Voices of Change: Our current priorities
Our team advocates for women and their children leaving violence every single day. It is central to our work that we:
- Listen and amplify women’s voices about the changes they need
- Seek opportunities to enhance the safety and experiences of women leaving abuse
For our frontline staff, this often involves direct advocacy within specific systems. Some examples of this include helping a woman getting a certificate with Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), supporting a woman to effectively communicate with their lawyer, and advocating with court services to help a woman overcome barriers to accessing their services.
Our knowledge mobilization team engages in advocacy by conducting important research, creating resources and sharing information and education about intimate partner violence (IPV) and the family law system. As part of this work, we engage the general public, survivors, lawyers and other legal professionals/service providers, students, and other advocates.
With rates of violence increasing, now more than ever, we need to ensure that elected officials at all levels of government prioritize gender-based violence (GBV). Here are some of the causes we’re currently focused on:
- A declaration by the Ontario government that intimate partner violence is an epidemic. We supported the immediate passage of Bill 173. We will continue to support the passing of legislation that acknowledges the severity, prevalence, and impact of intimate partner violence (IPV).
- A review of Ontario’s mandatory charging policies and the harmful impact they have on survivors. Luke’s Place wrote a discussion paper in September that was endorsed by eleven organizations calling for the government to review mandatory charging policies. These policies have criminalized and disempowered survivors (especially those from marginalized communities) since they were introduced over 40 years ago. Our work continues through public awareness campaigns and outreach to the provincial government.
- Meaningful implementation of Keira’s Law to ensure all family court judges have comprehensive and consistent training on issues of IPV, intersectionality, and trauma. We continue to raise awareness of the importance of judicial education and the need for accountability when it comes to the education and training provided. We launched a public awareness campaign in the fall. We wrote letters to the Chief Justices of the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. We also provided feedback to the National Judicial Institute on topics that should be covered in future training.
- More legal representation for survivors of IPV in family court. We engage all levels of government and LAO about the lack of legal representation for survivors. We’ve provided feedback to LAO about this issue on multiple occasions. Most recently, we made a written submission in response to their open consultation about changes to the financial eligibility criteria for the criminal certificate program and duty counsel services. We continue to collaborate to raise awareness about this important issue.
Join us in tackling today’s challenges to create a future free from violence!
Your donation allows us to continue to amplify women’s voices to create lasting change. Donate today.
To learn more about our advocacy work and engagement in law reform visit our advocacy page.
Related blogs:
Voices of Change: Women Shaping Law Reform
International Women’s Day – Empowered voices: Women shaping law reform
