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September 2010 Volume 17, Issue 9 Welcome to the September issue of the National Justice SNAPSHOTS Network e-Update, a publication of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime. PLEASE SHARE UPCOMING EVENTS: THIS FREE NEWSLETTER WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES OR HAVE THEM SIGN UP TO RECEIVE IT DIRECTLY ONLY A FEW DAYS REMAINING AT: http://crcvc.ca/en/newsletter/. To get the early bird registration rate for the 2-day training session THANK YOU to Amanda Bloom and Natasha Richards hosted by the CRCVC: for their assistance in composing this e-newsletter. Witnessing Victims' Resistance to Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime Violence and Oppression Visit: http://www.crcvc.ca With Allan Wade, Ph.D. Email: [email protected] October 25 & 26, 2010 Phone: 1.877.232.2610 In Ottawa, Ontario. Online registration. Visit http://crcvc.ca/en/2010-training/ to view the event poster and to The National Justice Network e-Update would not be register. possible without funding received from the Department of Justice Canada - Victims Fund. INVISIBLE CHAINS BOOK TOUR Invisible Chains: Canada’s LINKS OF INTEREST: Underground World of Human Policy Centre for Victim Issues Trafficking by Benjamin Perrin is a shocking exposé and impassioned Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime call to action to end human trafficking in Canada. The book is National Office for Victims launching a ‘National Public Awareness Campaign to End Victim Services, Correctional Service Canada Modern-Day Slavery in Canada’ and it will be running from October Information for Victims, National Parole Board 13-31, 2010. The book will be _______________________________________ released October 5 in bookstores. CANADA’S LONG-GUN REGISTRY SAVED IN CLOSE VOTE To RSVP and attend an Event in On September 22nd, federal MPs voted 153 - 151 in your area you can find a complete favour of saving the federal firearms registry and Bill C- list of dates and locations here. 391 died. The CRCVC is pleased by the result which means that Canada will continue to regulate the FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ownership of rifles and shotguns in Canada. The costs of HOST EVENTS DURING keeping the gun registration of rifles and shotguns are NATIONAL VICTIMS OF CRIME modest - $4 million a year - while the costs of gun AWARENESS WEEK violence is immense. The Government of Canada On September 15, a group of people gathered at Toronto provides funding for organizations Police headquarters with pleas to save the long-gun to host events during National registry. They brought with them an important message; Victims of Crime Awareness Week let us not forget the victims. (NVCAW). This year, NVCAW is taking place from April 10 - 16, Many of these individuals were united by their tragic 2011. The theme that has been circumstances associated with guns. Bob Pajkowski and chosen for NVCAW 2011 is: Many his wife, Dianne, lost their 21 year old daughter Melissa Voices, Many Paths. due to a gun. Mr. Pajkowski said, “It is very difficult for us to be here today, but we feel it critically important to do so There will be limited financial because we know what it is like to have a beloved family assistance of up to $10,000, which member killed by a gun.” will be available for projects that support the goals of NVCAW. The For Priscilla de Villiers, it was a .22-calibre rifle that deadline to submit the funding ended the life of her daughter, Nina, who was abducted application is November 1, 2010. from a Burlington tennis court in 1991. “I think the Applications will only be accepted message is quite simple: All guns are potentially lethal, up to this date. Only applications regardless of the size, length of the barrel, how they were that have been completed in full acquired, who owns them,” de Villiers said. “We need to will be eligible for funding. do whatever we can to ensure that they’re not falling into the hands of dangerous people.” For more information, send an e- mail to the committee or find Sadly, in the discussions surrounding the termination of application forms and information the long-gun registry the words; victim, tragedy, terrible on the application process at: hurt, intimidation and threat, were rarely used. The www.victimsweek.gc.ca reality of the victimization that people experience as a result of guns was not at the forefront of discussions UNDERSTANDING AND surrounding this Private Member’s Bill. RESPONDING TO MALE SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION The President of the Coalition for Gun Control, Wendy Cukier, when speaking following the vote said, “We can The Ontario Provincial Crime debate statistics all you want but at the end of the day we Prevention Section in partnership know for sure, the firearms registry never killed anyone. with the Canadian Centre for While getting rid of it might.” Abuse Awareness is offering a one day conference. The Rural B.C. psychiatrist, Dr. Barbara