Call to Action: Disrupting the Cycle and Stigma of Gender-Based Violence

Written by : Iyanuoluwa Akinrinola, M.Ed.

Foreword by: Anne C. Clarke, MA. Social Policy Analyst:

The forgoing article is based on two recent research reports. One conducted by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, on Child Sexual Abuse and Victimisation in schools across Canada. The other by the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanAct). The research gives a birds eye view of victimisation of children in the school systems and of racialised women in the criminal justice system with a focus on Toronto. They are insightful and thorough. Missing from the report on children is a breakdown on the race of the victims. The reader is left to come to their own conclusion based on the undertones of the images in the report.

“Gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations of our time. Maama Watali works to achieve gender equality by centering Black women. Many Canadians face violence every day because of their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, socio-or economic status.” It is with this understanding that we chose to start the year off by examining three profound reports that examine gender violence from childhood to adulthood. Our aim is to provide insight and understanding into how we can collectively work together to combat this prevalent issue that often silently plagues so many in Canada.
According to the Rights of the Child (Human Rights Code), all children have the right to safety, dignity, security, and freedom from harm. Sexual abuse violates these rights, increasing risks for adverse physical, emotional, and psychological health and well-being throughout the lifespan (read more on this report here).

More than 54,000 anonymous testimonies about sexual violence and harassment in schools and universities have been shared via the website Everyone’s Invited since March 2021. This trauma can impact women’s ability to seek help and their experience when accessing services or supports (read this article here). The experience of trauma and the weight it bears can be compounded by other intersecting identities of oppression, such as race, sexual identity, sexual orientation, and cultural identity.
Far too often sexual violence and harassment do not occur as an isolated event or in a singularity. The effect such trauma has on individuals can be lifelong (some starting from childhood) and intergenerational. Furthermore, there is a propensity for criminalization for those who are victims of sexual violence, which further stigmatizes individuals, thrusting them into a seemingly never-ending cycle of crime.

According to the statistics, Racialized women are overrepresented in the criminal justice system and the fastest growing prison population in Canada. Indigenous women account for 4.3% of the adult female population, yet 43% of women in federal prisons in Canada. Indigenous women in Canadian prisons have higher rates of past traumas, such as physical or sexual abuse and histories of oppression. Black women make up 3% of the adult female population in Canada, yet 9% of women in prisons. Racialized women also face barriers to reporting acts of violence, and must navigate multiple risks, including the risk of discrimination by the criminal justice system.

These are the cycles Maama Watali strives to break, through knowledge sharing, community building, social and economic empowerment. As we embrace the New Year, 2023, , we will continue to BUILD AWARENESS regarding the challenges encountered by women of African descent, Black and Caribbean living in Canada and the diaspora. We will continue to ensure that we foster and CREATE SAFE, CULTURALLY SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS that will empower women of African descent to voice their concerns regarding all forms of gender bias, abuse, or harassment within their personal or professional lives. We will continue to push audaciously ahead to CHANGE THE SYSTEM and dispel false narratives while transforming the system to recognize the experiences of all forms of gender violence against Black women and children by collecting race-based data.

We start the year – 2023 – by sharing with you our CALL TO ACTION, whereby you can walk with us in carrying out such needed work, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Make sure to check out our Maama Watali site so that you can receive updates, newsletters, and event reminders. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you can view past webinars, as well as stay up to date on upcoming events.

Sources

[1] Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. (2022). Child sexual abuse – canadian centre for child protection. Protect Children. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://protectchildren.ca/pdfs/C3P_CSAinSchoolsReport_en.pdf

[2] Scully, E. (2022, October 8). Calls for teachers to get training as sexual assault offences rise among teens. mirror. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/calls-teachers-better-training-sexual-28183148

[3] WomanACT. (2022, November 16). Reducing Stigma: Exploring the intersections between trauma, race and criminalization. Reducing Stigma. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://womanact.ca/publications/reducing-stigma/

[4] WomanACT. (2022, November 16). Reducing Stigma: Exploring the intersections between trauma, race and criminalization. Reducing Stigma. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://womanact.ca/publications/reducing-stigma/