Northumberland Domestic Abuse Monitoring Committee

March 31, 2016 Northumberland County, ON

Violence against women coordinating group receive funding to develop an “under one roof” Community Hub to support survivors and their families

The Northumberland Domestic Abuse Monitoring Committee (NDAMC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $12,000 grant from the Ontario Women’s Directorate (OWD) to support the development of a multifaceted, collaborative approach to increasing access to services and supports for survivors and victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

“The VAW Hub project aims to advance the strategic goals outlined in the Premier’s Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment (SVHAP) by providing more supports for survivors living in our community.  In particular, the Hub will aim to increase the accessibility of centralized, onsite, “under one roof” services for survivors living in our rural and Aboriginal regions, seniors, LGBTQ persons, persons with disabilities and persons living in poverty,” says Nicole Beatty, project consultant, “Funds from the OWD grant will be used to research best practices, design a community model, find a location and test a pop-up hub to evaluate what supports and systems people need to cope and heal.”

One of the focus points of the SVHAP is to develop more help and better supports for survivors living in communities across Ontario.  In particular, the Action Plan states, “We want women and girls, men and boys to know who to call and where to turn if they, or someone they love, experience sexual violence.  They need to be able to connect swiftly and easility to a seamless system of supports.” A Northumberland VAW Community Hub would provide this front door access, strengthening service integration amongst local and County-based agencies.

Conceptual planning commenced in late March with over 30 public, non-profit and municipal leaders, including police officers, nurses, mayors, deputy mayors and councilors, gathering for a half-day “idea lab” to learn best practice, hear from DRIVEN and START (two pioneering hubs in Durham and Peterborough, respectively) and initiate a dialogue about what the Northumberland Hub will look like.

The development of the Hub will be steered by the NDAMC, whose executive members include the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre and Northumberland Community Counseling Centre.  If you work for a VAW service or are a citizen advocate who would like to learn more about the hub project email [email protected].

About the Northumberland Domestic Abuse Monitoring Committee (NDAMC)

The Northumberland Domestic Abuse Monitoring Committee (NDAMC) has a mandate to provide a leadership role on the issue of violence against women in Northumberland County by: advocating for an effective, accessible and comprehensive response to violence, promoting a greater flexibility and responsiveness of services/supports, acting as a primary resource to municipalities, government and agencies regarding violence against women, coordinating and strengthening linkages to enhance supports to victims of violence.

For more information, contact:

Did you know that that 90% of human trafficking cases in Canada are domestic, and an alarming share of victims are indigenous?

@globeandmail is shedding light on this human rights violation with a special online series, The Trafficked:

#Ontario to tackle human trafficking with the Ontario Native Women's Association calling for an "indigenous specific" anti-trafficking strategy.

Media Release

December 11, 2015

Cobourg, ON

 Cobourg Collegiate Institute student wins annual Youth Awareness Art Contest with a compelling poem

 The Northumberland Domestic Abuse Monitoring Committee (NDAMC) is pleased to announce the winner of its 2015 Youth Awareness Art Contest.  

 Sydney Stewart, a student from Cobourg Collegiate Institute composed a moving poem titled “We Will”.  Students were asked to submit an original piece of written or visual art to engage young people in issues related to healthy relationships and abuse prevention.  Sydney will receive a prize of $300.  An additional prize of $150 will be awarded to a student at Brookside Youth Centre for an original illustration.

 We Will

 Orange, Orange

The colour of the flame

The colour of the outcasts

The colour of the pain

 We feel the burning heat

Of those who scorched our souls

They sometimes think they own us

But we are something bold

 They say they can define us

With the scars that they will leave

They don't know how strong we are

They remain naive

 We refuse to be affected

By the sticks and stones they throw

Even if our bones are broken

They cannot shake our souls

 So rise up for the people

Who feel that burning heat

Of the harshness all around them

Who will soon admit defeat

 We will not let them crumble

Catch them quick before they fall

We are here to end the violence

Once and for all

 So stand beside the women

Creators of all life

We are intelligent and powerful

You are not just a timid wife

 Here's to all the people

Who have fought through all the shame

We will show earth what we're capable of

Prove we cannot be tamed

 Orange, Orange

The colour of the change

We will not be silenced

Despite our gender, religion or age

 We will be treated equally

From far away we will be heard

We will achieve our common goal

And we will 'orange' this whole world

Toronto, Dec. 6, 2015 – The holidays, festive and joyous for most, can bring increased stress and fear to women in abusive relationships.

According to numerous studies, domestic violence against women surges during the holiday season, sometimes by as much as 30 percent. One in three women are victims of domestic violence during their lives, says a UN study. And, countless innocent children bare witness to the abuse.

