The term "violence against women" means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women
United Nations, 1994
| British
Columbia has the highest reported rate of violence against women in relationships
at 59 percent.1 Half of Canadian women (51%) have been victims of at least one act of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.2 Of all victims of crimes against the person in 1998*, females made up the vast majority of victims of sexual assaults (85%), criminal harassment (78%) and kidnapping or abduction (62%).3 Of all female victims of violent crimes in 1998*, 51% were victims of common assault, 11% of sexual assault, 10% of robbery, 9% of assault with a weapon causing bodily arm and 6% of criminal harassment. 3 Women are much more likely to be victimized by someone they know than by stranger. In 1998*, 78% of all female victims were victimized by someone they know (35% by a close friend or a business acquaintance, 32% by a current or past partner, 11% by other family members) while 22% were victimized by a stranger. 3 Over three-quarters (77%) of reported* victims of criminal harassment in 1999 were women. 4 Nine in ten female victims in 1999 were stalked by men. 4 While one in five women were stalked by men who were casual acquaintances, most women were stalked by men with whom they had been in previous intimate relationships, usually an ex-husband or ex-boyfriend (58%). Four percent (4%) of women were stalked by current partners. 4 Almost 19% of adult women in Canada are poor—the highest rate of women’s poverty in two decades. About 2.2 million adult women are now counted as low-income, compared with 1.8 million who had low incomes in 1980. 5 When the Royal Commission on the Status of Women issued its report, some 30 years ago, 47% of women under 65 who were on their own were considered low-income. In the three decades since then, the poverty rate of this group has scarcely changed. The most recent numbers show that 41% of women in this category have low incomes. The Royal Commission reported that almost 52% of families with children headed by sole-support mothers were poor. Today, that percentage, which went as high as 62% in 1984, now stands at 56%. In fact, the rate has been consistently above 50% since the early 1980s. 5 49% of unattached women aged 65 or older have low incomes. 5 In 2000*, 27,154 sexual offences were reported in Canada, including 24,049 sexual assaults and 3,105 other types of sexual offence (such as sexual touching, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, incest, sodomy and bestiality). Women made up the vast majority of victims of sexual assault (86%) and other types of sexual offences (78%). 6 In 2000*, the majority (54%) of female victims of sexual assault were under age 18 (20% were under age 12 and 34% were from 12 to 17 years old). Adult women aged 18 and over accounted for 45% of the female victims. With regard to other type of sexual offences, 43% of female victims were under age 12, 40% were from 12 to 17 years old, and 16% were adults. 6 In 2000*, 40% of female victims of sexual assault were assaulted by a friend or casual acquaintance, 23% by a stranger and 23% by a family member (including a spouse or ex-spouse). 6 According to the 1999 General Social Survey, only 37% of cases of spousal violence involving female victims were reported to the police in the five years preceding the survey. 7 According to the 1999 General Social Survey, marital separation does not necessarily mark the end of a violent relationship. Forty percent (40%) of women with a former violent marriage or common-law relationship reported that violence occurred after the couple separated. 8 The 1993 National Survey on Violence Against Women found that police were informed of about 26% of wife assault cases; police responded to 84% of the cases reported to them; but charges were laid in only 28% of the cases. 9 The 1993 National Survey on Violence Against Women found that police were informed of about 26% of wife assault cases; police responded to 84% of the cases reported to them; but charges were laid in only 28% of the cases. 9 1. Statistics Canada (1999) "Family Violence: a Statistical Profile", The Daily. Friday, June 11, 1999, Ottawa: Statistics Canada 2. Statistics Canada (1993). "The Violence against Women Survey", The Daily - November 18, 1993, Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 3. Statistics Canada (2000). Women in Canada 2000: A gender-based statistical report, Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 4. Hackett, K. (2000). "Criminal Harassment", Juristat 20(11), Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada 5. Statistics Canada (1997) Income Distribution by Size in Canada, April 1999, Ottawa: Statistics Canada 6. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (2001) Canadian Crime Statistics 2000 - Catalogue no. 85-205, Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada. 7. Statistics Canada (2000) Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2000, Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada. 8. Hotton, T. (2001) "Spousal Violence after Marital Separation" Juristat 21(7), Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada. 9. Rodgers, Karen. "Wife Assault: The Findings of a National Survey." Juristat 14, 9. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada, 1994. Status of Women Canada A Report Card on Women and Poverty by Monica Townsend FREDA Centre |
Access to
Justice Government of BC: F -- fail Criteria to qualify for passing grade:
Cuts to virtually all legal aid for family law and poverty law, courthouse closures, Crown victim services cut, family advocates cut, slashed budgets for Ombudsman and Human Rights Commission, implementation of the racist Aboriginal Treaty Referendum, and more. States should pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating violence against women and, to this end, should: (d) Develop penal, civil, labour and administrative sanctions in domestic legislation to punish and redress the wrongs caused to women who are subjected to violence; women who are subjected to violence should be provided with access to the mechanisms of justice and, as provided for by national legislation, to just and effective remedies for the harm that they have suffered; States should also inform women of their rights in seeking redress through such mechanisms; (f) Develop, in a comprehensive way, preventive approaches and all those measures of a legal, political, administrative and cultural nature that promote the protection of women against any form of violence, and ensure that the re-victimization of women does not occur because of laws insensitive to gender considerations, enforcement practices or other interventions
....the eradication of apartheid, all forms of racism, racial
discrimination, colonialism, neo-colonialism, aggression, foreign
occupation and domination and interference in the internal affairs
of States is essential to the full enjoyment of the rights of men and
women .
