Bergin, Betty. Elder Abuse in Ethnocultural Communities: An Exploratory Study with Suggestions for Intervention and Prevention. Ottawa: Canadian Association of Social Workers, 1995.

This national study was conducted in order to both identify the issues surrounding the abuse of ethnocultural seniors, and to equip social workers and other service providers with appropriate and effective strategies for providing care to abused seniors in ethnocultural communities. Data for the study were drawn from two sources: (1) a self-administered questionnaire mailed to service providers and ethnocultural leaders across Canada, and (2) focus groups, comprising both service providers and ethnocultural seniors, held in six cities (including Vancouver) across the country. Data from the questionnaires were subjected to a quantitative frequency analysis. Information from the questionnaire and the focus groups were analyzed qualitatively, according to the themes which emerged from the data. The analysis and discussion of the research findings does not appear to be grounded in any specific theoretical framework, but it is sensitive to the unique concerns and issues related to the abuse of ethnocultural seniors. The report shows very clearly that older women are the victims of physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse more frequently than older men, and that the perpetrators of the abuse are often the women's spouses.

The suggestions and recommendations provided in this report have policy implications for the training of social workers and community service providers (especially mainstream organizations that may not be familiar with the values, beliefs and customs of specific ethnocultural communities); legislation regulating the reporting of elder abuse; and government funding for a variety of programs aimed at both preventing elder abuse, and eradicating the circumstances which may trigger or aggravate such abuse. Although this report is directed at social workers and their professional organizations, it will also be of interest to researchers, community planners, and front-line workers in women's shelters and centres who provide services to senior women from ethnocultural communities.

This report documents the development of a support group for women who have left relationships with violent men. Through a discussion of the progress of one such group offered through the North Shore Crisis Services Society, the authors explore the group process and its usefulness for the participants. Using the voices of the women participants the report offers insight into individual women's experiences of violence and their responses to group support. Specific recommendations regarding the establishment of second stage support groups for women are offered.

This report is of interest both to women leaving abusive relationships, and to front-line workers wishing to establish second stage support groups.

This document evolved out of the author's - and one of her colleague's - experiences facilitating two group counselling programs for women with physical disabilities who were healing from abuse or (childhood) sexual abuse, respectively. The manual, written from a feminist perspective, offers a collection of suggestions for experienced counsellors who might be interested in doing group work with women who have physical disabilities and have been the victims of sexual abuse. The manual documents the author's analysis of her experiences in setting up and running this type of program, and highlights specific issues and factors (e.g., accessibility) that must be taken into account when working with women with physical disabilities.

In addition to the practical suggestions, the manual offers a fairly comprehensive discussion and analysis of the unique issues and concerns which confront women with physical disabilities who have been abused either physically or sexually. Although this document is intended primarily for counsellors, the material contained within the manual would also be of interest to, and provide valuable information for, front-line workers - both in women's organizations and the health care sector - who provide support services to women with physical disabilities.

This study, grounded in a feminist conceptual framework, was undertaken by the DisAbled Women's Network (D.A.W.N.) to assess the level of accessibility of provincially funded violence related services, vis-à-vis women with physical or mental health disabilities. Surveys, follow-up interviews, visits to service agencies, and focus groups were conducted with women with disabilities, organizations serving women with disabilities, and service providers in four BC communities (northern and southern, rural and urban). The data were subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analyses, according to research questions (e.g., factual information about services, levels of accessibility, attitudinal accessibility and sensitivity, training needs of service providers) that were to be addressed in this project. The results of the study were compiled into a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving accessibility of services to women with disabilities.

The research results found that none of the services was accessible to women with a full range of disabilities, and that attitudinal barriers posed as much as a problem as the physical inaccessibility of services. The recommendations that emerged out of this study could have significant policy implications vis-à-vis funding criteria for community-based social service agencies in terms of improving both their physical and attitudinal accessibility to women with disabilities. This study will be of interest to policy-makers, funders, women's centres and other community-based social services, and researchers.

The background for this report arose out of a series of meetings, held in 1994, that were conducted with various community members in the North region of Vancouver Island. These meetings resulted in participating members identifying needs specific to their communities, including an assessment of existing services and resources for women survivors of intimate violence. The success of these meetings inspired members to take the process back to their respective communities, with a focus on protection, prevention, and re-education. Using a participatory action research model, the author facilitated seven workshops throughout the North Island to help community members identify their specific concerns, needs, and a plan of action. By centering the voices of the women who attended the workshops, this report documents the results of each workshop and the work of the North Island Network to Resist and Heal from Violence. The report concludes with an assessment of the process and recommendations for further research and action.

This report is an excellent resource for communities wanting to implement a participatory action model, in order to work towards ending violence against women and children in their communities.

This community-based research project was conducted by the India Mahila Association (IMA), located in the lower mainland of BC, over a two month period in 1994. . The research was conducted in order to identify and address the following concerns: specific needs/barriers of South Asian women as victims of violence; the consequences of violence that are specific to South Asian women who have experienced violence in their relationships; the types of services accessed by South Asian women; the role of family, community and government in protecting South Asian women from violence, and; the perceptions of and outcomes for the participants. Using a snowball sampling technique, 15 women were selected to participate in in-depth consultations regarding the abuse they had experienced. The participants answered over 60 questions pertaining to their own and their husbands' demographic data (age, education, financial status, entry to Canada, relationships with extended family members), types of abuse and the circumstances, impact of abuse, experiences as a result of reporting the abuse, obtaining support services, etc.

The results of the study provide critical information for front-line workers (in women's centres and transition houses), police, lawyers, and policy makers in terms of evaluating these groups' ability to respond to South Asian women in an appropriate, culturally sensitive manner. The lists of recommendations compiled by participants and researchers offer a useful tool both for identifying service gaps, and offering guidelines for improving accessibility of existing services and developing services that are culturally sensitive to the specific concerns of South Asian women in abusive relationships.

This article is also available as a full-length report, published by FREDA: Dosanjh, Raminder, Surinder Deo & Surjeet Sidhu. Spousal Abuse in the South Asian Community. Vancouver, BC: FREDA Centre for Research on Violence against Women and Children, 1994.

This guide was compiled by researchers from the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, and is based directly on their work with women and children. It is an accessible guide written specifically for women who have left an abusive relationship and are now single parents of children who witnessed the abuse. This guide contains information about the cycle of violence, leaving the abuser, the impact of wife abuse on children, as well as general guidelines for parenting. Further, the guide provides a list of appropriate resources (e.g., information on housing, shelters, legal advice, counselling and parenting) for women in or leaving abusive relationships.

This guide would be of particular interest both to women with children who are in, or have left, an abusive relationship, and to front-line workers and service providers.

This report was written as a guide to the important steps of evaluating crime prevention projects. It includes a review of the four phases of a community-cased crime prevention project focusing in more detail on phase four, 'monitoring and evaluating your crime prevention program'.

This guide is quite simple in that it is easy to follow and comprehend. It is important to have a guide such as this because valuation is important to any project so that one is able to further that projects success or terminate it so that the funding is made available for a more productive project.

This document provides a compilation of family violence related services, programs, and resources that are available to First Nations communities in British Columbia. Further, this document provides a comparison of the results of national, provincial, and regional consultations carried out to assess the needs of First Nations communities, with the researcher's own community consultations held with First Nations organizations, communities, and individuals. A critical analysis of the former process is provided, and recommendations are made as to how the urgent needs of First Nations communities can best be met in a culturally appropriate manner.

The study reveals a lack of research concerning the extent and nature of violence in First Nations communities in British Columbia, a fragmentation of knowledge in the area, and gaps in services throughout the province. The author recommends broad-based strategies that include the participation of provincial and federal governments in coordination with First Nations leaders.

The researcher situates herself as a First Nations woman and frames her research within the larger political and social context of colonization, and the experiences of First Nations communities in Canada. This report is of interest to First Nations communities, service providers, and policy makers at both the provincial and federal levels.

This document reports the proceedings of a two day information session (structured as a series of workshops) with representatives from a variety of ethnocultural communities on the topics of wife abuse, child abuse, and abuse of seniors (i.e., family violence). The session was organized with the goal of facilitating dialogue about ethnocultural communities' perspectives on these issues. Participants in this information session comprised representatives who, as a result of their activities, were deemed to be knowledgeable and able to articulate their experiences working with these concerns in their respective ethnocultural communities. Observers from federal government departments and non-governmental organizations were also invited to this session in order to increase their understanding of why current efforts and initiatives to reduce family violence in various ethnocultural communities are often ineffective.

The proceedings of the workshop on Wife Assault/Violence against Women will be of interest to researchers, governmental departments, and front-line workers in "mainstream" organizations who provide services to women clients from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The issues raised in the workshop have significant policy and programming implications for both federal government departments and community organizations in terms of funding and education for service providers.

This project was developed in order to obtain data on the kinds of information and services available for women and children suffering abuse in the Yukon. The authors frame their report within the broader context of abuse and violence in Northern communities, and the struggle to maintain feminist analyses of male violence amidst competing views and much denial. Through the use of a questionnaire, the authors solicited information from educational institutions, community agencies, members of territorial government agencies/departments whose mandate it is to work with violence against women and children, and federal government representatives - specifically, RCMP and Nursing Station personnel. The detailed questionnaire focused on the types of services offered to abused women and children and to abusive men, the limitations of services (e.g., due to lack of financial resources & training), and the respondents' proposed solutions to ending male violence. The report details the outcomes of the research and recommends a community development model to help strengthen and organize communities towards the goal of ending male violence.

This report is an excellent resource for service providers working against violence in Northern communities, as well as academics and government personnel engaged in research and in the development of policies and programs. The report incorporates a detailed description of the geography and history of the Yukon, as well as a full description of the use of community development models.

This resource manual arose out of a series of spousal violence awareness sessions, during which it came to light that not only does wife assault occur in the Deaf community but also that most mainstream support services are not accessible to Deaf women. The qualitative research conducted prior to compiling this resource manual was grounded in both a feminist and an awareness approach. The methodologies employed in the process of developing this document included a review of the relevant literature, the authors' personal expertise and experiences, and a series of consultations conducted over a seven month period. The data were analyzed according to the thematic contents which emerged.

The document comprises five substantive chapters, including a discussion of the specific issues faced by deaf women who are assaulted by their partners; suggestions for adapting methods of intervention to the needs of Deaf women; strategies for developing appropriate intervention support tools; and a list of recommendations for increasing Deaf women's accessibility to shelters and other community services. This resource manual would be of interest to front-line workers in women's centres and shelters, other community agencies that wish to extend their services to Deaf women, and to persons working in the Deaf community who would benefit from developing a greater understanding of spousal assault issues and learning to use effective interventions with Deaf women who are victims of spousal assault.

This booklet is designed as a resource guide for strategies against family violence in Aboriginal Communities. It is designed as a user-friendly guide for social service workers planning and implementing family violence prevention programs.

The introduction defines "family" and "family violence" and gives a brief description of various types of abuse such as abuse of children, women, elders and people with disabilities. An in-depth analysis of the causes of violence in Aboriginal communities, particularly with respect to colonization and ongoing experiences of racism and social marginalization is lacking in this section. Generally, this section and the following one on, "common questions and answers about family violence in the Aboriginal community" oversimplifies what are complex issues surrounding family violence.

The booklet includes a section on spiritual frameworks for addressing violence. Within this section issues of responsibility and respect, spirituality and identity are addressed. Sub-sections entitled freedom, choice, purpose and meaning are also included that stress the importance of setting goals and planning for the future.

Finally, the booklet provides an information guide to help social service providers start family violence programs of intervention and prevention that stress the well being of the community. This includes strategies for healing and ideas about what members of the community, such as children and elders, can do in the struggle against family violence.

This resource guide may be of use to social workers or family counselors but is inadequate in its discussion of the causes of violence and in its only brief references to violence against Aboriginal women.

This resource manual/handbook was developed for service providers who work with women who are in - or leaving - an abusive relationship. Specifically, the handbook seeks to apprise service providers of cultural differences/sensitivities that may impact on their work with women from diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. The handbook is organized into five sections that contain the following information: a literature review on, and an examination of the pervasive myths about, violence against women; a description of specific cultural factors that may add to the stress experienced by victims of wife assault; guidelines for intervening with battered women and assisting them to deal with ongoing concerns (e.g., financial, legal, housing, and safety issues); and strategies for preparing women for the court process/legal proceedings against their partners. A list of resources and materials, and where to obtain them, is also included in this handbook.

The handbook is written from a feminist perspective that reflects a sensitivity to both cultural diversities and individual differences within cultures. This handbook would serve as a valuable resource for any service providers - from women's shelters and centres to community agencies and victim assistance workers affiliated with the criminal justice system - who offer assistance to women who have been assaulted by their partners.

This paper offers an overview and evaluation of a three year demonstration project designed to provide training and support to women in the community (and former transition house clients) who expressed an interest in participating in the movement to end violence against women. The project was evaluated on its ability to meet specific objectives, including: developing a protocol for screening, training, and supporting volunteers, developing administrative manuals for starting and maintaining a peer support program; maintaining a public/social education focus through implementing five new initiatives per year; ensuring an effective strategy for recruiting volunteers; and encouraging women in rural areas to build on their links to their own communities. Overall, the project received a positive evaluation in its ability to meet its objectives. A kit was produced which provides the necessary information for developing and running an effective peer support program. This article and the kit produced out of this project offer a useful starting point for organizations and women's centres that would like to establish a peer support program within their own communities.

This manual is intended to be a guide for prospective leaders and counsellors of groups that deal with domestic violence in Latin American families. "Points of view here are based upon observation, subjective group analysis, and hypotheses." It is not meant to be a theoretically rigorous work, but rather a reference for those who would like to help a segment of the population whose situation is exacerbated by a language barrier and "other assimilation problems associated with immigration and/or exile." It is explicitly pro-feminist and holistic in its approach to the problem of family violence.

The guide is divided into sections on Latin American culture, leadership, working with children, working with women, and working with men. While the guide acknowledges the more "universal" underpinnings of violence against women and children, it also recognizes the specific experiences of recent immigrants (often escaping violent political cultures), and the tensions that contribute to the cycle of violence.

This guide will be of practical use to lay counsellors and group leaders who wish to facilitate therapeutic and educational groups for Latin American men, women and children who are dealing with family violence.

This report, the end result of a Family Violence Initiative project funded by the federal government, offers a set of guidelines and suggestions for establishing a collaborative response by the health/mental health care sectors to violence against women. The primary goal of the project was to improve health care services' responses to violence through facilitating a collaborative approach between service providers. The discussion, guidelines, and suggestions emerged out of a consultative process conducted with three focus groups located in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and London. The focus groups included health/mental health professionals, service providers, policy makers, consumers, and consumer advocacy groups. Feedback on this project was also solicited from the National Advisory Panel.

The report consists of five substantive chapters, a glossary of terms, a list of suggested readings, and several appendices. Within the five major sections of the report, it is apparent that the author's analysis of the issues discussed is clearly grounded in a feminist conceptual framework. The contents of this document offer material to facilitate policy recommendations in terms of eradicating the attitudinal and structural barriers that survivors of violence often encounter in the process of seeking help from health care services. This document would be of interest to health care professionals, women's and mental health consumers' advocacy groups, policy makers, and researchers.

This book offers a discussion of violence against women and children that is grounded in both a feminist and non-violent conceptual framework. The book offers a "non-enemy" ethic of stopping violence against women and children and facilitating the healing process for survivors, while simultaneously supporting the fundamental right to safety. The book is divided into three major sections ("Our Lives", "Our Work", and "Our Future") which appear to be addressed to individuals, professionals, and communities, respectively. The book offers a theory and method of recovery from violence and incorporates numerous experiential exercises into the text. This book will be of interest to individual women who are survivors of violent relationships, front-line workers in the women's movement, counsellors, and community educators.

This project represents the second phase of a project designed to examine the needs of women who have left violent relationships. (Phase I involved a quantitative needs assessment survey conducted with service providers in Richmond.) This report, based on a qualitative methodology, discusses the results of a needs assessment designed to: (1) examine the perspectives of women who have experienced violence in relationships or a sexual assault; (2) assess the needs and gaps in services available to women who are survivors of violent relationships or sexual assault and are living in Richmond; and (3) review the women's evaluations of the services they received. One-on-one, in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 women who agreed to share their experiences of abuse. Nine of the 22 women also agreed to participate in a focus group in order to provide the researchers with information about the short and long-term issues, needs, and concerns of women who were in violent relationships.

The results of this study (and phase I) will be of interest to front-line workers in community agencies, hospitals and the criminal justice system who would like a better understanding of the needs of women who have left violent relationships. The results provide valuable insight and implications for developing an effective, coordinated community response to ending violence against women.

In this report, two researchers from Women Against Violence Against Women Rape Crisis Centre identify the barriers that young women who are survivors of sexual assault encounter when trying to access services and support. The methodology for the research included both focus groups with young women survivors of sexual assault, and individual interviews with survivors and police, medical and court personnel. The findings of the research show that young women survivors of sexual assault are often unable to access community services and systems, primarily for reasons stemming from their fears of not being believed, previous encounters with mainstream services where their concerns and rights had been trivialized, and finally because there is a lack of services and supports tailored specifically to their needs.

Based on the findings from their focus groups, the researchers strongly recommend that more confidential services be made available for young women survivors of sexual assault - including female peer counsellors based at community and drop-in centres. It is recommended that police and court systems take more immediate action on reports of sexual assault from young women and that basic services (e.g., housing, food, emotional and medical resources) be made accessible to young women. Interviews with staff at community organizations suggest that additional funding to rape crisis centres and youth drop-in centres is needed to help provide critical specialized services to young women.

This report would be of interest to community service providers and educators working with young women.

Sy and Choldin, in a 1994 study, commissioned by the Department of Justice and carried out in Alberta investigated how the legal system could better meet the needs of abused immigrant women who experience abuse in their relationships, using as their source data semi-structured interviews with service providers from immigrant-serving agencies (ISAs). The overall findings of this study indicate that the needs of abused immigrant women are not being adequately met by existing service providing agencies. Lack of understanding stems from the cultural barriers and racism immigrant women face when trying to access mainstream services and accounts for many of the problems these women experience.

The report identifies a number of barriers faced by immigrant women who try to leave abusive relationships. For example they not only have to deal with the isolation that comes from the abuser's attempts to restrict her social interaction, but from the loss of the social support network that she had in her country of origin, and possible ostracization from their ethnic community in Canada. Sy and Choldin also found that no more than a cursory knowledge of Canadian laws and policies, a distrust of the criminal justice system based on experiences in their country of origin, coupled with a lack of knowledge of how the system works in Canada were major factors preventing abused immigrant women from seeking legal intervention to end violence in their relationships. Lack of available ESL programs and having the financial means to access any that might be available also were barriers to leaving an abusive situation for immigrant women.

Sy and Choldin make a number of recommendations as to how these barriers which prevent abused immigrant women from getting necessary help from service providing agencies might be overcome. Prominent among these recommendations is that a culturally aware public education program directed at informing immigrants about the legal system and at dispelling myths held by immigrant women about this system be established. Coupled with this recommendation is that funding be made available to ensure that cultural training is made available to all service providing agency personnel, which would include an emphasis on the needs of abused immigrant women and provide a better understanding of the existing barriers (such as racism) that immigrant women face when accessing these services. Providing more accessibility to ESL programs and training in the area of legal information affecting wife abuse for ISA workers and for translators were also suggested. Finally, Sy and Choldin recommend that the policies and procedures of mainstream agencies must be adapted to accommodate the needs of abused immigrant women.

This information kit was assembled by the Vancouver Lesbian Connection to provide front-line workers in women's organizations with information about the specific needs and concerns of lesbians who have been battered by their partners. The kit includes articles on the myths surrounding lesbian battering, barriers to seeking help, strategies for intervening with battering in lesbian relationships, guidelines for mental health professionals' response to lesbian battering, a checklist for women's shelters to determine their accessibility to lesbian women (i.e., are shelter materials, policies, etc. inclusive of lesbians), and a list of services and additional resources. This information kit would be invaluable to staff in mainstream women's organizations and shelters, service providers in other agencies (e.g., victim services), and professionals in the mental health system.

This report outlines the process employed by a facilitator hired to develop a protocol manual to be followed by all services and systems in Prince George, vis-à-vis their responses to violence against women in relationships. The report is comprised of the following: an Introduction and overview of the conceptual framework that guided the project; eight substantive sections that outline and discuss each stage of the project - from conducting a needs assessment to evaluating the process of developing a community protocol; a recommended reading list; and, two appendices. The process was grounded in a feminist conceptual framework. Specifically, the author adopted an eclectic approach and drew on common feminist themes such as: a commitment to personal and political action to bring about changes for and with women; a recognition of the specific historical and geographical context that shaped the project; an awareness of one's own and others' values, beliefs, and biases; and, an emphasis on exploring the right questions, rather than the right answers.

The author cautions that this document was written to share ideas and demystify the process; it was "… not designed as a blueprint to be critiqued and then randomly implemented in other communities" (1994:1). Nonetheless, this report will be of interest and practical value to communities (and their coordinating committees to end violence against women in relationships) that are considering developing an integrated community protocol for responding to violence against women. This report will also be of interest to feminist community-based researchers who wish to learn more about the relationship between researchers' conceptual frameworks and the methodological approaches employed in a particular project.