Women's Equality Branch
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All Issues | 2014 Issues

WOMEN FEMMES NB

IN THIS ISSUE:

• NOW AVAILABLE: EQUALITY PROFILE – WOMEN IN N.B.
• NOTICES
• DID YOU KNOW?
• STATEMENT: WHITE RIBBON MARCH
• MAY IS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
• JIAN GHOMESHI: NOW IT GETS UGLY. WHY SEXUALLY ASSAULTED WOMEN MUST HAVE THEIR OWN LEGAL REPRESENTATION IN COURT
• PRIVATIZATION OF HOSPITAL SUPPORT SERVICES: PAY EQUITY IS AT STAKE, WARNS THE COALITION FOR PAY EQUITY

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NOW AVAILABLE: EQUALITY PROFILE – WOMEN IN N.B.

NOTICES

Danger Assessment training is being offered by the Women’s Equality Branch in collaboration with the Centre de ressources et de crises familiales Beauséjour and the Centre de Prévention de la Violence dans Kent. Danger Assessment is a risk assessment tool that helps determine the level of danger an abused woman has of being killed by her intimate partner. Who should participate:  This training is open to interveners from the Domestic Violence sector, Health, Police, Social Development, Legal Aid, Public Prosecutions, Public Safety and other community organizations and stakeholders. This training session is offered in French and will take place at the Centre multifonctionnel de Shédiac (58 Festival Street, Shédiac) on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Training is free; health breaks and lunch are included. To register, please contact: [email protected] or 506-743-5449.

Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick (PLEIS-NB) – Family Law Workshops in May 2015:

·  Woodstock - May 20: Preparing for a Family Court Hearing 
·  Campbellton - May 27: Doing Your Own Divorce
·  Moncton - May 27: Changing a Child Support Order
·  Saint John - May 27: Changing a Child Support Order  
Click here to register.

28th Annual Atlantic Crime Prevention Symposium: “Exploring the Impact of Inter-Personal Violence”. Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 25-27. Keynotes by: Chief Leanne Fitch, Fredericton Police Force; Dr. Amy Bombay, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University; Donald G. McPherson, Activist, Educator, Feminist, College Football Hall of Famer.  Also featuring: An open discussion forum and workshops; A Legendary East Coast Kitchen Party, hosted by Keith’s Brewery. Cost $200.00. Student Rate $100.00.  Register at: www.regonline.com/28thannualatlanticcrimepreventionsymposium

Attracting & Retaining Top SETT (Science, Engineering, Trades & Technology) Talent: A Workshop on Understanding and Creating Gender Inclusive Workplaces. An interactive workshop module designed to increase awareness of the factors that influence the success of women in their organizations. Held at Avard-Dixon Building, Room 120 Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick on June 3 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. To register: www.genderinclusiveworkshop.eventbrite.ca Cost is: $185 per participant. Inquiries: 506.444.2444 or [email protected]. Registration limited to 25 participants.

Sexual Assault Prevention Facilitation Training:  The Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre (FSACC) will be offering training on The Empowerment Project (TEP), a toolkit used to train facilitators to deliver self-protection and assertiveness workshops to women and girls, and  Man to Man, a toolkit for delivering workshops to men and boys about reducing sexual assault.  Participants can be community educators, teachers or guidance counsellors, or other service providers who work youth, young adults, or adults in the area of preventing sexual violence against women.   When and Where:  French:  June 2-4 (Fredericton).  English:  June 16-18 (Fredericton).  Cost is $150. For more information, or to register, please contact Jenn Richard by email at [email protected] or by phone at 506.452.6986.

Join us for the Atlantic ConnecTions Conference, June 4-5 at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.  Our theme for the conference is ACT! We want to explore how can we Act, Celebrate, Collaborate and Transform to make a difference for women in SETT (Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology).  We want you to be part of the ACTion! For more information visit: http://atlanticconnections.ca/.

The Federal-Provincial-Territorial Status of Women Forum invites you to participate in a Sexual Violence Knowledge Exchange on Wednesday, June 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Central time), at the RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg MB. This event will bring together leading minds from across the country to raise awareness and understanding of sexual violence in the Canadian context. There is no cost to attend. Please note that there are approximately 200 spaces available for in-person attendance, but the event will be webcast for wider audience participation. The deadline to register is May 20. For more information, contact Manitoba Status of Women at 1-800-263-0234 or [email protected]. Registration form.

Disability Awareness Week, May 31-June 6: Independence Through Employment.  For more information and a list of activities and events: http://bit.ly/1blQUXM

3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters. November 3-6 in The Netherlands, with topics such as Internet safety, employers’ domestic violence policies, sexual violence in war & conflict zones, and good practices in shelter work. Registration: Click here to register.  Donations:  Click here for the options.  www.worldshelterconference.org

Google Doodle Honors Pioneering Journalist Nellie Bly for Speaking Up 'For The Ones Told to Shut Up' http://huff.to/1KJ7PQD

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, click 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, F. 506.462.5069, E. [email protected], www.voixfemmesnb-voiceswomennb.ca.

STATEMENT: WHITE RIBBON MARCH

Hon. Brian Gallant
Office of the Premier
Women’s Equality
08 May 2015

Many of my colleagues and I joined more than 100 people in downtown Fredericton to take part in the White Ribbon March. 

This was an excellent opportunity for all genders to speak out and stand up against men’s violence against women and girls as we made our way from Officers Square to City Hall.

It was so encouraging to see young men from local schools, members from the legislature, my colleagues, the military, the police and people from the community standing tall as a sign of solidarity for the women and girls in our lives.

