Call to action: Survivors and shelters remember women and children n December 3rd, survivors and Committee filled the room with T- Park were invited to attend. Women Owomen’s shelter workers joined shirts of women and children’s had hoped to talk with them about together to remember women and names. The women and children their experiences. children murdered in Ontario and to ‘took’ chairs at Queen’s Park while mark the National Day of Remem- participants stood to honour them. Unfortunately, it appears that all brance and Action on Violence MPPs had other priorities that day. Against Women. Two survivor advocates spoke about their experiences and their desire to Undaunted, the survivors took their Over 20 women travelled on a bus be involved in the work of ending vi- voices to the Main Legislature build- from Eastern OAITH Region to partici- olence against women for other ing where they called MPP offices to pate in the event. They were there to women. OAITH representatives pro- deliver the reports or have them see the launch of the Survivor Voices vided an overview of the Survivor picked up from the office of Sheila report and to add their voices to the Voices project. White, assistant to NDP MPP Andrea launch as they had as survivors to the Horwath, who had graciously pro- project itself. Shelter advocates from A video of the names of women and vided her space for the women. OAITH member shelters were also children murdered in Ontario since there to support the event. 1995--284 women and 43 children-- Assistants to Ministers Madeleine was played during the presentation. Meilleur and Deb Matthews did at- The OAITH Social Justice and Ac- tend and spoke with the women after tion/Anti-racism-Anti-Oppression MPPs from all three parties at Queen’s the event was over. OAITH Year in Review 2008 ARAO project trains shelter workers/trainers AITH was very pleased to wel- Ocome May Lui to the Association this year to deliver our ongoing ARAO membership training. May also or- ganized the training day at the AGM. May is an experienced trainer and Top left: Facilitator and trainer, Naomi also participated in the development Binder Wall outlines history of mental of the advanced ARAO curriculum health view of women over the years. that OAITH uses in trainings. Top right: Heather Cunningham won a The Advanced Feminist Anti-Racist Courage to Come Back award and now Anti-Oppression Organizational works for the Centre for Addiction and Men- tal Health facilitating the Beyond the Label Change and Service Delivery Training program. Curriculum will be delivered in eight shelter staff/manager trainings and Bottom: Linda Chamberlain, a founding four board trainings during the member of the Dream Team. She also facili- tates the Beyond the Label program and has months of April, May and June. won the Courage to Come Back award. The project is going very well. There was a Train the Trainer session held in Beyond pathology: a ʻDreamʼ workshop day January from which eight trainers omen’s experiences of mental They are part of the Dream Team, a emerged in the Whealth treatment and violence group of psychiatric survivors and OAITH mem- are linked. A number of expert family members who are advocating bership. These speakers brought that message to for more supportive housing in On- women will ac- OAITH’s annual anti-oppression train- tario for psychiatrized people. company May ing in a number of ways. on her provin- Linda is a founding member of the cial trainings. Les Marple, a graduate student at the group. She spoke of the life-changing Ontario Institute for Studies in Educa- impact of safe, supportive housing on The Ontario Tril- tion (OISE) spoke of the need to re- her and other survivors. She also out- lium Founda- think stigmatizing psychiatric lined the political action goal of the tion, our funder, mandates that May Lui, OAITH Project notions of mental health as illness group to advocate for supportive Coodinator, will be lead and the efforts of anti-psychiatry ad- housing for psychiatric survivors. shelters from facilitator in training. vocates to challenge traditional men- the North are tal health perceptions of women’s Heather is a new member of the prioritized. We are pleased that we lived experiences of violence. Dream Team. She shared her experi- have the funds in our grant that cover ences as a survivor and her goals to travel costs to ensure access to North- Naomi Binder Wall spoke of the dam- provide support for other survivors ern region shelters. age that has been done to women as well as to educate service during the evolution of psychiatry providers and the public about the May will be the lead trainer and one and mental health responses in need to stop stigmatizing and mar- volunteer trainer will assist and learn. Canada. She urged participants to ginalizing survivors. The training has been scheduled to take an anti-racist/anti-oppression take advantage of the best