Judicial education on IPV should not be optional

As discussed in our blog posts over the last few weeks, we are spending time this month discussing the importance of judicial education on intimate partner violence (IPV). Keira’s Law was a giant leap forward on this issue, officially including IPV in the list of possible topics for judicial education in the governing legislation. It…

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Legislation as a Result of Survivor Advocacy

Survivors have the power to create legal change – but should we have to? As September unfolds, and many of us and/or our children have returned to school, we want to remind judges that they, too, need to continue their education. Judicial education is often thought of in tandem with Keira’s Law. Next week, we…

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Back to school for judges!

As students across the province return to the classroom this week, we cannot help but think about how important it is for judges to do the same when it comes to learning about intimate partner violence (IPV). It’s been over a year since Keira’s Law was enacted and we do not seem to be any…

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For immediate release: Community Walk to End Intimate Partner Violence Set for September 21 at Durham Region Headquarters

Durham, Ontario – August 6, 2024 – Bethesda House, The Denise House, Herizon House, YWCA Durham, Safety Network Durham, Luke’s Place, Victim Services of Durham, WMRCC of Durham, and the Region of Durham are proud to announce the upcoming Community Walk to End Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), which will take place on Saturday, September 21st…

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Pamela Cross recognized with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

(Oshawa) At the June 27, 2024, Call to the Bar ceremony in Toronto, the Law Society of Ontario awarded a degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD) to Pamela Cross, former Advocacy Director of Luke’s Place, in recognition of her extraordinary achievement and leadership in the advancement of women’s equality. The Law Society awards…

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Call for a review of mandatory charging policies

Mandatory charging policies, introduced over 40 years ago, take the responsibility away from survivors for deciding whether to lay criminal charges in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV). Police are directed to lay charges where they believe there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction. The hope when these policies were first introduced was that they…

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The Consequences of Using Violence

Luke’s Place Advocacy Director, Pamela Cross, is featured in the latest episode of She Is Your Neighbour. She Is Your Neighbour is a prevention project and storytelling series created by Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region to explore the realities and complexities of domestic violence by sharing stories from people of all walks of life.…

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