Feminist
Research
Education
Development
and
Action Centre
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The FREDA Centre
for Research on Violence
against Women and Children
FREDA's Mission
- What is FREDA?
FREDA is one of five violence research centres across the country that
were established in 1992 through a five year grant from Health Canada
and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
(SSHRC). Since its inception, the Centre's mandate has been to
facilitate and conduct research on violence against women and children,
in order to raise awareness and effect policy.
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How is FREDA funded?
Until 1997, the FREDA Centre was funded from the initial grant provided
by Health Canada and the SSHRC. Since then, the Centre has been operating
on the basis of project-specific grants and is currently funded by Simon
Fraser University (SFU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC).
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What kind of research does FREDA do?
The FREDA Centre conducts qualitative collaborative research using a
participatory action based approach. The Centre works with community
groups, frontline service providers, and policy-makers to produce
research that is relevant and useable. Current research projects cover
a wide variety of issues and examine the issue of violence from a
systemic (i.e., societal) and interpersonal perspective.
FREDA sponsors the GoGirls Group - a facilitated group that focuses
on skills development and fun. GoGirls members also serve as research
consultants for FREDA's Status of Women study on girls and their
experiences.
Research reports produced by the FREDA Centre are diverse and include an
analysis of the sexual exploitation and trafficking of young women;
violence against marginalized girls; a parenting guide for single
mothers of children who have witnessed violence; the links between
violence and eating disorders; trends concerning violence against
women; an analysis of the Violence Against Women in Relationships
(VAWIR) Policy; and the implications of records disclosure legislation.
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How is research conducted?
Our research methods include critical analysis of the existing literature,
qualitative interviews with community members and organizations, analysis
of policies and legislation, and discourse analysis where appropriate.
Research methods vary according to the topic being investigated and the
nature of the collaborative relationship between the affected communities
and the researchers. Our researchers include: Dr. Shelley Moore,
Dr. Patricia Kachuk, Dr. Yasmin Jiwani, and many others who are involved
in specific projects.
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Tell me about the Alliance of Five Research Centres on Violence
(AFRCV)
FREDA is a member of the AFRCV. The five violence research centres
formed the Alliance in 1996. Since that time the Alliance has engaged
in national collaborative research projects, the most recent of which
being Violence Prevention and the Girl Child, funded by Status of Women
Canada. For more information on the Alliance's report, consult the FREDA
Web site.
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How is FREDA managed?
The Centre is managed by a consortium of community organizations and
academics from SFU and UBC. Academic representation consists of scholars
from the School of Criminology and the Department of Women's Studies at
SFU, and the Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations
as well as the School of Nursing from the University of British Columbia.
Community organizations' representation consists of Women Against Violence
Against Women Rape Crisis Centre (WAVAW), the Aboriginal Women's Action
Network (AWAN), the BC Coalition for the Elimination of Abuse of Seniors
(BCCEAS), and the Stepping Stone Vision Society. In addition, the BC
Institute against Family Violence is also a member of the consortium.
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Where is FREDA located?
The FREDA Centre is located at the Harbour Centre (Vancouver) campus of
Simon Fraser University.
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