Presentation by the Government of Canada to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, 1998
It is estimated that 51% of all women 18 years of age and over have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence since age 16. Even more troubling, of all violent incidents reported by respondents, very few were ever reported to the police or to social service agencies.
For many of these victims, the difficult process of dealing with their trauma and protecting themselves from future incidents of violence is one that they feel forced to embark on alone.
Through the Violence Against Women Program, COSTI has been counselling victims of women abuse since 1984, helping them to understand that they are not alone, and ensuring that they have the support they need to escape their situations and to increase their self-reliance.
With this goal in mind, the program has also been actively involved in public education activities aimed at building awareness of the issue of domestic violence, and dispelling myths associated with the issue. COSTI has also produced a video, " They Have No Choice" , written from a child's perspective, which has been requested from agencies from across the country.
While the clinical approach continues to be very effective in addressing the issue of domestic violence, there is also an urgent need for a program that provides these women with a friendly, ongoing support following the assistance they would receive from the program's professional social workers. It is for this reason that COSTI is developing a volunteer support component that would match former participants with those currently in the process of attempting similar transitions.
This service will support those women who, in the past, may have been screened out of traditional programs for the reason that they required support unavailable within the confines of those programs. These are women that have been subjected to long-term isolation, and that are characterized as lacking English skills, as well as the confidence and training required to enter or re-enter the labour market.
Volunteers will work with these women on an ongoing basis, focusing on their strengths, encouraging them to become involved in community activities, providing education and awareness of the dynamics of abuse, accompanying them to appointments, providing a supportive and non-judgmental ear to their issues, concerns and fears, and ensuring that they connect with social workers in the event that indicators of abuse are identified in new relationships.
Through its existing services, and those under development, COSTI's Violence Against Women Program will continue to make a difference in the lives of women and children, empowering them, and ensuring that never again will they fall victim to abuse.
