Province Plays With Technology While
Women Are Murdered

Murders and attempted murders of women and children by their husbands have been front page news lately.

The provincial government has responded to at least three high profile femicides in the Toronto area by announcing $10 million for services for victims of domestic violence. Five million is to be allocated for intervention with child witnesses; and the remaining $5 million is for “transitional” support for women victims.

The Attorney General announced a plan to link all shelters and rape crisis centres to courts so they can easily access information for women clients on the bail conditions of their assailants. The Attorney General also plans to increase the number of free cell phones to women at risk and to increase the number of Victim Assistance Programs in Crown Attorneys offices.

Unfortunately, not all women with violent partners are connected to the criminal justice system - many women are too scared or isolated to even call the police. Attorney General Victim Witness offices serve relatively few women, and cannot speak out against the system without risking their jobs. Cell phones and 911 technology cannot provide safety for women in rural or isolated communities. The Coroners Report which resulted from the murder of Arlene May by her estranged partner Randy Isles, made many recommendations for improvement of services which could prevent further tragedies.

One of their recommendations was to ensure that there were independent advocates able to steer abused women through the system. Predictably, the government has acted on very few of these recommendations.

Women fleeing violent relationships need options: safe, affordable and adequate housing, income support, affordable child care and above all, security.

They also need a community based support system where they can talk about the violence in their lives without being judged, and be empowered to make constructive choices without surrendering control over their lives.

The Ontario government has removed many options for women by cutting subsidized and second stage housing and subsidized child care spaces; slashing welfare benefits and introducing workfare programs; and reducing funding to shelters and other women's services. The new funding announcement does not restore any of these services, nor does it offer support for community based services run by women, for women. Worst of all, the focus remains on changing the behavior of victims, rather than making perpetrators accountable for their crimes. To add insult to injury and death, the government is promoting its new Anti Violence initiative in gender neutral language. The fact that it is women who are being murdered by their male partners or ex-partners is being completely obliterated.

Anti-Abortion Funding(continued from page 5)

We had set up a communication system. One of our group would call the clinic as soon as the decision came down and the clinic staff would come out and tell us. There were quite a few reporters around. When one of them told me that the Supreme court has held upheld the jury's acquittal on the basis that women have the right to control their own bodies, I didn’t believe her. Then I heard the news through our official channels. What a moment! Never have I experienced such joy like that. The joy of winning a fight that seemed to be against impossible odds. The joy of an historic victory. The joy of winning a new right for women.