Women's Equality Branch
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All Issues | 2015 Issues

WOMEN FEMMES NB

IN THIS ISSUE:

Featured Article:
Women Do What They Need To Do To Survive – Part II 
    

Notices

Did You Know?

In the News:
    - I Didn’t Understand Rape Culture Until I Was Attacked
    - Canada Gains United Nations Seat on Status of Women
    - It’s Equal Pay Day (…) in the United States. Where Does Canada Stand on Gender Equality?     

Parting Thoughts

Women Do What They Need To Do To Survive – Part II

When the inalienable right that your body is your own is not respected, it’s isolating and terrible, to an absurd degree. There’s something dark and baroque about being unmoored from your physicality, from having part of your selfhood denied. And there are a few things you’re not supposed to say or feel in the aftermath of sexual violence. You aren’t supposed to be confused, for one. You aren’t supposed to be “okay” after, you aren’t supposed to be okay with sex again, or want to go out. The complicated number of shoulds and musts, should-nots and don’ts, in regards to sexual assault may match up with or butt up against lived experience. For example, one should not shower. An instinctive response for so many makes it next to impossible to file a rape kit. A rape kit is, despite multiple-year backlogs, one of the few concrete pieces of evidence that make a rape trial winnable.

There are further ephemeral shoulds about the psychological effect a crime of sexual violence is supposed to have on a woman. As a victim, you should be plaintive and serious, perfect, sad and strong. But your memories are often not the graspable sort to immediately inspire a firm position. We assume the truth comes all at once, with perfect clarity, but experts maintain that trauma buffers long term memory processing. The recollections are not hard and concrete, but flowing like water—the details progress like waves, and are in turn muddy, or intensely clear.

You are definitely not supposed to laugh, because one thing you’re definitely not supposed to admit about sexual assault is that it can be funny. For some reason it remains a conceit that responding to trauma with laughter invalidates the entire experience. But humour can be a callous protection against the terrible. (…)

http://hazlitt.net/feature/women-do-what-they-need-do-survive

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NOTICES

A Day in Her Shoes – an opportunity to unite women for an evening of glitz and glamour to promote positive mental health while supporting a fundraiser for much needed resources in the greater Saint John area. Hors d’oeuvres, wine and beverages, and a silent auction accompany the season’s best fashion show, which takes place in the Market Square Atrium, May 4, 5:30 – 8:30 pm. Canadian Mental Health Association of New Brunswick, Saint John Office is pleased to announce this year’s guest speaker is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wear Your Label - Kayley Reed. Tickets available at CMHA of New Brunswick office (15th floor of City Hall) online at Eventbrite, by calling 506-633-1705, or at Manchester Shoe Salon in Market Square.

“Emerging and Contemporary Issues in Responding to and Preventing Sexual Violence” will be of interest to a wide range of professionals, including police, crown, probation, justice, social workers, guidance counselors, youth workers. This two day conference, May 25 – 26, will be held at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, Prince Edward Island. Registration includes lunch and breaks. There will be no charge, but pre-registration is necessary to save a seat. You can register for one or both days. To register https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/emerging-contemporary-issues-in-responding-to-preventing-sexual-violence-tickets-23862018941

Sexual Violence Prevention and Awareness Facilitation Training, June 14-16, Fredericton.  The Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre (FSAC) will be offering training on two of its toolkits: The Empowerment Project (TEP) to train facilitators to deliver self-protection and assertiveness workshops to women and girls; and Man to Man for delivering workshops to men and boys about reducing sexual assault.  Participants can be community educators, teachers, guidance counsellors, or other service providers who work youth, young adults, or adults in the area of preventing sexual violence against women and girls. Contact Jenn Richard at [email protected] . $175 registration fee includes the cost of one toolkit. Please register early as this training can fill up quickly.

Equal Voice is inviting young women from the ages of 18 to 23 to apply to be one of 338 who will take their seats in Parliament (from coast to coast to coast), literally. One young woman will be chosen from every federal riding in Canada to represent their community and to communicate their vision for Canada and attend a National leadership forum in Ottawa on March 7, 2017.  Join Equal Voice in a historic national initiative to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s formal political engagement in 2016 — along with Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.  To learn more or to apply, visit: http://www.daughtersofthevote.ca/

Disability Awareness Week Awards. In celebration of Disability Awareness Week, the Executive Committee and the Premier’s Council on the Status of Disabled Persons would like you to submit the name of a person, organization or community for a provincial recognition award or for the Hon. Andy Scott Award. Do you know someone who should be honoured for their service and commitment to persons with disabilities? Fill out the submission form at www.gnb.ca/council and enter that person/organization/municipality by May 6, 2016.

Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick (PLEIS-NB) is pleased to offer the following family law workshops in April:
·  Fredericton – April 20, 2016, 7:00-9:00 pm – Separation: Legal Considerations at UNB, Ludlow Hall
·  Moncton – April 20, 2016, 6:30-8:30 – Changing a Child Support Order at the Moncton Public Library ·  Saint John – April 27, 2016, 6:30-8:30 – Separation: Legal Considerations  at the Saint John East
   Branch Public Library
To register, you must complete the on-line registration form or call the toll-free Family Law Information Line at: 1-888-236-2444.  

Support to Single Parents Programs, Moncton:

·   First S.T.E.P. $80, Tuesdays, starting May 10, 9:30am-12pm. Facilitator: Debbie Melanson-
    Hebert. This Systematic Training for Effective Parenting program is for parents of children ages
    0-5 years old. In 6-weeks you will learn to deal with issues at this stage of development and to
    better enjoy your child ($25 book optional).
·   Self Esteem. $80, Wednesdays, starting May 11, 9:30am-12pm. Facilitator: Debbie Melanson-
    Hebert. This 6-week program aims to assist you in recognizing your qualities and strengths while
    finding out who you are. Learn lots of tools that will help you enhance your present strengths and
    learn to like yourself again.
No one will be refused service if they are unable to pay. Registration begins 3 weeks before start date. Call Nathalie at 506-858-1303 ext. 3301, Email: [email protected] For more information on programs: www.supporttosingleparents.ca

Introduction to Boards for Women Workshop – Conducted by Aldéa Landry, the workshop targets women who are interested in serving on boards and want to learn everything they should know about joining a board, and how it can help their career.
·   Fredericton (English) Wednesday, April 20, 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Planet Hatch, $30
·   Saint John (English) Tuesday, May 31, 9 am to 12 pm, ConnectionWorks, 1 Germaine St, third
    floor, $30
Seating is limited, reserve now! Contact [email protected] or 506-452-3918.

Status of Women Canada is soliciting proposals for projects that will empower women to participate more actively in the democratic and public life of Canada. Organizations can apply for funding under Stream 1 of this call for proposals – Empowering Indigenous Women for Stronger Communities – by June 1. Organizations can apply for funding under Stream 2 – which includes both Empowering Women for Political Action and Empowering Women for Community Action – by May 2. For more information: http://bit.ly/1S5zlOn or http://bit.ly/1RakVHC

The following fundraising events for the Family Enrichment and Counselling Service take place in April:
·   Community Breakfast – sponsored by Y Service Club @ Willie O’Ree Saturday, April 23 from
    8:00 – 10:30 am. Cost $7.00
·   Wine Tasting @ The Station Thursday, April 28 from 6:00 – 8:30 pm. Cost $ 45.00 (must be
    pre-purchased)
For more information call Family Enrichment at (506) 458-8211, 1-888-829-6777, or email [email protected] or http://familyenrichment.ca/index.php/en/page/home

Family Enrichment and Counselling Service is offering a Mindfulness & Meditation for Recovering Alcoholics program (Free). Twelve Mondays, starting May 2, 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Register by: April 25.  Weekly meetings to explore mindfulness, meditation and Buddhist teachings.  We will get together for the common purpose of relieving suffering, increasing insight, promoting kindness and finding out who we really are. For more information call Family Enrichment at (506) 458-8211, 1-888-829-6777, email [email protected] or http://familyenrichment.ca/index.php/en/page/home

Free certified online training on Domestic Violence in the Workplace, a four-part online training series that includes:
1.    Introduction to Domestic Violence in the Workplace
2.    Understanding Domestic Violence
3.    Teach Everyone  Warning Signs and Risk Factors
4.    Respond: SNCit to Start the Conversation
Each training should take approximately 20 minutes.  Upon completion of all four training modules and the evaluation, you will receive a certificate of completion. This training is FREE for a limited time! Access the Training here

Current Opportunities to Serve on New Brunswick Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCs):  Qualified women and men having the highest personal and professional integrity are invited to serve on New Brunswick agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs).  For more information, check out the following link:    ABC current opportunities

Voices of New Brunswick Women Consensus-Building Forum: Contact Us: Sartain MacDonald Building, 551 King Street, Suite 103, Fredericton NB E3B 1E7, T. 506.462.5179, 1-844-462-5179, F. 506.462.5069, E. [email protected], www.voixfemmesnb-voiceswomennb.ca.

