November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month in Ontario.  According to the Ontario Women’s Directorate , 7% of Ontario women living in a common-law or marital relationship reported experiencing physical/sexual assault by a spousal partner at least once between 1994 and 2004, yet less than one quarter of victims of spousal violence report to the police.

The statistics below demonstrate the importance of Woman Abuse Awareness Month.

• One half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16.
  Statistics Canada. The Daily, Thursday, November 18, 1993.
• Fear of deportation and fear of the police often keep immigrant and refugee women from reporting woman abuse. Bhola and Nelson 1990, B-35
• 20% of lesbians had been subjected to psychological, physical, & or sexual abuse in their relationship. Abuse in Lesbian Relationships Laurie C Chesley et al Toronto1991.
• 60% of women with disabilities are likely to experience some form of violence in their adult lives and 39% of women with disabilities experience physical or sexual assault. Breaking Barriers After Abuse Committee and PATH employment Services.
• In cases on women of colour and Aboriginal women, almost half (over 40%) live in poverty due to long standing policies and practices of racism. Canadian Research Institute for the
  Advancement of Women.(CRI AW)
• 8-10% of Ontario women over the age of 65 have experienced abuse. Moore et al:1997 p181.
• 50% of the transgendered respondents reported having been raped or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner. Gender,
  Violence and Resource Access Survey, Couvert and Cook-Daniels, 1998.

Wondering what YOU can do to prevent Violence Against Women?  Here are some of our suggestions:

1. Recognize inequality and encourage change
2. Confront sexism, racism, ableism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, and all forms of oppression
3. Support women and children to empower themselves, to take control of their own bodies, wages and lives.
4. Advocate for ending violence, poverty, homelessness and the oppression of women and children.

Please keep checking our blog this month (you can even SUBSCRIBE below). We have some great posts planned for the 16 Days to End Gender Violence from November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to December 10th, Human Rights Day.

In the meantime, here are some great sites with more information about what YOU can do to prevent Violence Against Women:

UNiTE to End Violence Against Women

UNIFEM Violence Against Women

VDay 

Status of Women Canada