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END VIOLENCE TOGETHER FOR THE DIGNITY OF EVERY WOMAN

END VIOLENCE TOGETHER FOR THE DIGNITY OF EVERY WOMAN. Insert your agency/program name. Presentation Overview Insert Length of Time. What Is Violence Against Women? How Much Does It Happen? Why Focus on Violence Against Women? What Is The Impact? What Can We Do To End Violence Together?.

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END VIOLENCE TOGETHER FOR THE DIGNITY OF EVERY WOMAN

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  1. END VIOLENCE TOGETHER FOR THE DIGNITY OF EVERY WOMAN Insert your agency/program name

  2. Presentation OverviewInsert Length of Time • What Is Violence Against Women? • How Much Does It Happen? • Why Focus on Violence Against Women? • What Is The Impact? • What Can We Do To End Violence Together?

  3. Violence Against Women is a CRIME and includes: • Sexual Assault (Acquaintance Rape, Date Rape) • Violence In Relationships (Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Family Violence, Battering, Spousal abuse, Intimate Partner Violence) • Criminal Harassment (Stalking)

  4. How Much Does It Happen? “Estimating the prevalence of violence against women—the number of women in the population who are affected by violence—is challenging due to the very private nature of these experiences.” • Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006 • Statistics Canada

  5. In Other Words… People might not talk about abuse because of: • Not recognizing the abuse as abuse • Embarrassment • Shame • Denial • Fear of not being believed • Fear of rejection by partner or peers • Fear of retaliation or abandonment • Belief that the abuse is trivial and not worth reporting • Belief that the abuse is their fault. Dating Violence: A Fact Sheet from the Department of Justice Canada

  6. How Much Does It Happen? • Almost 40% of women in Canada have been sexually assaulted since age 16. • Approximately 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will experience some form of unwanted sexual contact before they reach 16. Dangerous Domains: Violence Against Women in Canada Johnson, H., 1996

  7. How Much Does It Happen? • 31% of sexual assaults happen in dating or acquaintance relationships • 9 to 17 year old girls have the highest rate of sexual assault and physical assaults by friends or acquaintances

  8. How Much Does It Happen? • 6% of sexual assaults are reported to the police in Canada (E Division, RCMP, 2005) • In the year 2000, 24,000 sexual assaults were reported to police in Canada. (Statistics Canada) • In the year 2000, 3,700 sexual assaults were reported to police in BC. (Statistics Canada)

  9. How Much Does It Happen? • This means that in the year 2000 over 400,000 women in Canada and over 61,000 women in BC were sexually assaulted! • 61% of sexual offences reported to police in 2003 involved victims under 18 years old. About 80% of those victims were girls.

  10. How Much Does It Happen? • In some First Nations communities in BC, over 90% of the women have experienced sexual violence. • 53% of women who live with disabilities from birth have been raped, abused or assaulted. • As with all forms of violence against women, immigrant women, refugee women, poor women and trans-gendered people are more vulnerable to sexual violence.

  11. How Much Does It Happen? • 10,273 incidents of violence in relationships were reported to BC police in 2005: • 9% increase since 2004 • 74% involved a male offender • 16% involved a female offender • represents 26% of all assaults in BC

  12. How Much Does It Happen? Number of spousal homicide victims in Canada 1975- 2004 Female Male Newfoundland and Labrador 15 7 Prince Edward Island 6 1 Nova Scotia 62 24 New Brunswick 52 7 Quebec 497 87 Ontario 753 186 Manitoba 123 48 Saskatchewan 98 59 Alberta 244 97 British Columbia 293 104 Yukon 9 5 Northwest Territories 22 11 Nunavut 4 2 Canada 2,178 638

  13. How Much Does It Happen? • In 2004: • 75% of criminal harassment (“stalking”) incidents reported to the police were directed at women • 50% of the women were stalked by a person with whom they had an intimate relationship • Stalking is the number one risk factor for actual and attempted murders of women (McFarlane et. Al, 2002) • 90% of people reported for stalking are men Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends, Statistics Canada, 2006) • Two thirds (66%) of all criminal harassment incidents occurred at the victim’s home.

  14. Why Focus on Women? • International Agencies such as theUnited Nations,theWorld Health Organization,andAmnesty Internationalhave identified violence against women as aglobal human rights issue.

