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16 Days: Human Rights Day

Posted on: December 10th, 2012 by Nellie's No Comments

Today, December 10^th is Human Rights Day. On December 10th 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which promotes the protection of human rights worldwide. Every year, a specific issue is highlighted. This year, the focus is on the right of all human beings to make their voices heard and to be included into the political decision-making process. This year’s theme is: “My Voice Counts”.

Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirm that all humans have the right to freedom of opinion and expression, to peaceful assembly and association, and to take part in the government.

People around the world have been making their voices heard in recent years, from the Arab protest to the Occupy Movement. Canada’s reputation as a country where human rights are respected took a backseat during the 2010 G20 Summit in Toronto. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association identified human rights violations related to arbitrary arrests, degrading conditions of detention and abusive behaviour by police.

Recently, the Constance E. Hamilton Award on the Status of Women was awarded to Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, a formidable activist who advocates for the achievement of women’s equality in education, social housing, literacy, employment, reproductive choice and the elimination of violence against women. Her work, both at grassroots and international levels, is a prime example of the importance and potential influence of speaking up against social injustices.

Nellie’s is committed to provide resources for all women and children to have their voices heard. You can help Nellie’s accomplish this goal by:

Using the power of the social media with the hashtag #VoiceCount on Twitter to help spread the word on this important day and the message it carries.
Being involved in the political process and voting for the politician that you feel will best serve the interests the people, including the most marginalized.
Speaking up when you see instances of injustice around you.
Creating awareness by participating in social justice events in your community.

Freedom of speech is a right, exercise that right!

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Posted on: October 17th, 2012 by Nellie's No Comments

Today, October 17, is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, established by the United Nations in 1993. Eliminating poverty may seem like an unattainable goal, but much can be accomplished by a more equal distribution of the world’s resources. According to UN studies, women represent 70% of the world’s poor people. Although women do 66% of the world’s labour, according to The World Bank, they only earn 10% of global income and own a mere 1% of the world’s land. According to The Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, much of this inequality exists in Canada, where, women (including part-time and part-year workers) earn 64.0% as much as men and Aboriginal women earn 46% as much as men.

At Nellie’s we view poverty as a form of violence against women. In 2004 we completed our position paper on this topic, and wrote about women experiencing multiple oppressions such racism, ableism, and raising children as a single parent, which all impact their experience of poverty. Nellie’s works in partnership with programs such as the December 6 Fund , which provides interest-free loans to help women pay rent and clear debts. We are campaigning against the Ontario Government’s plan to cut the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit, a payment that helps women pay for heat and electricity so they can avoid eviction. We are also involved with the Right to Housing Campaign, led by the Advocacy Centre for Tenants, Ontario. This campaign is based on the fact that under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we all have a right to adequate, affordable housing. Nellie’s is organizing a public forum on our right to housing on November 22, which is National Housing Day.

If you’d like to help eradicate poverty, you can write to your Member of Provincial Parliament and demand an end to the cuts in social assistance, especially the Community Start-Up Benefit. You can commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by joining The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty at their protest of social assistance cuts today at 12 noon (details here). They are planning mass applications for the Start-Up Benefit, followed by a lunch and a march on the Provincial Government to deliver the applications.

Ending women’s poverty will help the whole community. Let’s make it happen!

Human Rights Day and Aboriginal Women in Canada

Posted on: December 10th, 2011 by Nellie's 1 Comment

Today, December 10th is celebrated as Human Rights Day both at home and around the world. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted on December 10th, 1948 and for 63 years this date has marked Human Rights Day worldwide. This year the theme for Human Rights Day is the transformative power of social media, and how tools like twitter, facebook, blogs, and instant messaging are transforming ordinary people into human rights activists. Over the past 6 months at Nellie’s, we have experienced firsthand the power of social media to communicate and engage with our supporters online through our twitter, facebook, and blog and we believe that social media is a great tool to advance important causes.

