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| E-Bulletin |
November 2006
Aboriginal Family Violence |
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This month’s theme is Aboriginal Family Violence. The National Clearinghouse on Family Violence E-bulletin is a quarterly newsletter for those interested in family violence prevention. It is produced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on behalf of the Family Violence Initiative (FVI) of the Government of Canada. We hope that this medium will facilitate communication among Canadian family violence prevention stakeholders. On behalf of the federal government and 15 member departments, the Public Health Agency of Canada coordinates the Family Violence Initiative. With the long-term goal of reducing the occurrence of family violence in Canada, the Government of Canada provides the Family Violence Initiative with $7 million permanent annual funding. This allocation supports and complements activities across seven departments and agencies:
The following departments address family violence issues through existing departmental programs and activities:
The FVI
Under the Family Violence Initiative, the Public Health Agency of Canada also manages the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Canada's resource centre for information on violence within the family. It provides a centralized and comprehensive reference, referral and distribution service for information on aspects of family violence prevention, protection and treatment. For more information on the Clearinghouse and the Initiative, please visit We want to hear from you! Please send your comments and feedback to our editor at: 
Aboriginal Family Violence Statistics Canada’s 5th Edition of Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report states that:
For more information please visit:
Racialized and Sexualized Violence: Sisters in Spirit, submitted by Status of Women Canada In 2004, the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) launched the Sisters in Spirit campaign to raise awareness of the high rates of "racialized and sexualized violence" against Aboriginal women - that is, violence perpetrated against Aboriginal women because of their gender and Aboriginal identity. This type of violence typically occurs in the public sphere rather than within the home. The Government of Canada allocated $5 million in funding over 5 years (2005-2010) for the Sisters in Spirit initiative. The funding supports NWAC's work with other Aboriginal women's organizations and the federal government on activities aimed at:
The initiative will develop a comprehensive policy strategy for work at both national and international levels on issues relating to Aboriginal women's human rights by addressing the underlying factors contributing to racialized and sexualized violence. The five elements of the initiative are:
The federal government's support and NWAC's work from May 2005 to March 2006 have produced several short-term outcomes:
With NWAC, the Government of Canada has co-chaired a joint working group, which includes key departments, to identify areas for collaboration to address issues of racialized and sexualized violence.
The National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health The Public Health Agency of Canada recently established six National Collaborating Centres across the country as part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to renew and strengthen public health. The National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health seeks to support Aboriginal communities across Canada to realize their health goals and reduce the health inequities that currently exist for Aboriginal peoples. For more information: http://www.unbc.ca/nccah/
The NCFV offers more than 130 publications, including overview papers, reports, discussion papers and handbooks on family violence issues. NCFV publications are available free of charge, in hard copy or online, in English and French. To order, please visit our website or contact us. New Publications for Distribution: Child Maltreatment in Canada: Overview Paper (Update) National Clearinghouse on Family Violence Pamphlet (Update) The NCFV provides an extensive library reference collection, housed in the Health Canada Departmental Library. Resources may be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Please contact the NCFV for more information or visit: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/lib-eng.php New to the Library Reference Collection: Aboriginal Family Violence Indian Residential Schools Mental Health Support Program: Program Framework, by the Indian Residential Schools Mental Health Support Program (Canada), Ottawa: Health Canada, 2005, 14 pgs. [NCFV Index '05] Available at: http://hc-sc.gc.ca/fnih-spni/pubs/indiresident/2004_dec_program_mental/index_e.html or Intimate partner violence: Reflections on Experience, Theory and Policy, by Mary Rucklos Hampton & Nikki Gerrard, of RESOLVE (Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse), Toronto: Cormorant Books Inc., 2005, 190 pgs. [ncfv/HV6626/I61p/2006] Just ask us: A Conversation with First Nations Teenage Moms, by Sylvia Olsen & Sylvia Winlaw, BC: Sono Nis Press, 2005, 165 pgs. [ncfv/HQ759.4/O52/2005] Justice as Healing: Indigenous Ways, by Wanda D. McCaslin, Saskatoon: Native Law Centre of Canada, 2005, 458 pgs. [ncfv/E98.C87/J96/2005] Publisher's abstract: http://www.usask.ca/nativelaw/publications/jah/jah_iw.html Surviving in the Hour of Darkness: The Health and Wellness of Women of Colour and Indigenous Women, G. Sophie Harding, Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2005, 314 pgs. [nfcv/RA564.86/S963/2005] Publisher's abstract: http://www.uofcpress.com/1-55238/1-55238-101-3.html Other Deviance, crime and control: beyond the straight and narrow, by Lorne J. Tepperman. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, 2005, 334 pgs. [Call no.: ncfv/HM811/T314/2005] Publisher's abstract: http://www.oup.com/ca/he/companion/teppermandeviance/ Dragonslippers: this is what an abusive relationship looks like, by Rosalind Penfold. Toronto: Penguin, 2005, 257 pgs. [Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.2/P399/2005] Also available online: WB: http://www.dragonslippers.com/home.html Feminist frameworks: building theory on violence against women, by Lisa Sydney Price. Halifax: Fernwood, 2005, 127 pgs. [Call no.: ncfv/HV6250.4.W65/P945/2005] Publisher's abstract: http://www.fernwoodbooks.ca/pages/search_titles.php?keyword=feminist+ Obsession with intent: violence against women, by Lee Lakeman. Montreal: Black Rose Books, 2005, 236 pgs. [Call no.: ncfv/HV6250.4/W65/L14/2005] Sexual assault in Nova Scotia: a statistical profile, by Sandra D. McFadyen; Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Halifax: The Council, 2005, 30 pgs. Standing together: women speak out against violence and abuse, edited by Linda Goyette. Toronto: Brindle & Glass; Litterary Trade Group, 2005, 229 pgs. [Call no.: ncfv/HV6626/S785/2005] Women, abuse and trauma therapy: an information guide for women and their families, by Lori Haskell. Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2006, 44 pgs. [Call no.: ncfv/RC552.T7/H349/2003] In collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, the NCFV offers a vast collection of videos that address family violence. Videos may be borrowed through NFB partner public libraries across Canada or through an interlibrary loan through your local public, academic, or institutional library. To obtain a complete list of videos, libraries and distributors, please contact us or vist our online video catalogue. New to the Video Collection: Donna’s Story - An intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor, Donna's Story profiles a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets. Donna re-emerges as a powerful voice counselling Aboriginal adults and youth about abuse and addiction (2001). Sans voix sans visage - Cette vidéo traite de la violence au féminin, un sujet tabou, honteux, pourtant réel et de plus en plus fréquent. La nier équivaut à refuser de voir la détresse de celles qui demeurent prisonnieres de leur comportement violent. C'est aussi refuser de leur donner une lueur d'espoir, une éclaircie. Sans voix sans visage aborde ce sujet délicat avec des femmes qui ont subi puis exercé la violence, pour finalement la surmonter (2004). Universal Screening for Domestic Abuse - The Emergency Room Nurses’ Experience - This film portrays the experiences of ER nurses after the implementation of new abuse screening protocols. Although they were initially reluctant to take on the task of asking their patients some very personal questions, in addition to their already heavy workloads, these nurses recognized an increase in professional satisfaction in their work (2002). Les hommes de ma vie - Cette vidéo nous livre le témoignage d’une femme victime d’agression sexuelle et les conséquences dévastatrices de ce type d’agression. « La réalité dans les hommes de ma vie est loin de ressembler à celle que la société nous propose dans les contes de fées qui finissent bien. Les hommes de ma vie, c'est mon père. Les hommes de ma vie, c'est mon frère. Les hommes de ma vie, c'est mon agresseur (2004). Publications:
November is:
November 19, 2006 - World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse November 19-21, 2006 - Diverse Voices: Family Violence Conference, Edmonton, AB November 19-22, 2006 - worldforum 2006 - Future Directions in Child Welfare, Vancouver, BC November 20, 2006 - National Child Day (Universal Children's Day) & Canadian launch of the UN Study on Violence Against Children November 25, 2006 -International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women December 6, 2006 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Prairieaction Foundation breaks the cycle of violence and abuse by raising funds to sustain:
For further information, please refer to www.prairieactionfoundation.ca or contact the foundation at: Prairieaction Foundation
Canadian Family Violence Researcher We are pleased to highlight the work of Cindy Blackstock, a member of the Gitksan Nation. Ms Blackstock’s specific area of interest is exploring the reasons for the over-representation of Aboriginal children in child welfare care and developing policy solutions to address the situation. She is the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, a national organization supporting the work of First Nations child and family service agencies and regional organizations by providing research, professional development and networking services. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada led the Wen:de projects, multi-disciplinary research projects that brought together more than 25 researchers - representing fields as diverse as law, economics, community development, sociology, social work, and substance misuse - to conduct the research necessary to inform a new funding methodology for First Nations child welfare. The Wen:de projects inspired Jordan's Principle - a child first policy to resolve jurisdictional disputes. The projects also encourage strategic investments in prevention services that address caregiver substance misuse, poverty and poor housing as a way to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in care (www.fncaringsociety.com). Ms Blackstock has published numerous articles on Aboriginal child welfare and has participated in a variety of research projects and working groups at regional, national and international levels. She is currently co-convenor of the Sub Group for Indigenous Children and Youth for the NGO Group on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, co-director for the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare and board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Research Centre: Adapting Best Practices Violence Prevention Programs for Aboriginal Youth The Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children and The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Centre for Prevention Science are leading a three-year national project with partners in Ontario, B.C. and Manitoba to research and implement best practices in adapting violence prevention programs for Aboriginal youth. The project is based on the principle that varied communities throughout the country must have input into the cultural adaptation of violence prevention programs for Aboriginal youth. This will be facilitated by an emphasis on youth engagement among the participants involved. Specific community needs will be addressed by local partners at four different sites: London, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Bella Coola. In the first year, a needs assessment is being carried out to determine what gaps exist in current programs for Aboriginal youth. As well, local and national advisory committees will be established and the process of adaptation of programs will begin at selected sites. The second year will focus on the process of adapting prevention programs to appropriately address the needs of Aboriginal youth. The third year will focus on identifying the markers of successful cultural adaptation of prevention programs for Aboriginal youth. Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children Other Organizations of Interest * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * PASS IT ON: Please feel free to forward this e-bulletin to others. To subscribe or unsubscribe: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence: Telephone 1-800-267-1291 or (613) 957-2938; TTY 1-800-465-7735 or 613-952-6396; Fax (613) 941-8930; Web site http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/nc-cn; e-mail ncfv-cnivf@phac-aspc.gc.ca |
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