The document discusses signs of an abusive relationship, asking if one feels their partner does not value their thoughts/feelings, if they feel they cannot do anything right, or are unable to make their own decisions. It suggests that no one deserves to be in an abusive relationship. Abuse can negatively impact one's health, self-esteem and safety. National statistics on abuse prevalence in Canada are provided to emphasize it is a widespread problem.

1. Do you feel that
your partner does
not value your
thoughts or
feelings?
Do you feel
that you
cannot do
anything
right in your
partner's
eyes
Are you
unable or
afraid to
make
decisions for
yourself?

2. Group 2
Rain
Wila
Tanese
Hanaa

3. YOU DESERVED IT...YOU DESERVED IT...
DO YOU?!!DO YOU?!!
61% of all Canadians say they personally know at least one
woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted1
On average, every six days a woman in Canada is killed
by her intimate partner.
Over half of Canadian women have experienced at least
one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of
16

4. • More than 3,000 women (along with their 2,500 children) are
living in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence.
• In just one year in Canada, 427,000 women over the age of
15 reported they had been sexually assaulted.
..

5. WHAT IS VIOLENCEWHAT IS VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN?AGAINST WOMEN?
• The United Nations defines violence against women as:
“Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical,
sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such
acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in
private life.“
• This violence can include:
• Physical abuse:
Slapping, choking, or punching her. Using hands or objects as weapons. Threatening her
with a knife or gun. Committing murder.
• Sexual abuse:
Using threats, intimidation, or physical force to force her into unwanted sexual acts
included married couples.

6. • Emotional or verbal abuseEmotional or verbal abuse: :
Threatening to kill her (or to kill the children, other family members or pets), threatening to
commit suicide, making humiliating or degrading comments about her body or behaviour,
forcing her to commit degrading acts, isolating her from friends or family, confining her to the
house, destroying her possessions, and other actions designed to demean her or to restrict her
freedom and independence.
• Financial abuse:Financial abuse:
Stealing or controlling her money or valuables (of particular concern to older women). Forcing
her to work. Denying her the right to work.
• Spiritual abuse:Spiritual abuse:
Using her religious or spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate, and control her.
• Criminal harassment/stalking:
Following her or watching her in a persistent, malicious, and unwanted manner. Invading her
privacy in a way that threatens her personal safety.

8. WHAT CAUSES VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN?
• In our society, gender inequality is visible in many areas,
including politics, religion, media, cultural norms, and the
workplace.
• In this context, it becomes easier for a man to believe that he
has the right to be in charge and to control a woman, even if
it requires violence. This is not only wrong, it’s against the
law.
• Violence against women is rooted in the belief that women
deserve less social power and it is therefore acceptable –
maybe even necessary – to exert power over them.
• There is no evidence that alcohol or mental illness causes
men to be violent against women. Men who assault their
partners rarely assault their friends, neighbours, bosses, or
strangers.

9. Until 30 years ago, violence committed against family members was
largely seen as a private matter and remained hidden. Since then, there
have been substantial changes in the criminal justice system response
and social intervention to family violence. Family violence in Canada: A
statistical profile, 2010
Victims of police-reported violent crime, Canada, 2010
112,377 women
How much domestic violence in Canada for a year?
The annual costs of direct expenditures related to violence against women
have been estimated at 684 million Canadian dollars for the criminal
justice system, 187 million for police and 294 million for the cost of
counselling and training, At least 7.4 billion for a year

10. • In Canada; rates of violence against women alone are 2.3
percentage points higher than the national average
• In the past five years alone it is estimated that over $600
million will have been spent on the provision of a few basic
health and non health supports

11. STAKEHOLDERS
WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS?
ALL OF US HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN.....THEREFORE, WE ALL ARE STAKEHOLDERS!
HOWEVER, PARTNESHIPS ARE NEEDED BETWEEN AND AMONG:
• GOVERNMENTS
• ADVOCACY GROUPS
• CORPORATIONS
• POLICE
• HIGH RISK PROBATION OFFICERS
• HIGH RISK REVIEW TEAMS
• CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTOR

12. • CHILDRENS AID SERVICES (CAS)
• FAITH GROUPS
• SURVIVORS OF ABUSE
• COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
• EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
• NEIGHBOURS
• FRIENDS
• FAMILIES
• PROFESSIONALS and
• others to improve public understanding and to help change
attitudes and behaviours that lead to violence against
women.

