{"id":776,"date":"2023-12-01T19:21:34","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T19:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/capitalchill\/?p=776"},"modified":"2023-12-01T19:22:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T19:22:06","slug":"prevention-is-necessary-to-address-gender-based-violence-advocates-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/capitalchill\/2023\/12\/01\/prevention-is-necessary-to-address-gender-based-violence-advocates-say\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Prevention is necessary’ to address gender-based violence, advocates say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When elected officials and community advocates gathered Monday at Ottawa City Hall to call attention to violence against women, the purple scarves and ribbons many wore contrasted noticeably against the bright teal walls of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe\u2019s boardroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne in three women will face gender-based violence in their lifetime,\u201d Sutcliffe told the audience of city councillors, MPs and advocates, who had been invited to witness the signing of an official declaration marking 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence<\/a>, an annual campaign lasting from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ottawa City Council previously declared intimate partner violence an epidemic<\/a> on International Women\u2019s Day back in March, following a recommendation that came out of an inquiry that investigated the deaths of three women who were killed in the Ottawa Valley in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, in the past 12 months, at least 62 women in Ontario were victims of femicide, according to a report from the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses<\/a>. This means, on average, one woman has been killed in Ontario every five days  since November 2022. The report does not account for unreported deaths and disappearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monday\u2019s event in the mayor’s office came weeks after city council announced its 2024 draft budget, which includes a $13.4-million increase to the Ottawa police. In fact, council will vote on the budget on Dec. 6, the 34th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were killed at l’\u00c9cole Polytechnique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender-based violence is a critical issue in Ottawa, Ontario and globally. With community members and organizations working tirelessly in the fight against sexual violence, some criticize the substantial increase to police funding. In a time when intimate partner violence is an epidemic, advocates instead are calling for culturally appropriate response initiatives, early intervention and a critical look into the systemic issues behind these acts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ottawa City Hall’s heritage building on Elgin Street, pictured on Nov. 30, will be lit up purple for the duration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. So far this year, Ottawa police say there have been 5,815 reports of intimate partner violence in the city. [ Photo \u00a9 Ely Pittman ]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

‘Much more we need to do’: Sutcliffe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here in Ottawa, there have been 5,815 reports of intimate partner violence in 2023 so far, compared to 6,544 in 2022 and 6,385 in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n