travel con- perspective on the ways in which She also spoke of the increased vul- ditions for women, especially in women’s experiences of oppression nerability of women to violence Northern regions. May is looking for- have been psychiatrized and used to against women experienced when ward to the trainings and is very sup- further support marginalization of they have no stable housing and portive of shelters doing this women in Canada. when community services follow op- important work. pressive responses to survivors: refus- Heather Cunningham and Linda ing admission to services, not If you have questions about train- Chamberlain shared their personal believing survivors and so on. ings after this project ends, please story of inaction within the mental contact the Education and Training health system and its impacts on Visit the Dream Team website at: Committee Co-Chairs, Valeska their lives. www.thedreamteam.ca . Gomez and Lee-Anne Lee. 2 OAITH Year in Review 2008 Shelter, Sanctuary, Status campaign aims to support ʻnon-statusʼ women sabel Garcia and her two children tion to raise pub- Ileft Mexico to escape a life-threaten- lic awareness of ing abusive situation but found little the issues for support from the government of ‘non-status’ Canada. Despite claims it is a world women and the leader in addressing violence against need for changes women, Canada rejected Isabel’s ap- to federal immi- peal to stay and ordered her de- gration policy and ported. She has not reported to go. practices. Supporters of Isabel and many other There are five de- women who seek refuge from gen- mands to federal der-based violence have been organ- authorities: izing to change the way community services and government treats End orders to women without “status.” deport women whose cases in- The Shelter, Sanctuary, Status cam- volve violence paign, which is a part of the No One Is against women. Marchers gather at Ryerson University in Toronto and walk to Immi- gration Department offices to protest deportation from Canada of Is- Illegal movement, has been working abel Garcia and other violence survivors without immigration status . to develop policies within commu- Direct immigra- tion authorities that all community larly vulnerable to violence. nity agencies, including women’s services supporting women experi- shelters, to support women who encing violence be sanctuary serv- Working with women’s advocates, need services but fear deportation if ices free from surveillance and ensure Immigration Department they reach out for help. enforcement. decisions are based on information and process founded on an under- OAITH has endorsed the campaign. Implement the promised Refugee standing of race, class, gender and Political actions Appeal Division. sexuality issues. In addition to the Toronto-based Implement a process for temporary For more information, visit the No community support efforts, the cam- foreign workers to receive perma- One Is Illegal website at: paign has also organized political ac- nent status on entry, especially http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org. live-in care givers who are particu- Congolese Womenʼs Campaign Against Sexual Violence seeks global support very day, 40 women are raped in They are raising an alarm against the the Congolese army.” Ethe Eastern Congo, according to use of rape, torture and sexual vio- women’s activists seeking interna- lence against women as weapons of The campaign website lists nine de- tional action to end the use of mands for all the parties in sexual violence in war. conflicts, the Congolese State, So that bodies of women cease being a battle- United Nations bodies and the According to one report, aid field, so that sexual violence ceases to be an arm International Criminal Court. workers from Oxfam label the of war, so that Congolese, both women and Democratic Republic of men, may take back their dignity and finally It asks that individuals and groups across the international Congo (DRC) “one of the worst have the hope of living in peace... places in the world to be a community sign on to a peti- woman.” In one 6-month pe- Congolese Womenʼs Campaign Against Sexual Violence tion in support of the demands riod, upwards of 5000 rapes in this ongoing campaign to end violence against women in the took place in the eastern part of the conflict and war in the DRC and say: Congo during armed conflict. Democratic Republic of Congo. “As activists and workers working The Congolese Women’s Campaign As part of our global support work, with the victims, we have for many OAITH has signed the petition. Against Sexual Violence is a an initia- years repeatedly denounced the sys- tive of women’s groups in Eastern tematic use of sexual violence by all For more information and to sign the Congo established to fight rampant of the armed groups present in the petition, visit the campaign website sexual violence against women.