13. • THE LIVES OF WOMEN DO NOT CONFORM TO
BOUNDARIES AMONG: PROGRAMS, MINISTRIES,
AGENCIES, INSTITUTIONS or LEVEL OF
GOVERNMENT.

14. All the above stakeholders focus on
• prevention
• education
• systemic change
• safety
• networking and
• service provision related to all forms of violence against
women.
Their mission is to end violence against women.

15. WHAT ARE THE PERSPECTIVES AND
STRATEGIES OF STAKEHOLDERS?
• The strategies of stakeholders is collaborative approach.
• This approach supposed to strike the right balance between
preventing violence against women and improving supports
for women and children.
• Stakeholders believe that one of the most important aspects
associated with collaboration is the opportunity to access a
level of expertise.
FOR EXAMPLE:
“One of the benefits of having dedicated probation officers
working on the issue of domestic violence is how much they
know about the individual man's risk level.”

16. WHAT ARE THEIR
RECOMMENDATIONS:
They recommend the following principles:
• The right to safety: all women have the right to live in safety and
dignity
Free from threat, intimidation and violence
• Personal accountability: abuser must be held accountable for their
actions
• Holistic response: Violence against women requires a holistic
response

17. • A balanced approach: must balance efforts to
• prevent violence
• intervene early
• identify risk
• hold perpetrators accountable
• support and protect victims when violence occurs

18. EFFORTS MUST BE COORDINATED WITHIN AND ACROSS SECTORS
TO CREATE AN INTEGRATED CONTINUUM OF SUPPORTS.
• Violence against women is:
• a social issue:
• an employment issue
• a health issue
• a community safety issue
• a justice issue and more....
• Therefore, Stakeholders have to take domestic violence out
of the shadow and bring the full power of public censure to
bear.
• Stakeholders believe that women and children have the right
to live free from fear and violence.
• Their motto is “SHARED RESPONSABILITYSHARED RESPONSABILITY”.

19. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?
WHY?
 The Legal and Family Court System.
• The Legal system around domestic violence needs to change
• The ways in which the family courts address these issues needs
to change
• Adequate education for judges needs to improve so that victims
are not re-traumatized
• Engage and address the men who use the court to control the
victim by drawing out the proceedings and using the children as
pawn
• Too complex to maneuver through, victims get disempowered lose
hope and give up

20.  CAS
• Make child the priority
• Power and authority of CAS instills fears in the victims
• Fears that CAS is coming in to re-traumatize the victims
• Engage the men as much as the women regarding the well-being of the children
 Collaboration on Services
• Make the client number one priority
• Makes the job much easier when everyone is working towards a common goal
• Provide consistent documentation
• Have policies in place to assist everyone -cultural competence

21.  Law Enforcement
• Victims feel judged at times ridiculed (eg. cop asked how was couples sex life while attending a
call)
• Educate Police around attending these calls, assuring safety of victim, where to go and what to do
next
• Decreasing the fear of the victim that nothing will be done about the situation
• Decreasing the culture around blaming the victim (due to attending officers’ inexperience)
 Education
• Educate the public and increase understanding regarding issues around Domestic Violence
• Educate to prevent the crime rather than prosecute the crime
• Open up conversations around the culture and stigma around abuse
• Early education for boys and girls, what is considered abuse, expand public knowledge
• Increase awareness not only about the brutality and lack of humanity but the long-term impacts –
housing, children, healthcare, education and employment
• Create a blameless society for victims
• Raise awareness while providing support
• Get the community engaged in breaking the silence and participating in ending it
• Provide hope for the victims

22. IMPACTS ON SOCIETY INDIVIDUALS
AND THE COMMUNITY
• Breakdown of the household
• Lack of confidence increases
• Mental health issues surfaces
• Strain on the healthcare system
• Emotion and psychological trauma
• Permanent physical injury and trauma
• Stop believing in their abilities( Disempowered)
• Loss of employment
• Loss of life

23. • Since 1969 over 40 women have been murdered
and/or missing.
• The investigation is referred to as Project E-PANA, which
began in the fall of 2005.
• All but one of these victims were Aboriginal women.