On Human Rights Day this year, we would like to use the power of social media to bring attention to the most important human rights issue in our country – the treatment of Aboriginal Women and Girls. The Native Women’s Association of Canada estimates that within the last twenty years, over 500 Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing in Canada. According to the Canadian Government, young Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis & Inuit) women are five times more likely than other women of the same age to die as the result of violence in Canada. Indigenous women have struggled for a long time to draw attention to violence within their families and communities, without much support from Canadian police and public officials.

Racist violence against Indigenous women in Canadian cities is well known through the media, but little has been done to prevent it. The results of these racist policies and lack of attention have resulted in racist and sexist stereotypes of Indigenous women, encouraging some men to feel they can get away with acts of hatred against them. In April 1999, the U.N. Human Rights Committee declared the situation of Aboriginal people in Canada as “the most pressing human rights issue” in our country. In 2007 Robert Pickton had 27 charges laid against him and 1/3 of the women he is accused of killing were Aborignal.

Decades of government policy have impoverished and broken apart Indigenous families and communities, leaving many Indigenous women and girls extremely vulnerable to exploitation and attack. Since the early 19th century, over 150,000 Aboriginal children have been forced to attend residential schools, away from their families and their communities. Children were forced to assimilate to mainstream Canadian culture and were “discouraged from speaking their first language or practising native traditions. If they were caught, they would experience severe punishment.” (CBC News). Many children taken from their parents were subjected to horrific violence and sexual abuse.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada and Amnesty International are two organizations that work tirelessly to keep the issue of violence against Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis & Inuit) women in the public eye. Amnesty International released their Stolen Sisters Report in 2004 and The Native Women’s Association of Canada holds an annual Stolen Sisters Vigil every year on October 4th to honour the lives of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.

Today, Human Rights Day, is an opportunity to reflect on violations against those that are most vulnerable in our communities. Stand together with us to recognize that human rights means the right to health and well-being for ALL regardless of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, age or ability. This blog post marks the end of our 16 Days to End Gender Violence Blog Series. Thank you for following this series and for sharing our posts with others. Together, we are creating awareness and inspiring action to prevent violence against women at home and around the world.

16 Days to End Gender Violence Begins Today

Posted on: November 25th, 2011 by Nellie's No Comments

Today, November 25th marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In Ontario, November is recognized as Women Abuse Prevention Month. While those of us at Nellie’s, and other women’s organizations work tirelessly everyday for the elimination of violence, today the international community and citizens around the world are asked to stop, pay attention, and take action to stop violence against women.

In Canada, the right to live free from violence is promised to all under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Unfortunately for women who are forced to enter a shelter, this right has been violated by an abusive partner, family member, or friend. According to Statistics Canada, in 2008, over 61,000 women in this country fled to a shelter to escape abuse and 146 women were killed before they could access help. Since 1999 in the province of Ontario, 471 women (and 57 children) have been murdered by their intimate partners, who were later charged or committed suicide. 16 women have been murdered this year. You can view their names here.

Last year at Nellie’s we provided shelter to 167 women and their children. Research confirms that the most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive relationship is right before she leaves and the most likely place for a woman to be assaulted or killed is in her very own home! It is only with courage, determination, strength and perseverance that these 167 women left their abusive relationships in search of a better life.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women marks the first day of 16 Days to End Gender Violence. During this time (Nov 25th-Dec 10th) we will be blogging to raise awareness and to commemorate key dates such as International Women Human Rights Defenders Day (Nov 29th), International Day for DisAbled Persons (Dec 3), National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Dec 6), and International Human Rights Day (Dec 10).

We hope you’ll join us in creating awareness and inspiring action to prevent violence against women at home and around the world by sharing our posts with your family and friends. You can click on “leave a comment” below to post to facebook, twitter, google+ or e-mail.

November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month

Posted on: November 2nd, 2011 by Nellie's No Comments

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:

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