On May 13, 2015 our Advocacy Committee Co-chairs, Marianne Singh-Waraich and Eleanor Christie travelled to Queen's Park on behalf of CFUW Burlington to present to:
The Select Committee on Sexual Violence and Harassment
Learn more:
The Recommendations:
Recommendations from CFUW Burlington to the Select Committee on Sexual
Violence and Harassment , May 13, 2015
1. Create a better patient staff ratio in nursing homes to prevent sexual assault and
harassment
2. Make harassment policies more effective and see that they are enforced no matter
what the status of the offender
3. Do not blame the victim but take her seriously
4 Ban sexualized advertising which uses young children as models
5. Include sex education in the curriculum at all levels, especially the notion of informed
consent and the context of a loving relationship
6. Include proper use of the internet in high school curriculum so students can recognize
and avoid its dangers such as sexting, cyber bullying and dubious chat rooms
7. Institute penalties with teeth for non compliance with harassment policies
8. Institute zero tolerance and do not accept toxic work environments.
9. Make leaders accountable for the enforcement of harassment policies
10. Strengthen anti- trafficking laws and prosecute traffickers
11. Create more social and supported housing
12. Increase funding for support services such as women’s shelters and sexual assault
centres and make it long term, sustainable funding
13. Insist the OMA police its orders that restrict practice for sexual offenders
14. Work at creating gender equity which destroys the imbalance in power that so often
underlies sexual assault and harassment
15. Enlist men of good will to challenge their male associates to treat all women with
respect.
16. Create He for She groups of men of all ages in schools and communities
17. Help immigrants adjust to Canadian culture by including gender rights in ESL
instruction
18. See to it that vulnerable minorities such as Aboriginal women and the disabled get
extra help to combat their abuse so that they have equal access to services
19. Encourage the federal and other governments to develop a blueprint for combating
violence against women
20. Increase funding for legal aid
21. Review the burden of evidence in the judiciary system
22. Consider custody and access cases in light of sexual violence
23. Enforce custody and other court orders across jurisdictions
24. Train judges and create specialized teams to deal with cases of sexual violence
25. Train police, medical personnel and Crown attorneys(all first responders) to
sensitize them to survivors’ difficulties
26. Collect reliable data, create a baseline and set time bound goals to measure
progress