24. WHAT IS BEING DONE?
• The Civil Forfeiture Office in partnership with the Victims Services
and Crime Prevention Division of the Ministry of Justice developed
a Community Safety Toolkit, which promotes safety and increase
education and awareness in the area and along the Highway of
Tears corridor. The material covers:
• Violence against women
• Personal safety
• Addiction
• Community violence as well as specific resources targeted at
empowering men to stand up against violence.
What else is being done?What else is being done?

25. REHTAEH PARSONS
• Rehtaeh Parsons from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia committed suicide after
• photos of her and the alleged gang rape were distributed online.
• Photo became widespread in Parsons's school and town in three days.
Afterwards, Parsons was called a "slut" and received text messages and
Facebook messages from people requesting to have sex with her.
• What is being done?
Sexual humiliation and cyber bullying
• In August 2013, Nova Scotia enacted a law allowing victims of cyber
bullying to seek protection, including help in identifying anonymous
perpetrators, and to sue the individuals or the parents in the case of
minors. The law was passed in response to Parsons's suicide

26. DALHOUSIE DENTAL SCHOOL MISOGYNISTIC
FACEBOOK COMMENTS
• 13 fourth-year male Dalhousie University dentistry students posted
misogynistic comments about their female colleagues on a
Facebook page, including crude jokes about sedating them for
rough sex.
• The men were part of a Facebook group called the Class of DDS
2015 Gentlemen.
• In one post, members were polled and asked,
• "Who would you hate f--k?" They were given two names to vote
on.
• Another post shows a woman wearing a bikini. The caption says,
"Bang until stress is relieved or unconscious (girl)."

27. SO?
• The high-profile Canadian cases of sexual violence
• CBC star Jian Ghomeshi
• Dalhousie dentistry students misogynistic Facebook comments
• Publication ban on Rehtaeh Parsons trial
• Resulted in Wynne’s “accelerating” a plan against sexual violence. The
plan is:
• The provincial government launched a $41 million, 3-year initiative to
combat sexual assault and violence. It’s going to both educate the public
on and prevent sexual violence against women.
Is this going to work? HOW?Is this going to work? HOW?

28. But:
• Shelters are fighting to stay open. What will happen to those
women that will not have a shelter to go to?
• Shrinkage is putting women at a great risk! How will these women
be protected?
More needs to be done.

29. VIDEOS
• Woman's Rights History - Canada ½
• Woman's Rights History - Canada 2/2
• The Famous Five and the Persons Case
• Missing Women in Canada - Aboriginal part1
• Missing Women in Canada - Aboriginal part2
• Canadian Aboriginal Women's Rights
• Why domestic violence victims don't leave
• No More Tears: A Documentary on Domestic Violence
• Violence Against Women: Health and Justice for Canadian
Muslim Women

31. REFERENCES
• DeGeer, I. (2012, January 1). The Niagara regioN Domestic
Violence Report Card 2011/12. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
• Empowering Non-Status, Refugee and Immigrant Women
Who Experience Violence. (n.d.). Empowering Non-Status,
Refugee and Immigrant Women Who Experience Violence.
Retrieved January 25, 2015, from www.bwss.org
• ONTARIO WOMEN’S DIRECTORATE. (n.d.). Statistics:
Domestic Violence. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
• Shelters for abused women in Canada, 2010. (2012).
Juristat Article, (85-002-X). Retrieved February 1, 2015.
• Sinha, M. (2012). Family violence in Canada: A statistical
profile, 2010. Juristat Article. Retrieved March 20, 2015.