NATIONAL INITIATIVE ON PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Posted: November 26th, 2013
Statistic for December: In Canada, each year, 460,000 women are sexually assaulted by men other than their marital partners.
To read the various projects of CFUW clubs across Canada in response to the National Initiative on Violence Against Women click on the link below.
http://www.cfuw.org/en-ca/clubsandcouncils/nationalinitiativeclubactivities.aspx
Statistic for December: In Canada, each year, 460,000 women are sexually assaulted by men other than their marital partners.
To read the various projects of CFUW clubs across Canada in response to the National Initiative on Violence Against Women click on the link below.
http://www.cfuw.org/en-ca/clubsandcouncils/nationalinitiativeclubactivities.aspx
Posted: October 2013
Please read the note from our Issues Group at the bottom of this page.
Please read the note from our Issues Group at the bottom of this page.
At the CFUW 2013 AGM in Saskatoon, a national initiative on Preventing and Responding to Violence against Women and Girls was proposed for the coming year. It is hoped that Clubs will be interested in working on some aspect of this issue within your local communities. The idea of a ‘national project’ has been suggested a number of times by Clubs who believe that a ‘national project’ will give CFUW some visibility and help increase our media presence.
Gender-based violence is a persistent and pervasive issue in Canada, affecting approximately half of all women over the course of their lives. The mental, physical, social, and financial impacts of violence are devastating and cannot be ignored.
Recognizing the importance of this issue, CFUW has a long history of promoting women and girls safety, and advocating for stronger national and provincial action to end violence against women, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, non-state actor torture, human trafficking and prostitution. We have numerous policies on these issues, which can be found under “violence and exploitation” in the CFUW Policy Book (The Policy Book can be found on the website www.cfuw.org in the Advocacy Section –subsection Policy Book). Most recently, CFUW National has been advocating for a comprehensive national action plan/strategy to end violence against women and girls, and has been a strong supporter of aboriginal women as they lobby for action on missing and murdered aboriginal women.
We hope that with this national initiative, CFUW can be a part of providing increased support to women and children who experience all forms of violence, help ensure that their voices are heard, and let them know that they have friends and supporters across Canada. Our collective efforts can help raise public awareness about gender-based violence, improve support and prevention, and put pressure on all levels of government to take stronger action.
We hope that Clubs will take up this national initiative, and understand that each Club will make its own decision on what, if anything, is possible for your Club and suitable in your community. What follows is a list of suggested activities to think about, and more details about the implementation of the initiative. You will also find enclosed more background information on violence against women and girls.
What Can Clubs Do?
• As a first step, if you are not already aware of potential community initiatives, you may want to do a little research about what organizations, resources and programs exist in your community to support women and girls who experience violence and/or that are dedicated to violence prevention. We know many of the Clubs already have projects or partnerships in this area. Some examples of places you may look for local resources include:
o Women’s shelters
o Sexual assault and rape crisis centres
o Organizations that work with men and boys to prevent violence
o Organizations that work with prostituted and trafficked women
o Coalitions of groups dedicated to ending violence against women and girls, which some communities have.
o Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) organizations, like Friendship Centres – may have violence prevention programs, and support programs for women who have experienced violence. Depending on the size and demographics of your local community there may be organizations/groups specifically working with Aboriginal women.
o Local YWCA/YMCA offer sheltering services and support programs
o Your local Canadian Red Cross branch: the Red Crossoffers violence, bullying and abuse prevention programs : http://www.redcross.ca/what-wedo/violence-bullying-and-abuse-prevention
Possible Activities:
• Support local women’s shelters and sexual assault/rape crisis centres (e.g. raise funds, provide volunteer support; talk with staff to find out how your Club can help).
• Support and/or partner with organizations/groups that work to end violence against women
o e.g. join a local coalition dedicated to preventing and responding to VAW, in Ottawa for example there is an organization called “Ottawa Coalition to End Violence against Women”.
o If a coalition does not exist, why not consider starting one?
• Ally with local First Nations, Metis and Inuit women’s groups. For example, you could support/participate in an October 4th Sisters in Spirit Vigil, and raise funds to support programs for aboriginal women
• Support educational programs in your community geared towards violence prevention (e.g. programs for men and boys, promoting health relationships, antibullying, etc.)
• Host a panel discussion/public forum on violence against women and girls
• Host a film screening to raise public awareness about gender based violence.
Please see a list of resources here.