Kane, in regards to conference includes speakers who Bill C-391 stated, “in my professional practice, I have will address topics such as; personally seen many cases where the registry has been “Acting out to cope”, “Underlying used to remove guns from individuals who might present issues of addiction and male a risk to themselves or others. The registry makes childhood abuse”; “Residential people accountable for their guns and helps people like School Experience”, “Police vs. me and the police prevent gun death.” System” and more. Conferences will be run in Timmins on The CRCVC believes the regulation of rifles and November 4th, Kingston in shotguns is necessary for public safety reasons. After all, February 2011 and Toronto March we do require citizens in this country to register their cars, 2011. marriages and dogs, among other things. Why not potentially deadly weapons then? Registration can be done online at -------------------------------------------------------------- www.abusehurts.com ENDMODERNSLAVERY.CA Recently launched, endmoderndayslavery.ca, offers information on; human trafficking in Canada, the latest stories in Canada involving human trafficking, details on the launch of 9/11 COMMEMORATION CEREMONY Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking, and information on how you can take action to help combat human trafficking. The website is an excellent tool that is full of resources and facts that can help fight this form of modern-day slavery. THE ONTARIO VICTIM SERVICES SECRETARIAT As the Ontario Victim Services Secretariat (OVSS) continues to search for better ways to provide information to victims of crime and Photograph by: Richard Lawrence to support agencies they have recently redesigned their website Family members of Canadian 9/11 victims, in an effort to as of August 31st, 2010 to make it pay tribute to their lost loved ones and to honour all easier to find information. Users Canadian soldiers for their sacrifices in the fight against can access their pages at terrorism, gathered at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa www.ontario.ca/victimservices, th on September 11 , 2010 to remember and reflect upon where drop down menus allow for the lives of the twenty-four Canadians who perished in faster access to information on the attacks. Minister of National Defence Peter Mackay, programs, services and more. Senator Pamela Wallin, soloist Robert Pilon, Emcee Suhanna Meharchand, and United States Ambassador to VICTIM SERVICES DIRECTORY Canada David Jacobson are pictured above with 9/11 monument . The Department of Justice Victims Fund In 2009, the Policy Centre for graciously provided funding for this remembrance Victim Issues (PCVI) created the ceremony. online Victim Services Directory. ----------------------------------------------------------- This Directory was created with BC TEEN’S VICTIMIZATION DISPLAYED ON the intention to help victims, their FACEBOOK families and service providers find th On September 10 in Pitt Meadows, a small town east of local resources more quickly. Vancouver, a horrific sexual assault was committed Currently, the directory lists more against a teenage girl at a party. The victim was brutally than 500 organizations from all attacked and raped by multiple male attendees at a party. across the country that provide Sadly, to add to the harm suffered by this victims, services to victims. It is pictures and videos taken by an observer on the internet searchable by postal code, type of via Facebook. Local police were struggling to control the victimization and type of services distribution of these photos. Even though they have needed. taken some measures, such as having Facebook remove photos or entire accounts, it is impossible to trace all The Directory is available on the uploads. This girl's horrendous nightmare will not easily Department of Justice website at: be forgotten, as people will always be able to possess http://victimservices.justice.gc.ca photographs of her being assaulted by numerous offenders. FEEDBACK ON THE NJN E- Police believe that 5 to 7 males sexually assaulted the NEWSLETTER female victim. They have made two arrests in connection with the attack, but have yet to arrest the rest of the male The Canadian Resource Center perpetrators. A 16-year-old was arrested on charges of for Victims of Crime is looking for distributing child pornography and for photographing and your feedback to see if there are distributing the images, and an 18-year-old, was arrested any further ways we can improve and will likely be charged with at least one count of our newsletter and determine sexual assault. whether we are providing you with what you need. Police continue to struggle with gathering enough evidence to make more arrests, and evidence has led Please go to: them to believe that there were up to 12 bystanders who http://crcvc.ca/njn/evaluation/ watched and did not try and stop the horrific actions of the males victimizing this girl.
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