Violence Against Women Also Affects Children (Equity and Women's Services)

Teachers play a critical role in the socialization of our children. It is nearly impossible today to be an effective teacher without knowing about violence against women and the impact it has on children. To respond to or prevent this violence effectively, we  need  to  begin  with  the  understanding that a major root cause of the abuse is the social inequality of men and women, which begins at a very young age.

An in-depth United Nations study on all forms of violence against women states:

Violence against women is a form of discrimi- nation and a violation of human rights. It causes untold misery, cutting short lives and leaving countless women living in pain and fear in every country inthe world. It harms families across the generations, impoverishes communities and reinforces otherforms of violence throughout societies. Violence against women stops them from fulfilling theirpotential, restricts economic growth and undermines development. The scope and extent of violence against women are a reflection of the degree and persistence of discrimination that women continueto face. It can only be eliminated, therefore, by addressing discrimination, promoting women’s equalityand empowerment, and ensuring that women’s human rights are fulfilled.1

In workshops that ETFO delivers in partnership with  Springtide Resources as part  of  the Breaking theSilence program, teachers frequently talk about how their female students continue to internalize a code of  conduct that promotes gender stereotypes and inequality. They describe how many young men act out of a code of male dominance and entitlement. Participants consistently express a need to work creatively with their colleagues, parents, and students to identify and prevent all forms of violence and abuse.

The following statistics reveal some of the gendered aspects of intimate partner abuse and the reality of many women’s lives.

• Women are almost eight times more likely to be victimized by a spouse than are men.2
• Children in 416,000 homes saw or heard spousal violence in Canada during the five years preceding the 1999 General Social Survey on Spousal Violence. In Ontario 69 men were accused of killing their current or ex-wife.3
• 30 percent of all women currently or previously married have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence at the hands of a marital partner.4
• 45 percent of incidents of violence committed by a man against his wife resulted in injury to the wife.5
• Over the past two decades, three times more wives than husbands were killed by their spouses.6
• Women’s wages are disproportionately lower than men’s; women are much more likely than men to work part-time with no benefits.7
• Lone-parent families headed by women continue to constitute a disproportionate share of all children living in a low-income situation.8

These are  the  facts we  must  come  to  grips with as a society. We have made great strides in recognizing that violence against women is one of the many social issues caused by inequality and injustice. We must be proactive and present a consistent message at all levels of school and community that violence, in all its forms, is wrong. We must work together to achieve equality between boys and girls, men and women.

ETFO members recognize this need and have developed resources as part of their commitment to students and to a more just and equitable society. These include:

• Lesson plans tied to the elementary curriculum for grades 3, 4, and 5 that focus on helping children make healthy choices in their lives at home, with friends, in the school and community, and in their choice of media and entertainment.
• Workshop materials, for use at grades 7 and 8 girls’ conferences. The workshops cover building equal and healthy relationships; supporting a friend affected by woman abuse; understanding gender-based violence; and gender stereotypes in advertising.
• Multilingual tip sheets for parents and educators.

These materials can be downloaded from the ETFO  website, etfo.ca  or  obtained  from  provincial office at no cost. Contact Althea Jensen at ajensen@etfo.org; or telephone 416-962-3836; toll-free, 1-888-838-3836.

Notes

1.  United Nations (2006),  Ending Violence Against Women:  From Words to Action. Study of the Secretary-General, Executive Summary.  Available at un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/launch/english/v.a.w-exeE-use.pdf

2.  Robin Fitzgerald (1999),  Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile,  Ottawa: Statistics Canada Catalogue #85-224-XPE. Available at statcan.ca/english/freepub/85-224-XIE/0009985-224-XIE.pdf

3.  Kathy AuCoin, ed. (2005),  Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile.  Ottawa: Statistics Canada Catalogue #85-224-  XIE. Available at statcan.ca/english/freepub/85-224-XIE/85-224-XIE2005000.pdf

4.  Fitzgerald, 1999.

5.  ibid.

6.  ibid.

7.  Target Groups Project (2005),  Women  in Canada: A Gender-Based   Statistical Report,  Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2006. Catalogue #89-503-XPE. Available at statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-503-XIE/0010589-503-XIE.pdf

8.  Fitzgerald, 1999.