• Organize a letter writing campaign to local politicians highlighting the impacts of VAW and calling for more coherent/comprehensive public policy and funding regimes to respond and prevent violence. A template is currently being created and will be available on the website soon.
• Participate in a Take Back the Night Event or organize one yourself
• Support the YWCA Rose Campaign, leading up to, and during December 6th:
o www.rosecampaign.ca to send an email your MP
o Wear the Rose button
o Order Rose buttons for resale to support your local women’s shelter and support services centre
• Raise funds for Canadian Women’s Foundation. CWF administers funds to programs that prevent violence against women and girls and seek to end human trafficking.
Your Club Newsletter and Website:
• We invite you to increase the visibility of this issue among your members by including a fact or statistic about violence against women once a month in your Club newsletter, on your website and Facebook page if you have one. An example would be: Did you know… that about 80% of sex trafficking victims in Canada are women and girls?
• Each month, CFUW National will put up a different fact or statistic on the public website, in Week in Review, News & Updates and on Facebook. Clubs are welcome to use that one or one their own.
Details on Implementation:
• It is the prerogative of each Club whether or not it decides to participate in this national initiative and if it does, what activity they decide to undertake. A Club may decide to participate by posting a statistic or fact on their website each month and that is fine. Our goal is to be able to publicise the breadth of these
projects.
• Clubs who decide to participate are asked to send the title and a brief description of their project (no more than 50 words) to the following email address: [email protected] by November 1, 2013.
• In order to publicise the national scope of our project, we would like a report on your results and outcomes (no more than 500 words)- to be sent to the email address: [email protected] by April 15, 2014 so the information may be collated and a press release prepared for distribution at the next AGM. The information to be included is: Name of Initiative; Club name; Description of project; how the project raised CFUW’s Visibilty in your community and the number of people affected by the project.
Gender-based violence is a persistent and pervasive issue in Canada, affecting approximately half of all women over the course of their lives. The mental, physical, social, and financial impacts of violence are devastating and cannot be ignored.
Recognizing the importance of this issue, CFUW has a long history of promoting women and girls safety, and advocating for stronger national and provincial action to end violence against women, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, non-state actor torture, human trafficking and prostitution. We have numerous policies on these issues, which can be found under “violence and exploitation” in the CFUW Policy Book (The Policy Book can be found on the website www.cfuw.org in the Advocacy Section –subsection Policy Book). Most recently, CFUW National has been advocating for a comprehensive national action plan/strategy to end violence against women and girls, and has been a strong supporter of aboriginal women as they lobby for action on missing and murdered aboriginal women.
We hope that with this national initiative, CFUW can be a part of providing increased support to women and children who experience all forms of violence, help ensure that their voices are heard, and let them know that they have friends and supporters across Canada. Our collective efforts can help raise public awareness about gender-based violence, improve support and prevention, and put pressure on all levels of government to take stronger action.
We hope that Clubs will take up this national initiative, and understand that each Club will make its own decision on what, if anything, is possible for your Club and suitable in your community. What follows is a list of suggested activities to think about, and more details about the implementation of the initiative. You will also find enclosed more background information on violence against women and girls.
What Can Clubs Do?
• As a first step, if you are not already aware of potential community initiatives, you may want to do a little research about what organizations, resources and programs exist in your community to support women and girls who experience violence and/or that are dedicated to violence prevention. We know many of the Clubs already have projects or partnerships in this area. Some examples of places you may look for local resources include:
o Women’s shelters
o Sexual assault and rape crisis centres
o Organizations that work with men and boys to prevent violence
o Organizations that work with prostituted and trafficked women
o Coalitions of groups dedicated to ending violence against women and girls, which some communities have.
o Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) organizations, like Friendship Centres – may have violence prevention programs, and support programs for women who have experienced violence. Depending on the size and demographics of your local community there may be organizations/groups specifically working with Aboriginal women.
o Local YWCA/YMCA offer sheltering services and support programs
o Your local Canadian Red Cross branch: the Red Crossoffers violence, bullying and abuse prevention programs : http://www.redcross.ca/what-wedo/violence-bullying-and-abuse-prevention
Possible Activities:
• Support local women’s shelters and sexual assault/rape crisis centres (e.g. raise funds, provide volunteer support; talk with staff to find out how your Club can help).
• Support and/or partner with organizations/groups that work to end violence against women
o e.g. join a local coalition dedicated to preventing and responding to VAW, in Ottawa for example there is an organization called “Ottawa Coalition to End Violence against Women”.
o If a coalition does not exist, why not consider starting one?
