BCIFV home > Newsletter > 1994 Archives > Fall 1994 articles

The BC Institute on Family Violence is hosting a national conference
in honour of the International Year of the Family.

Stopping the Violence - Changing Families, Changing Futures November 16 - 19, 1994

Five years have passed since the 1989 conference, "Family Violence - National and International Perspectives on Research, Policy and Practice," a conference which marked the opening of the BC Institute on Family Violence. That conference focussed on issues of child abuse, spousal assault and elder abuse. In the years since that conference, there have been an increasing number of research, applied policy and legislative initiatives addressing all these areas.

In this, the International Year of the Family, "Stopping the Violence: Changing Families, Changing Futures" will examine current initiatives and future strategies for stopping and preventing family violence. In addition, the National Centres for Excellence, funded by the Federal Government to do research on family violence and violence against women, will be presenting findings from these research activities.

Major themes of the conference are: recognizing the cultural diversity of our families, respect for and recognition of our children's needs, and the strengths and contributions of elders in our families and communities. Plans for the prevention of family violence must build on the existing strengths of families, the women's movement, service organizations and communities. Multicultural matters and First Nations issues will be specifically addressed.

The conference is intended for professionals working in treatment and management areas, specialists in prevention, social workers, teachers, psychiatrists, psychologists, gerontologists, researchers, policy makers, advocates, law enforcement personnel, settlement workers, and interested members of the general public.

Confirmed speakers include: Rosemary Brown, Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission; Glenda Simms, President of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women; and Mobina Jaffer, lawyer and member of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women.

Co-sponsors to date:

• The Feminist Research Action Development Group
• Immigrant Services Society of B.C.
• Justice Institute of B.C.
• British Columbia Council for the Family
• Ministry of Social Services, Province of B.C.
• Family Services of Greater Vancouver
• Registered Nurses Association of B.C.
• Health Canada
• U.B.C. Continuing Education
• Domestic Violence Program, Vancouver Hospital
• Ministry of Women's Equality, Province of B.C.

• Implications of Zero Tolerance Perspectives
• Pro-Active Approaches for Building Community Networks
• New Questions/Solutions from Non-traditional Sources
• Policing and Justice
• Innovative Programs for Women
• Stopping the Violence: A Feminist Model of Practice - The Vancouver Hospital Experience
• Supporting Family and Community - A First Nations Approach
• Women in Relationships Policies: Current States and Concerns
• Strengthening Families and Community
• Community and Institutional Support of Newcomer Families
• Participatory Action Research
• From Recommendations to Results: Where Have all the Needs, Assessements, Consultations, Processes and Initiatives Taken Us?
• Integrating Policy, Practice and Research
• Issues in Evaluation
• The Emerging View of Child Rearing and Discipline
• Emerging New Family Structures and Gender Issues
• Resiliency
• Business' Response to Changing Families
• Evolving Legislation re Vulnerable Adults
• Treatment Programs for Abusive Men
• Treatment Programs for Male Survivors
• Community Partnerships
• DAWN Research
• Issues of Cultural Diversity
• Intergenerational Issues
• Understanding Lesbian Battering
• Homicide in the Family
• Poverty and the Family
• Emergency Physician Protocols
• Special Youth Session
• Community and Institutional Supports for Newcomer Families
• The Addiction Cluster
• Risk Assessment
• Children Affected by Family Violence