BCIFV home > Media Release > October 7, 2002

For Immediate Release: October 7, 2002
Contact: Penny Bain, phone: 604-669-7055 or 1 877-755-7055 or
pbain@bcifv.org or www.bcifv.org

Opinion: The Speech from the Throne: Family Violence Must be Recognized
by Penny Bain

With cautious optimism, the BC Institute Against Family Violence applauds the speech from the throne as a long overdue step in the direction of social justice. However, if Mr. Chretien is to fulfill these promises, he must recognize that family violence is a fundamental aspect of many of the issues he has identified and earmark funds to address it. For example:

Reforming health care. Family violence is as much a health issue as a social issue. Consider the teenager who flees sexual abuse in her home, suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, and ends up on the street, doing drugs, prostituting, becoming pregnant, and/or contracting an STD. Consider the abused immigrant woman who becomes critically ill because she is isolated, depressed, in fear of deportation, and reluctant to access health-care services. Consider the older man who lives with his adult son, who controls his father's money, how often he sees a doctor, whether and when his prescriptions are filled, and so on. Research indicates that family violence-related trauma impacts long-term health and costs the health-care system millions of dollars annually. Any health care reform must include funds to address the causes and impact of family violence.

Getting families off of welfare. A disproportionate number of families on welfare have been touched by family violence. This is emphatically not to say that poverty is a causal factor in family violence; it is, rather, to note that family violence can prevent people from changing their economic circumstances no matter how badly they want to do so. Violence can cause young people or mothers and their children to flee abusive homes, often resulting in homelessness. Lack of safe housing, job training, transportation to interviews, and childcare can prevent abused women or youth from finding or keeping employment.

Improving life for Aboriginals. Any effort to improve life and health in Aboriginal communities must include funds dedicated to addressing spousal assault, child abuse, youth violence, and elder abuse, and provide the opportunity for these communities to invest those funds in culturally appropriate ways.

Knocking down barriers for skilled immigrant workers. Canada is a nation of immigrants. Yet it is also a nation with its own unique culture and standards. New Canadians require assistance to understand and adapt to our norms, including support to adjust to Canadian laws and expectations regarding spousal assault, child rearing, and elder abuse. For example, the Institute is preparing resources for English as a Second Language teachers to use with newcomer parents about the distinction between child discipline and child abuse in Canada.

Increasing access to early-childhood learning and child care. The early years of a child's life are the most important in developing the capacity to form healthy adult relationships. Providing access to high-quality, affordable day care for young children is one of the best ways to invest in a child's future. Trained workers can identify at-risk children, provide constructive information to parents in non-threatening ways, and augment less-than-perfect childrearing with physical, mental, and emotional stimulation. Early childhood is the best time to intervene against family violence. Consequently, a substantial portion of funding for early-childhood learning and day care must be earmarked for identifying and intervening with at-risk children.

Increasing penalties for child abuse and neglect. Increasing accountability for child abuse and neglect is important in order to increase deterrence. Yet at BCIFV, we would focus more resources on prevention. People tend to parent as they were parented. The most effective way to address child abuse and neglect is with interventions that support parents to parent better.

Increasing funding for research. If family violence is ever to be stopped, it must be understood. Those of us who are committed to understanding it keep doing the research - but with adequate funding, we could do infinitely more.

For more information, contact Penny Bain, Executive Director of the BC Institute Against Family Violence at 669-7055 or
1 877-755-7055, pbain@bcifv.org or www.bcifv.org.

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