• Ally with local First Nations, Metis and Inuit women’s groups. For example, you could support/participate in an October 4th Sisters in Spirit Vigil, and raise funds to support programs for aboriginal women
• Support educational programs in your community geared towards violence prevention (e.g. programs for men and boys, promoting health relationships, antibullying, etc.)
• Host a panel discussion/public forum on violence against women and girls
• Host a film screening to raise public awareness about gender based violence.
Please see a list of resources here.
• Organize a letter writing campaign to local politicians highlighting the impacts of VAW and calling for more coherent/comprehensive public policy and funding regimes to respond and prevent violence. A template is currently being created and will be available on the website soon.
• Participate in a Take Back the Night Event or organize one yourself
• Support the YWCA Rose Campaign, leading up to, and during December 6th:
o www.rosecampaign.ca to send an email your MP
o Wear the Rose button
o Order Rose buttons for resale to support your local women’s shelter and support services centre
• Raise funds for Canadian Women’s Foundation. CWF administers funds to programs that prevent violence against women and girls and seek to end human trafficking.
Your Club Newsletter and Website:
• We invite you to increase the visibility of this issue among your members by including a fact or statistic about violence against women once a month in your Club newsletter, on your website and Facebook page if you have one. An example would be: Did you know… that about 80% of sex trafficking victims in Canada are women and girls?
• Each month, CFUW National will put up a different fact or statistic on the public website, in Week in Review, News & Updates and on Facebook. Clubs are welcome to use that one or one their own.
Details on Implementation:
• It is the prerogative of each Club whether or not it decides to participate in this national initiative and if it does, what activity they decide to undertake. A Club may decide to participate by posting a statistic or fact on their website each month and that is fine. Our goal is to be able to publicise the breadth of these
projects.
• Clubs who decide to participate are asked to send the title and a brief description of their project (no more than 50 words) to the following email address: [email protected] by November 1, 2013.
• In order to publicise the national scope of our project, we would like a report on your results and outcomes (no more than 500 words)- to be sent to the email address: [email protected] by April 15, 2014 so the information may be collated and a press release prepared for distribution at the next AGM. The information to be included is: Name of Initiative; Club name; Description of project; how the project raised CFUW’s Visibilty in your community and the number of people affected by the project.
CFUW Mississauga’s Issues Group follows up on National’s special initiative “Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls”
The Issues Group was impressed with the amount of support material supplied for consideration of this important topic. As a group we decided to move forward immediately to investigate the situation in Mississauga/Peel.
Those present volunteered to investigate specific activities which might be good matches for our club. We will consider our findings at the next meeting and decide how best to take action:
1.one member is going to make inquires about services and support already established, in particular, multi-cultural resources and umbrella organizations.
2. on Tuesday, November 26, we are inviting club members to attend the showing of the NFB film “Status Quo,” the section on Violence Against Women in Canada - see Newsletter for the time and place of the Issues Meeting;
3. we will be posting on this website significant dates in October, November and December relating to this important issue; please note, we have chosen October 11 for this month; the UN International Day of the Girl is posted on our website and you can read about an amazing Canadian girl raising funds for girls in Afghanistan;
4. we will post a monthly statistic about violence against women on our website;
5. we are investigating the YWCA’s Rose button campaign as a possible action to raise awareness about the issue.
We will be reporting to National on our actions and intentions by November 1 and following up on these matters with the club in November and December.
from Joan Barrett, co-chair Issues Group
The Issues Group was impressed with the amount of support material supplied for consideration of this important topic. As a group we decided to move forward immediately to investigate the situation in Mississauga/Peel.
Those present volunteered to investigate specific activities which might be good matches for our club. We will consider our findings at the next meeting and decide how best to take action:
1.one member is going to make inquires about services and support already established, in particular, multi-cultural resources and umbrella organizations.
2. on Tuesday, November 26, we are inviting club members to attend the showing of the NFB film “Status Quo,” the section on Violence Against Women in Canada - see Newsletter for the time and place of the Issues Meeting;
3. we will be posting on this website significant dates in October, November and December relating to this important issue; please note, we have chosen October 11 for this month; the UN International Day of the Girl is posted on our website and you can read about an amazing Canadian girl raising funds for girls in Afghanistan;
4. we will post a monthly statistic about violence against women on our website;
5. we are investigating the YWCA’s Rose button campaign as a possible action to raise awareness about the issue.
We will be reporting to National on our actions and intentions by November 1 and following up on these matters with the club in November and December.
from Joan Barrett, co-chair Issues Group