Sexist Violence and the Federal Election 2000
by Lee Lakeman
November 2000
1. While every party claims we have a problem with crime none of them even mention violence against women as a problem or propose any solutions.
2. Every party has previously acknowledged violence against women as a problem especially in the forms of rape, child abuse and wife assault. Recently the Bloc has endorsed the World March of Women $50 million demand. The NDP is actually interested in promoting legal changes. The other parties are silent now. Why?
Read Judy Rebick’s article, “Where are the women’s issues?”, printed in the Globe and Mail, and posted on CBC’ web site.
3. All form of violent crime are showing reductions except mens’ violence toward women so why do the parties speak of crime and go silent on sexist violence.
4. Canada has just initiated and promoted international agreements through the UN mechanisms arguing that each country should support an infrastructure of non government organizations to aid women and children and to advocate on their behalf. Where is the federal budget to back up that commitment?
5. Canadian women are just as entitled to escape a violent husband in one part of the country as another so when will there be federal monies or nation wide networks to assure transition houses rape crisis centres and women centres for each region and community including the poor or remote areas as well as reserves and immigrant communities?
6. When will the federal government face the economic responsibility to fund staff and resources for transition houses, rape crisis centres and womens centres and not buildings and renovations.
7. When will they fund and therefore recognize the social development opportunities for women in womens political services; womens centres rape crisis centres and womens shelters. These centres can efficiently provide public legal education, jobs, citizen participation and equality advocacy
A suggested intervention with MP’s
1. Ask how many women died in this riding at the hands of husbands or lovers since the last election….know the answer . You can get it from the library, your local shelter, the cops or the NDP office or BLOC office.
2. Ask how much money has been spent by the federal government in the riding to support the local shelters, women centres or rape crisis centres…it will not be more than a few thousand dollars and probably it is nothing……….to find ahead of time out ask your shelter or centre or NDP office.
3. Ask the candidate: will you support the demand of the Womens March 2000 that calls for an injection of 50million immediately to these front line life saving operations?