Ending Violence Association of British Columbia

Slated to be completed in March 2011, the Safety for Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women Project has been a 3-year partnership undertaken by EVA BC with MOSAIC and Vancouver Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services to consult, analyze and take action to address policy gaps that compromise the safety of immigrant, refugee, and non-status women who experience violence.  This project has been funded by the Law Foundation of BC.

Following is a complete listing of the resource documents developed by the project, all of which are available for immediate download.

Provincial Briefing Notes Series

Provincial Briefing Note 2: Collection of Sponsorship Debt Accrued by Abused Immigrant Women

Provincial Briefing Note 3: Family Justice Issues for Abused Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women

Provincial Briefing Note 4: Health Care Services for Abused Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women

Provincial Briefing Note 5: Protection of Children of Abused Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women

Provincial Briefing Note 6: Criminal Justice System Issues for Abused Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women

Provincial Briefing Note 7: Coordination of Responses to Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women who are Victims of Violence in BC

Provincial Briefing Note 8: Training of Violence Against Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women

Federal Briefing Notes Series

Federal Briefing Note 1: Needs of Women without Status as a Result of Leaving an Abusive Spouse

Federal Briefing Note 2: Gender Bias in Immigration Criteria

Federal Briefing Note 3: Citizenship & Immigration Canada Guidelines for Cases Involving Victims of Domestic or Sexual Violence

Federal Briefing Note 4: Sponsorship Debt for Abused Women

Federal Briefing Note 5: Coordination of Responses to Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-Status Women Who are Victims of Violence

Federal Briefing Note 6: Training of Immigration Officials on Violence Against Women

Other

• A Literature Review
• Annotated Bibliography
• Focus Groups Summary

Prevention of Violence Against Women Week

National Victims of Crime Awareness Week

BC Victims of Crime Awareness Week

April 18 – 24, 2010

 

April 18 -24, 2010 marks Prevention of Violence Against Women Week in British Columbia and Victims of Crime Awareness Week nationally and in BC.

 

Prevention of Violence Against Women Week highlights the need for continued efforts to end violence against women. The BC Corner’s Office reports that 73 people in BC have lost their lives due to domestic violence over the past 5 years, most of whom were women and children.  Numbers offered by Statistics Canada indicate over 650,000 women suffered either sexual and/or relationship violence in Canada between 1999 and 2004.  The United Nations, Amnesty International and the World Health Organization all say violence against women is the most tolerated human rights violation around the globe.

 

This year’s theme for the National Victims of Crime Awareness Week is “Every Victim Matters”, recognizing that every victim of crime should be treated with compassion and respect.  The week also acknowledges the efforts of the many professionals and volunteers who work with victims of crime and their families who demonstrate on a daily basis that every victim does indeed matter.

 

For more info, visit the Government of Canada’s website at http://www.victimsweek.gc.ca/home-accueil.html or get updated on the BC Chapter of the We Can Campaign at http://www.wecanbc.ca/

 

Melissa Chatham, a 24 year old young woman from Delta, BC, was tragically taken from her family and friends on Sunday September 21, 2008 in an act of violence. Melissa was a strong and beautiful young woman who was about to return to University and was taking many positive steps to gain control of her life, when it was taken from her.

Tragically, Melissa's family is not alone in having experienced such a devastating loss. Violence against women continues to pose enormous threats to the safety of women across Canada and in BC.

The Chatham family has set up a memorial fund in honor of Melissa's life through the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (EVA BC). The intention of the fund is to benefit other young women dealing with the devastating impacts of relationship violence across BC.

Donations to the Melissa Chatham Memorial Fund can be made online:

or by mailing a cheque, made payable to "EVA BC", to:
728-602 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1P2.

An official charitable receipt will be issued for all donations received.

EVA BC and CCWS have worked with the RCMP, municipal police and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to find ways that victims can get information to police without having to engage with the justice system. RCMP and municipal police in BC have now adopted a provincial protocol for third party reporting.

Download background document on Third Party Reporting (pdf)

Download Third Party Reporting Info Sheets (pdf)

A project coordinated by the Ministry of Women's Equality to create counselling practice guidelines to enhance the work of program practitioners. Steering Committee representation from EVA BC as well as counsellors in STV programs housed in Specialized Victim Assistance Programs, Women's Centres and Transition Houses.

An initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Skills and Training, to fund and develop programs and policies throughout university and college campuses to better insure issues of safety, accessibility and equality. EVA BC played a key role advising this Committee of issues related to violence against women and also advised on proposed policy and program appropriateness to those affected.

A project taken on by EVA BC in partnership with the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses to develop tools and plans to assist the organizational needs of women serving and victim serving organizations in the area of human resources, labour relations, management coaching and organizational growth and change.

An initiative taken on and coordinated by EVA BC, in partnership with the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses, to develop a paper for the Transition Commissioner regarding possible options for shifting the social service delivery system as it relates to services to children within women's services.

An initiative by EVA BC in partnership with the BC Women's Hospital to develop analysis and a provincial proposal for the introduction of nurse examiners in hospitals throughout BC to conduct sexual assault medical and forensic examinations.

An EVA BC initiative to pay tribute to work being done by organizations, individuals and businesses across BC to prevent violence against women. We subsequently established a partnership with the Ministry of Women's Equality and the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses to push ahead with this project designed to encourage, recognize and honour the outstanding work being done across BC in building a safer future for women and a violence free society. There are 4 categories: individual, partnership, organization and corporate.