World Day of Social Justice: Prioritizing Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
February 20th is the World Day of Social Justice, a day dedicated to advancing social equity, human rights, and systemic change. At Luke’s Place, we know that intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social justice issue deeply rooted in gender inequality, systemic discrimination, and structural barriers that prevent survivors from accessing safety, justice, and healing. We remain committed to supporting survivors, challenging systemic injustices, and advocating for policies that eliminate IPV.
IPV is a Social Justice Issue
IPV is a widespread epidemic that disproportionately impacts women and gender-diverse people. Many survivors face systemic barriers when seeking safety and support after separation. Many are living in poverty for the first time in their lives and are facing long wait lists for affordable, safe housing. These survivors often turn to the family court system as a way to find safety and financial security for themselves and their children after separation, only to be further traumatized and harmed by that system. Many survivors also face racism, ableism, transphobia, discrimination, and other barriers when trying to access support and services.
At Luke’s Place, we work to dismantle these barriers and empower survivors through direct support and providing access to public legal education. We also work to change the systems survivors may interact with by offering training to those who work in the relevant systems, all while advocating for changes to laws and policies to advance gender equality and better address the lived realities of survivors.
Taking Action for Social Justice
Eliminating IPV requires collective action. This World Day of Social Justice, we invite you to join us in standing with survivors. Here are some ways:
- Listen and amplify the voices of survivors
- Learn more about providing trauma-informed support to survivors in family court by taking our After She Leaves training program
- Check out our toolkit, Supporting after separation: Legal information and resources for a survivor’s friends and family members (available in English and French).
- Engage in ongoing education to understand the unique needs and challenges women face when navigating the family law system after leaving abuse
- Engage in feminist law reform and other advocacy activities (for example, take our e-training courses to learn how to engage in feminist law reform or with the media)
- Check out our advocacy toolkit and join us in calling for the implementation of all recommendations from the Culleton, Kuzyk and Warmerdam inquest
- Find us on social media and like/share/comment
- Support Ontario women’s access to our family law support services and resources by donating to Luke’s Place
Join us in the fight for social justice – together we can create lasting change!