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[ Infographic \u00a9 Ely Pittman ]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Insp. Peter Jupp, a specialized investigator for the Ottawa police, said the current statistic does not mean there is less domestic violence. \u201cThere\u2019s so many things that can impact reporting,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jupp explained one of the OPS\u2019s biggest problems is people not reporting due to lack of faith in the authorities. He said the force is currently working on a new strategic plan that specifically addresses domestic violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re consistently told from our community and advocacy groups that domestic violence is one of our biggest community concerns,\u201d he said, pointing out the importance of working with advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his comments during Monday’s event, Mayor Sutcliffe said the increasing rate of gender-based violence in Ottawa was a priority in hiring new police officers. \u201cWe know there is so much more we need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2024 budget draft proposes<\/a> a hiring of 555 new police officers and civilian employees over the next three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women publicly critiqued the funding increase<\/a>, calling for more funding to community-based initiatives, affordable housing, transit and immigration support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention must address root causes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Other advocates say more work needs to be done to prevent gender-based violence instead of relying on a police response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPolice don\u2019t prevent anything, they react,\u201d said Marlihan Lopez, an activist and expert who worked on the development of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. \u201cThe first thing is deconstructing what prevention is and the idea that police prevent violence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lopez said prevention looks like \u201caddressing the root causes of gender-based violence,\u201d like intergenerational trauma. \u201cOur communities need a lot of healing,\u201d she said. She noted a way of prevention is having access to mental health and resources that help engage healing while acknowledging cultural and historical factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lopez also mentioned the importance of youth and how, by enforcing their agency, they can be empowered to interrupt violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you go to a youth that comes from a racialized background and you tell them their culture enforces less women\u2019s rights or is more misogynistic, that\u2019s not going to empower them to interrupt violence,\u201d Lopez explained.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alexandra Bishop represents CALAS at the Take Back the Night March on Sept. 21, 2023. Bishop says her Gatineau-based organization educates secondary and mature students, social workers and police to ensure everyone knows what sexual violence is and how to prevent it. [Photo \u00a9 Lily McDonald]. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Alexandra Bishop, a social worker with CALAS de l\u2019Outaouais, expressed a similar sentiment, pointing out how education and early intervention is necessary for prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALAS de l’Outaouais is a non-profit organization fighting against sexual violence in Ottawa-Gatineau. Bishop said her organization educates secondary and mature students, social workers and police to ensure everyone knows what sexual violence is and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery student, every person should have the same content,\u201d she said, pointing out the importance of consistency in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said CALAS is working towards more wide-scale events to get the message across. Recently in September, CALAS co-hosted the Take Back the Night March, an annual action encouraging people to stand against sexual violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cA lot of prevention is necessary,\u201d she pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre is providing over 500 survivors of sexual violence with crucial supports, according to service navigator Caron Cuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuff said the organization is trying to be as preventive as possible but mostly works with survivors. \u201cOur role is to support them as an individual through counselling, access to safe accommodation, basic needs,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said a lot of clients choose not to report to the police and instead seek support in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuff said healing looks different for everyone. \u201cWe support whatever that individual\u2019s perspective of healing looks like in any capacity that we can.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted some survivors do wish to report to see a measure of accountability, but for some, it\u2019s not that important. Cuff noted sometimes the perspective changes, depending on where someone is in the healing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Statistics Canada, 94 per cent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police<\/a>. Fifty-seven per cent of sexual assault survivors said their primary reason for not reporting was not wanting to involve the police or the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jupp said the mandatory charging guidelines in Ontario, established in 1999, do not allow police to suggest a non-criminal resolution to incidents of domestic violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police-alternative approaches needed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Those advocating against gender-based violence are asking for more non-police involved approaches to intervention and response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Lopez, responding to gender-based violence looks like equipping survivors with what they need to leave violent situations, like urgent financial support, secured Canadian citizen status and secure housing. Lopez said transformative prevention involves addressing the systemic issues that allow for gender-based violence to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only response that governments really are invested in are responses through the criminal legal system, which does not prove to reduce or address gender-based violence, and according to most survivors, do not provide healing that they need,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to restorative justice, Indigenous leaders are looking to return to the original teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carol McBride is the president of the Native Women\u2019s Association of Canada. She said getting back to a \u201ccultural approach\u201d of serving justice is important to renewing law enforcement\u2019s credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n

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[ Infographic \u00a9 Ely Pittman ]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIndigenous people are overrepresented in police-involving death. That\u2019s serious,\u201d McBride explained. \u201cIndigenous people represent one third of people shot to death by police. There\u2019s definitely something wrong there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murder is the third leading cause of death<\/a> for Indigenous women, with more than four out of five Indigenous women and girls experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McBride said restorative justice looks different for each community. \u201cWe have not been at the same level of trauma, of cultural shock or identity,\u201d she said. \u201cOn an Indigenous level, lawmakers need to engage in a meaningful and collaborative discussion with the community they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She mentioned there is money allocated to develop a legislative framework for First Nations policing. She said she hopes the discussions reflect the community they serve and are culturally- and trauma-informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that they have a long way to go,\u201d McBride added. \u201cI\u2019m feeling hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McBride said communities must be actively involved in the discussions to ensure they receive appropriate services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a grandmother and I have four grandchildren that are growing up,\u201d McBride said. She added she \u201cwouldn\u2019t want them to go through a lot of the discrimination\u201d brought on by assimilation and settler-based approaches in the criminal-justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A vigil for The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in remembrance of the l\u2019\u00c9cole Polytechnique massacre will be held in Minto Park on Dec. 6.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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