  15. Why Focus on Women? • Women are more likely than men to be the victims of the most severe forms of spousal assault, as well as spousal homicide, sexual assault and stalking. Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006 Statistics Canada

  16. Why Focus on Women? Women are: • 6 times more likely than men to report being sexually assaulted • 5 times more likely to require medical attention as a result of assault • 3 times more likely to be physically injured • Almost twice as likely to report being threatened with or having a gun or knife used against them • Much more likely to fear for their lives or the lives of their children Spousal Abuse: A Fact Sheet From the Department of Justice Canada

  17. What is Violence Against Women?Sexual Assault • Any form of sexual contact without a person’s consent, including the threat of sexual contact without consent • Can range from unwanted sexual touching to forced sexual intercourse

  18. What is Violence Against Women?Sexual Assault • Level 1: Sexual Assault [s.271] • Level 2: Sexual Assault with a Weapon, Threats to a Third Party, or Causing Bodily Harm [s.272] • Level 3: Aggravated Sexual Assault [s.273]

  19. What is Violence Against Women?Sexual Assault

  20. What is the Impact?Sexual Assault • Psychological/emotional: • Fear of physical injury, mutilation and/or death • Anger • Humiliation • Shame • Guilt • Shock • Sleep disturbances

  21. What is the Impact?Sexual Assault • Serious physical injuries • Unwanted pregnancies & miscarriages • STDs including HIV/AIDS • Headaches & fatigue • Loss of appetite/nausea

  22. What is the Impact?Sexual Assault Self Blame Loss of hope Minimization/Denial Loss of a Sense of Esteem Loss of a Sense of Power Shattering of World View Loss of a Sense of Safety & Trust

  23. Addictions Self-esteem Self-injury Suicidal ideation Fears/anxiety Physical symptoms Dissociation experiences Sexual difficulties Eating disorders Emotional difficulties Sleep disturbances Relationship issues Parenting issues What is the Impact?Sexual Assault

  24. What is the Impact?Sexual Assault Family members may experience: • Anger • Helplessness • Shock • Disbelief • Guilt • Fear These may be directed at the survivor

  25. What is Violence Against Women?Violence In Relationships

  26. Violence in Relationships • Physical assault: hitting, punching, choking, slapping, pulling hair • Sexual assault: any form of forced sexual activity • Threats and Intimidation • Emotional abuse: insults, intimidation, control, isolation, mind games, put downs • Financial abuse: controlling, stealing and withholding money • Spiritual/cultural abuse: restricting spiritual or cultural practices or beliefs • Murder

  27. Violence In Relationships – The Law • The Canadian Criminal Code has no specific offence called “violence against women” or “spousal assault”. • Criminal Code provisions that most commonly apply include the offences of assault, sexual assault, criminal harassment, threats of violence, forcible confinement and homicide.

  28. Violence In Relationships - Pregnancy In Canada, 1 In Every 5 Women Assaulted By A Partner Is Assaulted During Pregnancy Statistics Canada, Family Violence in Canada, 1999Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Violence Against Women Fact Sheet

  29. Violence In Relationships - Children • Death & Injury In Quatsino, Jay Handel killed his six children. • Witnessing Almost 40% of women assaulted by spouses said their children witnessed the violence against them (either directly or indirectly) and in many cases the violence was severe. In half of the cases of spousal violence against women that were witnessed by children, the woman feared for her life.

  30. What is the Impact?Violence In Relationships Children who are exposed to violence in the home suffer from emotional trauma, have poor educational outcomes, and are at increased risk of using violence to solve problems. Berman, H., J. Hardesty and J. Humphreys. 2004. Children of abused women.

  31. What is Dating Violence? It is one form of violence in relationships; in a dating relationship one person uses abuse to gain power and keep control over their partner.  This abuse can be physical, emotional, or sexual.

  32. What is the Impact?Dating Violence • A person who is being abused may have: • Low self-esteem • Withdrawal • Depression • Nervousness • Unexplained cuts, bruises, scrapes, burns or bite marks.

  33. What is the Impact?Dating Violence • A person who is being abused may: • Stop participating in things they enjoy • Have little or no interest in family activities • Have difficulty sleeping • Not be able to concentrate • Experience memory problems • Start missing school more, or • Experience a drop in their grades.

