Report No. 026-12

TO: Chair and Members of the Board of Health
FROM: Graham L. Pollett, MD, FRCPC, Medical Officer of Health
DATE: 2012 February 16 

Shining the Light on Woman Abuse

Recommendation

It is recommended that Report No. 026-12 re Shining the Light on Woman Abuse be received for information.

Background

The Health Unit has been involved for a number of years with addressing the issue of violence against women in Middlesex-London. November is Woman Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in Ontario and every year at this time, the London Abused Women’s Centre organizes the Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign. The goal of this campaign is to raise awareness of woman abuse by turning the community purple for the month of November.  Purple is a symbol of courage, survival and honour, and has come to symbolize the fight to end woman abuse.  Every woman has the right to live free from violence and abuse in her home, workplace and community. The Health Unit has a commitment to join forces with community partners to help stop woman abuse because of its long term health impacts on women, families, community and society. This report highlightsHealth Unit staff involvement in the Shining the Light on Woman Abuse campaign.

Violence Against Women

Violence against women is a consistent and ongoing problem in Canada. It affects women’s social and economical equality, physical and mental well being and financial security. Unfortunately, the statistics are very informing about the prevalence and severity of woman abuse in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, women are more likely than men to be the victims of the most severe forms of spousal assault. Approximately 40% of those women victimized by their spouse stated the assault was witnessed by their children.  Sixty-one percent (61%) of all Canadians report they personally know at least one woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted, while half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 17. Cost of violence against women in Canada is calculated at $4.2 billion per year. Creating awareness among Health Unit staff and citizens is an important step to help stop violence against women.

Shining the Light at the Health Unit

In August 2011, a Health Unit committee planned organized staff activities which would increase the awareness of the significance of woman abuse.  It was decided that planned activities would also incorporate “The Pledge”, an anti-bullying awareness initiative, led by Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). The idea was to create awareness about learning to stand up and speak out opposing violence against women and any form of bullying.

Several initiatives were implemented during November 2011. A newsletter for staff (Appendix A) and community members (Appendix B) was created in order to promote these initiatives and create awareness. The HealthUnit created its own “Pledge” buttons and distributed them to all staff members and school communities to wear throughout November.  Activities planned for staff included an online quiz about bullying and woman abuse and a wear purple day contest. In addition to wearing purple, staff members were also encouraged to collaboratively decorate their work areas. Prizes were awarded to the individual staff members and teams for the most creatively decorated person and work area. To allow for community participation, staff from the London Abused Women’s Centre offered to act as judges and selected the winners for each category in the contest. Proudly, over 95% of staff participated in these activities during the month of November. 

Summary

Violence is a societal issue that must be addressed. Bullying and woman abuse are two forms that need attention. These important public health issues require concentrated and collaborative efforts by all Health Unit staff to make a difference. Creating and maintaining awareness with staff is an important step to creating change. The Shine the Light Campaign combined with the Pledge are two community initiatives in which staff enjoy participating and spreading the message to stop Woman Abuse.

This report was prepared by Ms. Christine Preece, Manager, Young Adult Team, Family Health Services.

Graham L. Pollett, MD, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health

This report addresses the following requirement(s) of the Ontario Public Health Standards: Child Health 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.