United Nations, 1994
Access to Services Government of BC: F -- fail Criteria to to qualify for passing grade:
100% cuts to women's centres in 2004, cuts to Bridging programs, home care services, rape crisis counsellors, family advocates, public sector cuts, cuts to grants and withholding of contracts for non-profit service providers, and more; no gender analysis completed prior to budget process. States should pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating violence against women and, to this end, should: (h) Include in government budgets adequate resources for their activities related to the elimination of violence against women; (o) Recognize the important role of the women's movement and non-governmental organizations world wide in raising awareness and alleviating the problem of violence against women; (p) Facilitate and enhance the work of the women's movement and non-governmental organizations and cooperate with them at local, national and regional levels. Economic Equality
Government of BC: F -- fail
Criteria to qualify for passing grade:
Massive cuts and changes for income assistance and disability benefits, increased MSP premiums, de-listing of MSP services, scrapping of pay equity legislation, no recognition of women's unpaid labour as work, reduced minimum wage for "training", cuts to universal childcare, cutting Debtor's Assistance program, statement of Minister Responsible for Women's Equality that women's individual "choices" cause wage inequity, and more. ....in situations of poverty women have the least access to food, health, education, training and opportunities for e mployment and other needs....
Many women in Canada and many women around the world are poor.
They are poorer than men in every society, and they are poor for different
reasons. Women’s persistent poverty and economic inequality are caused
by a number of interlocking factors: the social assignment to women
of the unpaid role of caregiver and nurturer for children, me
n, and old people; the
fact that in the paid labour force women perform the majority
of the work in the "caring" occupations and that this "women’s work"
is lower paid than "men’s work"; the lack of affordable, safe child
care; the lack of adequate recognition and support for child care and
parenting responsibilities that either constrains women’s participation
in the labour force or doubles the burden they carry; the fact that
women are more likely than men to have non-standard jobs with no job security,
union protection, or benefits; the entrenched devaluation of the labour
of women of colour, Aboriginal women, and women with disabilities; and
the economic penalties that women incur when they are unattached to men,
or have children alone. In general, women as a group are economically unequal
because they bear and raise children and have been assigned the role of
caregiver. Secondary status and income, and - for millions of women - poverty,
go with these roles.
Canadian Women and the Social Deficit, National Association of Women and the Law, 1998 Gender-Inclusive Policy Reform
Government of BC: F -- fail Criteria to qualify for passing grade:
Performance Notes:
Continued refusal to adhere to the principles of gender-inclusive policy development. What is gender-based analysis? Gender-based analysis is intrinsic to quality policy analysis. Gender analysis is based on the standpoint that policy cannot be separated from the social context, and that social issues are an integral part of economic issues. Social impact analysis, including gender analysis, is not just an add-on, to be considered after costs and benefits have been assessed, but an integral part of good policy analysis. Gender-based analysis identifies how public policies differentially affect women and men. In some cases, gender issues may be significant to the policy, and play a determining role. In other cases, they may be less significant to the outcome, and constitute a set of factors to be weighed with others. While gender implications may not be obvious in the first stage of analysis, they may emerge later. Therefore, gender questions should be raised throughout the analytical process. For example, it is often assumed that structural adjustment programs will have a neutral gender impact and are not appropriate for gender-based analysis. However, gender-based analysis will make transparent issues such as the over-representation of women in lower-paying jobs and the differential effect economic restructuring and any adjustment policies will therefore have on women, given their current lower e conomic and social status relative to men. Gender-based analysis is supported by tools, such as gender-disaggregated data, gender-sensitive equality indicators, and guidelines and criteria, for assessing when gender is likely to be an issue in the development of policies. Setting the Stage for the Next Century: the Federal Plan for Gender Equality, Status of Women Canada, 1995
The concept of women’s equality is rooted in history, and has
evolved in relation to changing social, economic and political conditions.
At the turn of the century, the emerging women’s movement in the developed
world focused its efforts on achieving what has become known as “formal
equality,” characterized by a struggle for the same treatment, opportunities
and privileges for women as for men.
One of the early successes, of course, was women’s gaining the right to vote. Despite these changes, women have not achieved full equality with men nor gained equal access to the decision-making process. Gender equality means that women and men have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and potential and to contribute to national political, economic, social and cultural development and benefit e qually from the results. Equality is essential for human development and peace. Attaining gender equality demands a recognition that current social, economic, cultural, and political systems are gendered; that women’s unequal status is systemic; that this pattern is further affected by race, et hnicity and disability; and that it is necessary to incorporate women’s specificity, priorities and values into all major social institutions. Setting the Stage for the Next Century: the Federal Plan for Gender Equality
Women's Equality and Human Rights
Government of BC: F -- fail Criteria to qualify for passing grade:
Minister's statement that more women are "abused, not oppressed", cuts to programs, services, and income supports directly affecting women's Human Rights, disappearance of Ministry of Women's Equality, complete refusal to acknowledge BC's legal commitment to International Human Rights Treaties. ....violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and....violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men....
Barriers to equality are rooted in long-standing attitudes and
traditions not only about women, but also about race, age, sexual orientation,
disability, colour, etc. In particular, the life situations of women
outside the dominant culture — women with disabilities, Aboriginal women,
women from visible minorities, elderly women, lesbians, lone mothers, women
in poverty — are quite different from the mainstream. For them, the path
to equality has been, and continues to be, even more difficult.
Equality for all women will come about only as these attitudes, imbedded in the workplace, educational institutions and the family, are challenged and begin to change. To achieve true equality, actions must be taken that adjust for the differences in experiences and situations between women and men, and among women, and that correct the systemic nature of inequality. |
Violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation;
(b) Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution;
(c) Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.