  34. What is Violence Against Women? Criminal Harassment On August 1, 1993, the Criminal Code was amended to create the new offence of criminal harassment. It was introduced as a specific response to violence against women, particularly to domestic violence against women. However, the offence is not restricted to domestic violence and applies equally to all victims of criminal harassment. Criminal Harassment: A Handbook For Police And Crown Prosecutors. Department of Justice Canada

  35. What is Violence Against Women? Criminal Harassment Examples of Criminal Harassment: calling you over and over again, and perhaps hanging up whenever you answer the phone contacting you on the Internet or through constant e-mail messages

  36. What is Violence Against Women? Criminal Harassment • following you, your family or friends • leaving threatening voice messages • sending you gifts you do not want • watching you or tracking where you go • threatening you, your children, family, pets or friends Criminal Harassment: A Handbook For Police And Crown Prosecutors. Department of Justice Canada

  37. What is Violence Against Women? Criminal Harassment While many crimes are defined by conduct that results in a very clear outcome (for example, murder), criminal harassment generally consists of: • repeated conduct that is carried out over a period of time and that causes victims to reasonably fear for their safety but does not necessarily result in physical injury. Criminal Harassment: A Handbook For Police And Crown Prosecutors. Department of Justice Canada

  38. What is the Impact?Criminal Harassment Some common responses by victims to the trauma of being stalked include the following: self-reproach; a tendency to downplay the impact of the stalking; interpretation of the stalking as a “private matter”; a sense of betrayal and stigma; anxiety and fear, due to the unpredictability of the stalker’s conduct; feelings of being helpless and unable to control their lives; lack of confidence in police, resulting in a failure to report; inaction, due to a lack of awareness that the conduct is criminal; and denial or embarrassment. Criminal Harassment: A Handbook For Police And Crown Prosecutors. Department of Justice Canada

  39. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour Using violence and intimidation to get your own way in relationships often works in the short run, but it will cost you in the long run -- you will lose self-respect and the respect and affection of others. Stopping violence in relationships means doing a lot of work on yourself. Here are some tools that others have found useful in doing this work. If you use them every day it will get easier, but it takes time, so don't give up on yourself!!

  40. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour NO EXCUSES The first thing you have to do to stop violence and other abuse in a relationship is to stop making excuses and blaming the other person. Make a promise to yourself and to your partner that you will not be violent - no matter what happens. Remember, there is no justification for abuse. If you are abusive, it's YOUR problem.

  41. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour TIME-OUT The most important tool to learn is simply to take "time-out" when you feel yourself getting angry. Leaving a situation temporarily before you lose it always works. It's simple, but it's not always easy to walk away from conflict or argument when you're getting angry, when you want to win, when you know you're right, when abuse has worked in the past.

  42. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour TALK YOURSELF DOWN You may not realize it, but you make YOURSELF angry. Most anger is caused by what we say to ourselves about the situation, not what happens or what other people do. Just listen to what you say to yourself when you are upset -blaming, calling people names and threatening.

  43. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour TALK YOURSELF DOWN • You can make yourself so angry that it seems natural to be violent or abusive. Instead, try "talking yourself down" when you get upset. Say things to yourself like, "Why am I so mad?" "Is this worth it?" "I can handle this better if I calm down." When you take time- out, you need to talk yourself down.

  44. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour STAY STRAIGHT Many people who have a problem with violence and abuse also have a problem with alcohol or other drugs. Both problems need work. People with both problems have to stay clean before they can stop violence and other abuse. After they are straight, they may still be abusive, but at least they have a chance to work on the problem.

  45. STAY STRAIGHT • If you try to stop being abusive while you are still getting loaded, it will never work.

  46. Ending Violence TogetherTools for Ending Abusive Behaviour TALK WITH SOMEONE ELSE If you are often violent or abusive, you probably don't talk to others about your feelings. This means that the pressure rises. If you don't have close partners outside your main relationship, you end up depending too much on your partner. It's a setup for anger and abuse if something goes wrong. Adapted From: Tools for Ending Abusive Behaviour Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, Family Violence Project 1993

  47. Ending Violence TogetherHow to Help A Friend • Let your friend know that you believe what they have told you -- chances are the situation is worse than what they tell you. • Encourage but do not pressure your friend to talk about the abuse. Allow them to say as much or as little as they want in their own words.

  48. Ending Violence TogetherHow to Help A Friend • Reassure your friend that they are not causing the abuse. The abusive person learned to use abuse as a way of controlling their partner long before they met. • Let your friend know that abusive relationships always get worse without outside help.

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