To help illuminate the horrifying realities of violence against women, FCB Toronto teamed with The Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses (OAITH), a provincial coalition founded by women’s shelter advocates in 1977 and Yellow Brick House, an OAITH member shelter located in the York region area of North of Toronto that provides a safe place for women and children escaping domestic violence, have launched “The Window Project” to raise awareness and generate funds for women and families impacted in Canada.

“The Window Project,” centers around a window display at the Untitled & Co store, 438 Queen Street West, in the Fashion District area of Toronto, that will illustrate the grim reality some families face during the holiday season in an elaborate holiday-themed window from Dec. 6-13.

At first glance, holiday shoppers will think they stumbled across a festive window. But upon closer inspection, the scene will depict one where a woman and her family are the victims of domestic violence. Viewers are empowered to stop the violence by making an SMS donation to OAITH. This action immediately stops the abuse in the scene for 60 seconds. By raising awareness, the program aims to bring an end to abuse for good.

“The holidays can be a confusing time for women in abusive relationships, especially when there are children involved,” said Charlene Catchpole, chair of the OAITH board of directors. “Many women put on a good face and project an image of stability to keep the holidays a happy time. Our hope is that this campaign will break the lingering culture of silence that exists around violence against women.”

More than 362,000 children witness or experience family violence annually in Canada, according to a study by UNICEF, and in a 2013 study of family violence in Canada, it was reported that nearly 8 in 10 victims of intimate partner violence are female. And, according to Yellow Brick House, during the holidays, transitional shelters average a 30 percent increase in calls for support.

“This effort gives every person the opportunity to personally witness the power one donation can make,” said FCB Toronto Chief Creative Officer Jon Flannery. “While this is only one initiative in the fight against domestic abuse, this effort makes every person a part of the solution.”

Chloe Sam-Mcgrath, design director and co-owner of Untitled & Co, said the immediacy of impacting change was a key draw for her participation. “This groundbreaking initiative makes the issue impossible to ignore,” said Sam-Mcgrath. “If one woman is helped by this effort, it worked.”

The display is being launched on Dec. 6 to coincide with National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, the day marks the anniversary of the 1989 murders of 14 young women at the École Polytechnique in Montréal, also known as the Montreal Massacre. They died because they were women. “The Window Project” display remembers these women with 14 roses in the window.

To learn more about the project to help stop violence against women, please visit OAITH.com/thewindowproject, or to make a $5 donation, please text “No More” to 45678.

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Contact:

Stephanie Sipe

(o) +1 (212) 885-3105

(m) +1 (917) 565-2637

Northumberland's Path to Help is a community resource initiative of NDAMC that aims to connects victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse to integral organizations and services that provide frontline support.

The interactive map below lists over 30 community agencies and non-profit organizations that exist to support you.  To find a service in your community hover over the markings in your town or city for contact information or use the search field in the top right corner of the map.  A contact list is provided below the map too.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 – LGBTQ+ outreach is one of the goals of the two-year Lessons from Behind the Door Needs Assessment* being led by Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in the Kawartha region. That is why the Centre has partnered with the Rainbow Youth Program at PARN-Your Community AIDS Resource Network, Rainbow Service Organization and the United Way of Peterborough & District to host the first annual Love for All Ball on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at The Venue in Peterborough, Ontario.  Doors open at 7:30 pm.

Headlining this prom night-themed event is musician and activist Kate Reid who will perform at 8:00 pm. This age of majority event will also feature special guests Thomas Vaccaro and the PyroFlys and a DJ dance party starting at 9:00 pm. It is time for sharing our pride in Peterborough all year long with our LGBTQ+ community and their allies.

Creating positive social spaces in Peterborough for our LGBTQ+ community and allies is an important shared mission of the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, Rainbow Service Organization, Rainbow Youth @ PARN and the United Way of Peterborough & District. The Love for All Ball is a first annual fundraising event in partnership with all four organizations who want to build social capacity; connect in sexual and gender violence; and support inclusion for LGBTQ+ individuals living in the four counties of Peterborough, Haliburton, Northumberland and City of Kawartha Lakes.

For more information, please contact Lisa Clarke at [email protected]  and 705-748-5901 ext. 204.

#30#

According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail, 460,000 people report a sexual assault in one year alone in Canada.  “This is a $1.9 billion cost to our society when you factor in the physical, emotional and financial toll on victims and the costs for health and social services, police, courts and employers,” the article says.

Read the entire piece, “Dealing with the personal costs of sexual assault” here: