COSTI: Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) Campaign

Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) Campaign

The Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) Campaign, funded by the Government of Ontario, was born after a focused study showed that in every domestic violence related death reviewed, family members, neighbours, and/or professionals had some knowledge of the escalating circumstance between perpetrators and victims. This campaign aims to raise awareness about Gender-Based Violence so that those who are close to at-risk women can support them. COSTI has been part of the NFF Campaign since 2010 and has developed information sheets, videos and e-learning tools in different languages for members of the public to encourage action against gender-based violence. Access these resources below:

E-modules

Videos

COSTI has a mandate to inform public policy makers and the community at large about issues affecting newcomers and how they can best be addressed. At COSTI, we believe that excellence in service is best achieved by educating and working collaboratively with clients, ethno-specific communities, politicians and policy makers, educational institutions, media, and the community at large, so that collectively, the needs of individuals and their families are met through improved service delivery.

COSTI undertakes and participates in several public education initiatives including presentations; hosting international dignitaries interested in understanding settlement and employment services to newcomers; and public awareness and training projects.

The videos developed by COSTI focus on the three key messages of the NFF campaign.

Recognize the signs of Gender-Based Violence and high-risk factors for femicide
Respond to the person living in an abusive relationship
Refer them to professionals who can offer safety planning and other referrals and support

Women at risk of abuse

Safety planning for women who are abused

How to talk to men who are abusive

High risk factors for femicide

Helping women seek help for abuse

Digital safety for abused women

Understanding Types of Gender-Based Violence

Recognizing Control Behaviour

Recognizing Verbal Abuse

Recognizing Financial Abuse

Recognizing Psychological Abuse

Recognizing Physical Abuse

These videos are also available in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Farsi, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, and Urdu. To view them, visit COSTI's YouTube Channel.

Information Sheets

About Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) Campaign

Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) is a campaign funded by the Government of Ontario, in partnership between the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children in London, Ontario, and a team of experts, activists, and professionals in the Gender-Based Violence field. Its goal is to help people recognize the signs of Gender-Based Violence in romantic relationships so that those close to the woman in danger or the abusive man can step in and help improve their situation.

COSTI has been part of the NFF Campaign since 2010 when the Government of Ontario, worked with the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) and other immigrant-serving organizations to start awareness-raising projects for immigrant and refugee communities. It focusses on three main areas:

Strengthening the knowledge and skills of staff at COSTI and partner organizations that serve immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural, and racialized (IRER) communities
Hosting community information sessions in person and virtually. Write to gbvprojectinfor@costi.org to request an information session for your organization
Sharing NFF messages through information sheets, videos, and e-learning tools in different languages to promote the message that everyone has a role to play in preventing Gender-Based Violence in our community.

The NFF Campaign started because of the findings of the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC) that worked with the Ontario Office of the Chief Coroner to investigate deaths caused by domestic violence in Ontario between 2002 and 2005. Among the 148 cases studied, the committee noticed that “in every case reviewed, family members, neighbours, and/or professionals had some knowledge of the escalating circumstance between perpetrators and victims.” This showed the need for a program that educated the public about the warning signs of domestic violence and the appropriate action necessary to prevent it.

As part of the campaign, over 200 towns and cities across Ontario are working with community agencies to spread information about Gender-Based Violence and build resources to support those in need.

The campaign aims to:

Help the public recognize the warning signs and risk factors of Gender-Based Violence
Build confidence in community members to offer help and guidance to women living in abusive relationships
Increase knowledge about available resources for women who are in abusive relationships

More resources from the NFF Campaign can be found here: