#Day12 of #16Days of Activism lands us up north, in the great nation of Canada. With a population of over 35 million, and half of all women (according to a 1993 study) experiencing physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, no wonder today has been named the National Day Of Remembrance And Action On Violence Against Women by Canada’s Parliament. A new study shows how domestic violence impacts women in the workplace, and how employers can address and reduce it.
Due to the astronomical levels of violence against indigenous women, groups like the incredibly badass Native Youth Sexual Health Network are invaluable. They clearly understand the links between reproductive justice and environmental issues, the role men play in ending violence against women, how to combat elder abuse, and in addition to advocacy, outreach and community mobilization, also do “media arts justice work including short films and videos, diverse arts-based responses, media campaigns, zines, declaration and statement writing, and community-based participatory action research” and
- Culturally safe sex education
- Reclaiming rites of passage, coming of age ceremonies and traditional knowledge
- Healthy relationships and violence prevention
- Pregnancy options, youth parenting and families
- Environmental justice and environmental violence
- Harm reduction
- Two-Spirited and LGBTTIQQA advocacy and awareness
- Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections (STBBIs) and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention
- Youth in custody, jail, prison and the child welfare system
- Sex trade, sex industries and street economies
- Indigenous feminisms and masculinities
- Sexual self-esteem and empowerment
- Media literacy
- Youth activism and human rights
The Canadian Women’s Foundation is another organization working to end violence against women in Canada. Their multi-prong approach to this enormous problem ensures that not only are women able to get to safety in the shelter, but they are able to rebuild their lives in communities that support them.
We help women in Canada to move out of violence by funding emergency shelters and programs that help survivors to rebuild their lives. We are working to end the crime of sex trafficking in Canada, by helping women and girls to escape from traffickers and by working with local stakeholders to create action plans. We also invest in school-based violence-prevention programsthat teach girls and boys to stop the violence — for good.
Some governmental offices, like the Department of Justice that operates the Victim Services Directory, and The Public Health Agency which hosts the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, work alongside non-governmental organizations both nationally, like The Canadian Women’s Health Network, and locally, like Legal Aid Ontario and the Assaulted Women’s Helpline- available 24/7 at 1.866.863.0511. For young people Canada also has the Kids Help Phone, available 24/7 at 1.800.668.6868. Each province in Canada also has its own domestic violence and/or sexual assault hotlines and shelters; their numbers can be found here. Our neighbors to the north may have the right idea with socialized healthcare and education, so hopefully they are on the right track towards ending gender-based violence as well!