The words spoken from the steps of city hall were very impactful. They call us all to act to ensure that women and girls in our province will be safe.  

It is with that goal in mind that I stand in the house today to reiterate our government’s commitment to ending violence against women. Hopefully by adding my voice to this cause I can encourage other men and boys to do the same.

I ask that members on both sides of the house take this message to their constituents, their friends and families, and spread the word when it comes to raising awareness that violence against women and girls in any form will not be tolerated in our communities.

Thank you to the organizers and everyone who participated in the event on Wednesday. You should all be proud of yourselves for showing up for this important event and doing your part to make New Brunswick safer and more equitable for all people. 

As premier and minister responsible for Women’s Equality, I look forward to working with you all to end violence against women and girls once and for all. http://bit.ly/1H0T5c4

MAY IS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH

Premier Brian Gallant, who is also minister responsible for women’s equality, signed a declaration with the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre recognizing May as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in New Brunswick.

“I encourage all New Brunswickers to show that violence against women in any form will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Gallant. “My hope is that we can encourage a discussion that extends beyond the month of May about the need to change the attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate gender-based violence.”

Gallant reiterated why community and government supports are essential in providing services to assist victims of violence.

“Sexual violence is a harmful behaviour that disproportionately affects women and girls in their homes, online and in the community,” said Gallant. “It comes in many forms and the impacts are often devastating.”

The Fredericton centre has been supporting women for 40 years through its 24-hour crisis line and education and awareness programs. It is the organization responsible for implementing the Provincial Strategy on Sexual Assault Services.

The Women’s Equality Branch is proud to support initiatives that provide women and their children with much-needed services, such as:

·         domestic violence outreach services;
·         the Concurrent Group Program for children exposed to violence and their mothers;
·         second-stage housing;
·         regional family violence networks;
·         the Community Action Fund;
·         the Cybersafe Girl initiative;
·         the Provincial Strategy on Sexual Assault Services; and
·         the Strategic Framework to End Violence against Wabanaki Women in New Brunswick

“We are proud to work together with community-based organizations in our effort to eliminate violence against women to make our province a more secure, economically viable and sustainable place to live, work and raise a family every day of the year,” said Gallant. http://bit.ly/1zXAuRp

JIAN GHOMESHI: NOW IT GETS UGLY
Why sexually assaulted women must have their own legal representation in court

Sexual assault charges against Jian Ghomeshi resulted in an outpouring of truth-telling and increased awareness of violence against women - or at least it did for a while. 

But if the past sexual and other histories of Ghomeshi's accusers in the upcoming pre-trial, which continues May 12, are used in cross-examination to discredit them, all of that will be undone.

And don't think for a second that discrediting his accusers won't be part of Ghomeshi's legal strategy. It is accepted practice to do so, and any defence lawyer worth the money knows exactly how to do it. (…)

The law appears to prevent any of a woman's history being entered as evidence in a sexual assault trial. But we forget to read the fine print. It's up to the judge whether to allow such character assassination to take place or not.

The law says lawyers have an ethical obligation not to engage in cross-examination about a woman's history, and that obligation does not infringe on the full rights of the accused. And yet we don't require judges, the Crown and defence attorneys at trial to uphold that principle. Because of this failure - and a conviction rate of less than 1 per cent in sexual assault cases - 90 per cent of women don't report sexual assault. 

We cannot, must not, stand idly by while the circus that will be the Ghomeshi trial subjects the women who reported being assaulted by him to such treatment. Their character and histories will be reported every day in every way in the weeks ahead. Nor should we condemn their decisions not to go public with their names to protect themselves. (…)

Why should we continue to support a legal system that uses and generates a sexist and racist rape mythology in defence of men who commit these crimes? 

Continued: http://bit.ly/1zi7V0d

PRIVATIZATION OF HOSPITAL SUPPORT SERVICES:
PAY EQUITY IS AT STAKE, WARNS THE COALITION FOR PAY EQUITY

The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity calls on the government to reverse its decision to privatize hospital support services.

“We are deeply concerned about the impact that privatization of these services could have on pay equity. Most of the targeted jobs are predominantly held by women,” says Vallie Stearns, Chair of the Coalition. “We know from previous provincial government experience with privatisation in predominantly female fields that wages are in danger to drop drastically. We know that women working in other health related services in the private sector take home little more than the minimum wage.”

A 2014 study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives confirms the Coalition’s fear. It showed that women’s wages were lower in the private sector than in the public sector, while men’s wages were higher in the private sector [1].

“The irony is that hospital support services completed job evaluations with the purpose of ensuring equal pay for work of equal value in predominantly female jobs in 2008. Now, by transferring these jobs to the private sector, we are going backward instead of reaffirming women’s right to pay equity.”

Three sectors are targeted for privatization:

·  Environmental Services (maintenance), where according to the Coalition’s estimates roughly 80% of 
   1170 workers are women.
·  Food Services, where nearly 90% of the 955 workers are women.
·  Porters (and Orderlies), where approximately 40% of the 225 workers are women.

Vallie Stearns urges the government to respect its promise to move forward on pay equity and to use a gender-based analysis in its decisions, including its program review and budgets. “Minister Boudreau’s announcement on April 23, 2015 alarms us. Women should not bear the burden of deficit reduction. They have been waiting so long for pay equity. This is unfair. New Brunswick can do better than this.” http://bit.ly/1G2IKR1

IN PARTING

“Our society in general devalues the “she” and as result, there’s this imbalance
that’s hindering our progress.”

-Emma Watson
UN Women Global Ambassador

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