By Marita Zouravlioff (3L)
On average, every six days in Canada a woman is killed by her intimate partner.[1]
On any given day, more than 3,300 women (along with 3,000 children) are forced to sleep in emergency shelters to escape domestic violence. Every night, about 200 women are turned away because the shelters are full.[2]
This year’s Walk a Day fundraiser took place on February 6, with students and professors wearing heels and raising money to help end violence against women. The idea came about four years ago when one U of T law student challenged another to wear heels for a day. This simple challenge between friends proved to be a very effective fundraiser.
Since its inception, Walk a Day has raised over $20,000 for the Barbra Schlifer Clinic and White Ribbon. This year’s total was over $5,000. The Schlifer Clinic offers legal representation and professional counselling each year to thousands of women who have experienced violence. White Ribbon is the world’s largest movement of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls, promote gender equity, advocate for healthy relationships, and a create new vision of masculinity.
Mary Lou Fassel, Legal Director at the Schlifer Clinic and adjunct professor at U of T Law, led a lunchtime talk about systemic obstacles to reporting and prosecuting sexual assault. She discussed the traditional myths surrounding victims of sexual assault and how they endure today. Victims who report abuse can face stigmatization and the reality of long and painful trials that force women to relive their ordeal. Crown counsel can also be reluctant to pursue sexual assault charges because of the difficulty in prosecuting them, which compounds the trauma suffered by victims.
It is no surprise, then, that only about ten percent of all sexual assaults are reported to police.[3] And only a handful of those result in convictions—each year, only about 1,500 sexual assault offenders are actually convicted.[4]
Violence against women has far-reaching consequences for society. According to the Department of Justice, each year Canadians spend $7.4 billion to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence. This figure includes, among other factors, emergency room visits, the costs of absenteeism at work, and funeral costs.[5]
Children who are exposed to abusive situations are more likely to have psychological problems and end up in abusive relationships themselves. According to the RCMP, a child who witnesses spousal violence experiences a form of child abuse, since research shows that “witnessing family violence is as harmful as experiencing it directly”[6]
The terrible cycle that violence perpetuates is a tragic reality for many Canadians. Widespread condemnation of this behaviour is needed to stop it. Walk a Day seeks not only to raise money, but also to encourage people to take a proactive stance against gender-based violence and fight for its eradication.
Marita was co-organizer of Walk a Day 2015 and she volunteers at the Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic.
[1] “Homicide in Canada, 2011,” Statistics Canada, p. 11. Available: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2012001/article/11738-eng.pdf
[2] “Shelters for Abuse Women in Canada, 2010,” Juristat, Marta Burczycka and Adam Cotter, Statistics Canada, June 27, 2011. Based on shelter admission for a randomly selected day, April 15, 2010. Available: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/article/11495-eng.htm.
[3] “Self-reported victimizations reported to police, 1999, 2004 and 2009,” Criminal victimization in Canada, 2009, Samuel Perreault and Shannon Brennan, Statistics Canada, 2010.
[4] “Limits of a Criminal Justice Response: Trends in Police and Court Processing of Sexual Assault,” Holly Johnson, Sexual Assault in Canada: Law, Legal Practice and Women’s Activism, edited by Elizabeth Sheehy, University of Ottawa Press 2012, p. 631. All data from Statistics Canada.
[5] An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Spousal Violence in Canada, 2009. Available: http://justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/rr12_7/index.html
[6] “Children Witnessing Family Violence,” by Mia Dauvergne and Holly Johnson, Juristat,Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics – Statistics Canada. 21.6 (2001): p. 4. Available: http://publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/Statcan/85-002-XIE/0060185-002-XIE.pdf
