Tools for Change Educator's Website: a comprehensive listing of resources that promote healthy, equal relationships, reviewed and critiqued using a strengths-based model. Each resource is matched to grade levels (3 -9) and the Ontario curriculum. A pedagogical review will help educators choose resources for their own teaching style. This website has been developed by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at the University of Western Ontario with funding from the Ontario Women's Directorate.
Neighbours, Friends and Families is a public awareness campaign that has been developed by a partnership between the Ontario Women's Directorate, Government of Ontario, the Expert Training Panel of Neighbours, Friends and Families and the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children. The campaign is designed to reach neighbours, friends and family members of women and their children who are experiencing abuse. Those closest to abused women don't always understand what they are seeing, knowing how to help or knowing where to turn for help in the community. As various inquests and the reports of the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC) have made clear, this needs to change. The DVDRC reports in the 2004 case review on domestic violence deaths.
In every case that was examined, family members, friends, neighbours, and/or professionals had some knowledge of the escalating circumstances between the perpetrators and victims. Some did not recognize the warning signs, nor did they act upon them. . . It is important to understand that domestic violence occurs along a continuum. This continuum includes minor and isolated incidents, progressing to an overall pattern of behaviour over time within the relationship. This overall pattern of behaviour suggests a high likelihood of repeat violence, dangerous behaviour, and even the potential for life-threatening harm. Throughout our case reviews, we again found multiple opportunities for intervention by friends and family, by front-line professionals such as family doctors, and by more specialized domestic violence services such as police and shelters for abused women.
Because repeated violence and potentially lethal violence can often be predicted, lives can be saved with appropriate and timely interventions. Through the efforts of Neighbours , Friends and Families we will make information on how to recognize abuse, how to offer support and where to turn for help accessible and usable to all communities across the province.
The project will be implemented in newcomer and rural and remote communities. Women in such diverse communities may face different challenges, have different ways of understanding woman abuse and different approaches to problem solving may prevail in their communities. These diverse communities may draw on different resources and may experience barriers in accessing the resources available to mainstream, urban communities. While it is possible to use resources that have been conceived and developed by mainstream communities in diverse community contexts, it is critical to ensure they can be appropriately adapted to meet the specific cultural and geographic conditions of differently located communities.
To ensure that the Neighbours, Friends and Families campaign can be adapted and used in these communities, we developed guidelines for adaptation in collaboration with representatives of these communities.
Francophone communities are different both culturally and linguistically from main-stream communities. Rather than produce a simple translation of English language resources we have translated and adapt the campaign to ensure it is appropriate for Francophone settings.
Representatives from all of these diverse communities have been included as expert panel members.
In order to ensure that work on the Aboriginal adaptation is consistent with Aboriginal teachings and values and that it is endorsed by leadership from Aboriginal communities, an Aboriginal Advisory Group has worked to adapt the campaign.
For more information on the Neighbours, Friends and Families campaign, please visit the web site at:
www.neighboursfriendsandfamilies.ca
At^lohsa means "Friends" in the Onyota' a:ka language. The name was chosen to reflect the desire of At^lohsa to provide support, understanding, education, intervention and prevention to victims of family violence.
At^lohsa was founded in 1986, as an outgrowth of a Needs Assessment Survey, (1986), At^lohsa was incorporated in 1989.
The results of this survey provided a mandate for the development for family violence services which are designed to meet and promote the physical, mental, emotional, and spirituals health needs and healing paths of First Nation women, men and children in violent relationships.
A follow-up Needs Assessment Survey, (1991), revealed that 90% of First Nation women had been physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually abused by their current or previous partners and 63% indicated that presently they are still being abused.
The London Coordinating Committee to End Woman Abuse is a network of more than 35 community organizations, dedicated to a compassionate and integrated response to supporting abused women, their children, and their abusive partners through prevention, advocacy, direct supports, justice, policy and research
The Fourth R initiative promotes healthy adolescent relationships, reduces risk behaviours and evaluates and develops programs, resources and training material, 2005
is a women-centered organization that provides services to women that have experienced sexual violence, 2005.
An online clearinghouse for community legal education in Ontario, 2006
"A site dedicated to childbearing women survivors of abuse, their family and friends impacted by the abuse, and care-providers looking for information and training so that they may better meet the needs of pregnant women in their care who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, woman abuse, sexual assault or trauma from previous pregnancy.", 2006.
Provides information on gender, peace and security research institutions in order to facilitate networking, the exchange of materials and ideas, and encourage students to pursue studies in this area.
PFLAG 2006
Quarterly on-line newsletter
Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) evolved from advocacy efforts of the No Religious Arbitration Coalition (the “Coalition”). The Coalition was a coalition of more than 100 women’s and community agencies that came together to advocate against the use of religious arbitration in family law in Ontario. The Coalition’s position was that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed all women in Ontario the right to access public family law to resolve their family law disputes.
The government heard the voices of the Coalition, along with the many other groups and individuals across the country who spoke out on this important issue, and amended the law to require that arbitration awards follow Canadian or Ontario family law. Several other new and important provisions, related to family law arbitrations, were also introduced at this time.
The Coalition’s work highlighted the need for widespread public family law education and outreach to women — in particular, isolated and vulnerable women — across the province.
Shortly after announcing the new legislation, the Government of Ontario decided to fund a project targeted to reach these women and invited a number of agencies involved with the Coalition to manage the project. Eventually, seven of these agencies came together to form FLEW: