Barter, Patricia. Voices of the Women: Report of the Powell River Women's Needs Research Project. Victoria, BC: Ministry of Women's Equality, January 1993.

The mandate of this project was to determine the needs and concerns of women in the Powell River, B.C. area, and how the currently available services were and were not meeting these needs. The survey questions focussed on women's personal vulnerability, as well as employment, unpaid labour, health, counselling, housing, transportation, and child care. Overall, women were generally dissatisfied with the services or information they received from their doctors; the lack of mental health services; the scarcity of counselling for relationship problems, abuse, suicide and managing personal finances; the unequal access they experienced to business or job opportunities; the failure of the community to recognize the substantial contribution they made through volunteer work; inadequate drop-in child-care facilities; a paucity of affordable housing, especially for single parents; and an irregular and daytime-restricted transportation system that put women at risk.

For women who experience abuse in their relationships the research findings clearly identified counselling and positive support from the police and community as primary needs - needs that these women do not get satisfied because of inadequate police training, the inability of the community to assure that confidentiality by caregivers will not be breached, and a general lack of resources. While services available for abused women in Powell River were limited, the need for such services was not. Out of a survey sample of 472 local women, 43.6 percent responded that they personally, or a family member, had experienced emotional abuse; 28.6 percent had experienced family violence; 25.6 percent sexual abuse; and 16.5 percent sexual assault. When asked if they had ever wanted to leave home because of family violence but could not do so, 20.5 percent answered yes. Shame and fear of both the abuser and of the reaction from family and friends were the primary reasons women did not seek help from abuse. Not wanting to talk to the police, nowhere to go, and not being aware of local support services were cited by 11.9 percent, 11.0 percent, and 10.2 percent respectively as reasons why they stayed. As one woman put it:

The services in place are excellent but sorely limited by funding and not able to provide what they could if allowed. For example: sexual abuse program not able to run support groups for parents [and] children of abuse victims; no transition house; victim support service has no room for in-service counselling when it is need[ed] by more than one person. (1993: 84)

This resource guide provides both a feminist analysis of the links between poverty and violence, and examples of successful anti-violence and anti-poverty programs that have been launched by women's organizations across Canada. The resource guide also includes quotes from the workers in these programs and their clients; an analysis of what makes a program successful; suggestions for social action; and fact sheets which provide statistics on the numbers of women affected by both poverty and violence, as well as how specific communities of women are affected by poverty and violence. The authors contacted women's centres and anti-poverty groups across Canada and invited members of these groups to provide input for this resource guide. Representatives from these organizations then formed a working group to discuss the combined impact of poverty and violence on women, and to identify the characteristics of a successful program, as well as to draft the resource guide.

Recommendations for providing services to low income women in violent relationships include: making services accessible (both spatially and cost-wise), providing support and being flexible regarding the structure of support groups, teaching skills to low income women to increase their independence and self-worth, and training women to become advocates for eradicating both violence against women and poverty. This guide will be of interest to front-line workers in women's centres and shelters, and to advocacy/lobbying groups in the anti-violence and anti-poverty movements.

This study was undertaken in order to remedy a lack of empirical data on the direct and indirect costs attributable to violence against women in Canada. The authors are committed to using a feminist methodology in their analysis, and they recognize the dangers of "… framing the issue of violence against women in purely economic terms" (1996:140). The research draws from the literature of a variety of social science disciplines, particularly sociology and economics, in order to establish the framework for the economic analyses and extrapolations that are required to estimate the costs of violence against women. In addition to applying cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analyses to the data collected, the social and indirect costs to the state and the individual are also examined. The results of the study indicate that both the immediate and longer-term consequences of violence against women have "… important implications for public policy and resource allocation [and that] the on-going perpetuation of violence against women contributes to many other social areas which affect most policy areas" (Hankivsky & Greaves, 1996:144).

This study not only provides useful information for women's advocates and services, but also offers an informed critique of - and recommendations for the revision of - social and economic policies, particularly in the areas of social services and health planning.

This article is also available as a separate report: Greaves, Lorraine, Olena Hankivsky & JoAnn Kingston-Riechers. Selected Estimates of the Costs of Violence Against Women. London, ON: Centre for Research on Violence against Women and Children, 1995.

The purpose of this publication is to provide information regarding welfare eligibility, benefits, and processes. Its language is sympathetic and empowering, and it assumes the prospective recipient's legal and moral entitlement to social assistance. Furthermore, the end of the booklet provides a list of anti-poverty and welfare advocacy groups which would be a useful resource for those seeking emotional and/or practical support.

While it is a useful and accessible tool for most applicants, it does not address the specific concerns of women (with or without children) hoping to leave violent domestic situations. For example, there appears to be no mechanism by which a woman can apply for welfare on the basis of her anticipated income and assets, in the event of a separation from her partner. This ought to be remedied, as many women's decision to end an unhealthy relationship will depend on being able to determine in advance whether or not they will qualify for social assistance.

McLean, Janice and Richard Kerr. Paying for Violence: Some of the Cost of Violence Against Women in B.C. Prepared for The British Columbia's Ministry of Women's Equality, May 1996.

This project's purpose is to provide a report of some of the direct and hidden societal monetary costs of violence against Women. The idea is that heightened individual and community awareness will help initiate support to stop violence against Women. The article has quite a clinical tone to it.

The methodology includes reviews of the 1992 BC Task Force on Family Violence and the 1993 report of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women. Literary sources were taken from: Health Canada's National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, the Ministry of Women's Equality Library, the Status of Women Canada library, The Canadian Council on Social Development and the B.C. Institute on Family Violence. Specialists in the field were also consulted. The other source of information used for this project is the Internet. The majority of the sources are Canadian.

The sections of the article include: About the Authors; A summary; Background Purpose; Scope and Definitions; Methodology; and Limitations and Estimates. In the Limitations and Estimates section it is pointed out that the study focuses on a narrow range of violence. There is a quantifications section which outlines eleven cost estimates areas of consequences of violence against women. These eleven areas examined include: Correctional services; Criminal Injury Compensation programs; Victim Assistance Programs and Counselling for Women; Mental Health Care; Alcohol and Drug Treatment; Income Assistance; Transition Houses and Sexual/Woman Assault Centres; Women's Loss of Paid and Unpaid Work Time; and Programs for Children and Assaultive Men. Following this is a Future Research Directions section, Footnotes and a Bibliography.

There are gaps in this article, it is missing areas such as harassment in that workplace that need to be researched. This article may be of use to some feminist researchers and to the government.

The impetus for this study came from the personal experiences of Filipina domestic migrant workers who are members of the Philippine Women's Centre. Through the use of a collaborative feminist participatory action research design, this project centres the voices of Filipina women. The report situates women's experiences within a broader global and historical context as it examines the social and economic forms of violence (e.g., de-skilling, poverty, racism, etc.,) that Filipino women in Canada experience on a day to day basis. Through the use of focus groups, interviews, and a survey questionnaire, the researchers gathered detailed information from 56 participants who were predominantly Filipina women from marginalized socio-economic levels, particularly domestic workers. The social and psychological impact of socio-economic forms of violence on these women are explored.

The researchers conclude that the soci-economic forms of violence that Filipina immigrant women experience must be seen within the context of globalization, and that this violence takes the form of chronic de-skilling and "slave-like" conditions among Filipina and other immigrant women, resulting in low wages and menial dead-end jobs.

This resource manual was prepared for trade unionists who expressed an interest in wanting to learn more about the dynamics of violence against women and effective intervention strategies which can be implemented in the workplace. The manual consists of seven chapters (each chapter addresses a different aspect of violence against women and offers practical suggestions for taking action at work), an appendix, and a list of additional resources. This document is written from a feminist perspective and seeks to include both men and women in the process of taking responsibility for ending violence against women. It is a valuable resource for all employers and employees in the labour force (both public and private sectors) who are concerned about ending violence against women.