy.
- That a minimum percentage of the provincial budget be allocated to poverty reduction on an ongoing basis.
- That 'poverty reduction' be re-worded to say 'poverty elimination'.