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In the News:

I Didn’t Understand Rape Culture Until I Was Attacked

Two days after I was attacked by a taxi driver, I walked into the Australian embassy in Buenos Aires clutching my tattered passport and a police report adorned with a smear of my blood that had, by that stage, oxidized brown.

Both my eyes were bruised and puffy; I had a cut above my lip and a swollen face. It’s fair to say I didn’t look much like my usual self.

I sat in one of the plush embassy chairs waiting for an official to see me. Eventually, an Australian woman called my name. I remember feeling comforted by the familiar accent and cadence. (…)

She asked for my passport so she could verify my identity, and I handed it over. Opening it up to the photo page, she expressed surprise.

“Oh, you’re so pretty,” she said, before saying something along the lines of “that’s why he attacked you and not someone like me”.

I think often about this junior diplomat whose life intersected with mine for just a few minutes nearly seven years ago. Not because her words were accusatory or meant unkindly, but because their sentiment – the messed up gender stereotypes and internalized sense of shame and blame that they represented – rendered me speechless.

In 2009 I travelled to Buenos Aires as a tourist and stayed with an Argentine friend of mine I’d met while backpacking a few years prior. One night, I was held at knife-point and beaten up by a taxi driver who was trying to rape me. (…)

The embassy official’s comment was the first stupid thing somebody had said to me about sexual assault, but it certainly wasn’t the last.

In the years since my attack I’ve had people say all manner of stupid things about my experience.

Continued: http://bit.ly/1MqSSs0

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Canada Gains United Nations Seat on Status of Women

Canada has been elected to be part of the governing body that sets priorities for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). By gaining a seat, Canada will be at the table to shape the Commission’s work to advance the rights of women and girls around the world.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women, announced at the sixtieth UNCSW that Canada would seek a seat as a key part of its commitment to advance gender equality, both at home and abroad.          

“Serving as a member of the Commission of the UNCSW will allow Canada to play a more vigorous role protecting and promoting the human rights of women and girls around the world. Our participation in the Commission is an important part of our renewed commitment to advance gender equality, both at home and abroad. (…)

Quick Facts
·   Canada will serve as a member of the Commission of the UNCSW from 2017 to 2021.
·   Canada announced its intention to seek a seat on the Commission during the sixtieth session of
    the UNCSW, which took place in New York City from March 14 to 24, 2016.
·   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau actively participated in the sixtieth session of the UNCSW, including
    being designated a ‘champion’ of UN Women’s HeForShe campaign, a solidarity movement that
    calls upon men and boys to stand up against the persistent inequalities faced by women and girls
    globally.
·   Established in 1946, the UNCSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively
    dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It plays an
    instrumental role promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the
    world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Continued:  http://bit.ly/1SUYdEI

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It’s Equal Pay Day (…) in the United States. Where Does Canada Stand on Gender Equality?

What is equal pay day?

Introduced in the United States in 1996, the day marks the point in the year when women will have earned what men earned in the previous year. In the United States, that’s typically in April. France observed its Equal Pay Day on March 29, Germany on March 19, Britain on March 11 and Switzerland on Feb. 24.

Does Canada have equal pay?

No. Women working full-time in Canada earn about 73.5 cents for every dollar a man makes, despite women attaining higher levels of education than men do.

How is equal pay day celebrated?

Well, “celebrated” is a dubious description. Here’s what’s happening today in the United States:
·   Supporters will wear red to illustrate how far women are “in the red” with their pay.
·   Advocates plan rallies across the United States from Chicago to Pittsburgh and New York City.
·   Some groups will celebrate “unhappy hours,” a play on words in reference to bars’ practice of happy
    hour, in places including Houston, Texas and Washington.

When is Canada’s equal pay day?

The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition [observes] the day on April 19. http://bit.ly/1UYSBPM

See also: Women still earning less money than men despite gains in education: study
A woman working full time in Canada makes 73.5 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to updated Statistics Canada income data produced for The Globe and Mail.

Have we achieved gender equality? Nine Canadian women respond
Earlier this year, a Globe and Mail series asked Canadian writers to answer the question: Where does feminism go from here? Click here to see what nine Canadian women said about the future of gender equality, as well as a full menu of other commentary and analysis in the Work in Progress series.

Parting Thoughts

“The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside,
but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship,
the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race.”

-Susan B. Anthony

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Women's Equality Branch | 551 King Street, Suite A | Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1