International Women’s Day 2024

This captivating image beautifully captures the unwavering support shared among women, girls, and femmes, symbolizing the strength and unity within our community. Now imagine yourself in this room – can’t you sense the profound support, unconditional love, and the feeling of safety and freedom? Yet, for many, that feeling of safety and freedom is not the reality experienced by some women in this country and across the globe.

Today, as we commemorate International Women’s Day, we honour the remarkable strength, achievements, and unity of women, girls, and femmes worldwide. It’s a day to celebrate their resilience in the face of adversity but also to confront the harsh realities of gender-based violence, misogyny, and oppression that continue to plague our communities.

On average, every 48 hours, a woman is killed in Canada by her intimate partner.

Recent statistics from the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability paint a grim picture of the challenges many women and girls still face. In 2023 alone, 189 women and girls were violently killed in Canada, with 145 cases involving primary or sole male accused (88%), marking a horrific 19% increase from 2019.

Shockingly, 76% of women and girls are being killed in the very places all people deserve to call safe—their homes (own home, home of the accused, or in homes shared with the accused). Trapped in environments of violence, many women find themselves navigating a housing crisis exacerbated by the very places they should feel secure.

When fleeing domestic abuse, securing temporary housing becomes a critical step towards safety. Yet, 75% of women remain unable to find affordable accommodations, leading some to return to their abusers because they can’t find affordable housing.

How is BWSS challenging this cycle of violence?

At Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), we refuse to let this cycle of violence go unchallenged. For 45 years, we’ve stood alongside survivors, providing crucial support and advocating for their safety. Our latest initiative, opening 10 second-stage housing units in May 2024, represents a significant step towards empowering survivors on their journey to independence and healing.

In these safe spaces, survivors receive comprehensive wrap-around support, including counseling, mother-child reunification services, and community-building activities. It’s not just about securing physical shelter; it’s about providing a bridge from crisis to a life free from violence—a journey marked by stages of crisis management, stabilization, and, ultimately, healing.

As we reflect on International Women’s Day, we draw inspiration from the resilience and solidarity demonstrated by women within our communities. Together, we reaffirm our commitment to ending femicide and gender-based violence. We invite you to join us in this crucial endeavor, standing shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand with survivors, just as depicted in the inspiring photo, as we strive to create a world where every woman, girl, and femme can live free from fear and oppression.

Today and every day, let us celebrate the strength, unity, and unwavering resilience of women everywhere. Together, we can build a future where every woman’s right to safety and dignity is not just recognized but fiercely protected.

To donate or to learn more about our housing campaign – A Safe Home Changes Everything.

Image of a key in a lock. A Safe Home Changes Everything.

BWSS Response to the Expansion of Legal Aid in BC

BWSS Response to the Expansion of Legal Aid in BC

Last week, there was a significant development in legal aid for survivors of intimate partner violence who are navigating the family law system. The Government of BC announced an expansion of legal aid, with an infusion of $29 million towards family law services for survivors of violence in intimate relationships. 

The new tier of services which consists of a new clinic model is long overdue, and results from a charter challenge launched in 2017 by three plaintiffs; two individual plaintiffs, Nicole Bell and a woman known as AD, and an organization plaintiff, the Centre for Family Equity (then known as the Single Mothers’ Alliance) which upheld public interest standing in the case as a member-based organization of low-income mothers impacted by gender-based violence. The plaintiffs were represented by a large and mainly pro bono team led by West Coast LEAF. A constitutional challenge is when someone argues that a law or government action violates the rules in the Constitution. This case argued that BC’s legal aid system violates women’s constitutionally protected rights to equality, life, and security of the person, as well as access to justice, by increasing their risk of exposure to violence. Nicole Bell and AD had to withdraw from the charter challenge. The settlement agreement was reached with the Attorney General and Legal Aid BC by the sole remaining plaintiff, the Centre for Family Equity.

For background, in 2002, the BC provincial government cut legal aid funding for family law by 60%, disenfranchising women, single mothers, and other survivors of intimate partner violence. These funding cuts and policy changes had a profoundly negative impact on women survivors of violence. Consequently, survivors of intimate partner violence were compelled to navigate the legal system as an additional barrier to escaping an abusive partner, protecting their children, and achieving a just result in their family cases. 

What We See in Our Frontline Legal Advocacy

There is a troubling belief that once an abusive relationship has ended, so has the abuse. Through our work, we know that women reporting their experiences of intimate partner or domestic violence in family court all too often are not believed by system players, including police, lawyers, court service personnel, and judges. Even if they are believed, the extent of the violence and its impact is often minimized. Furthermore, they are often told that the violence they experienced had nothing to do with the children or parenting. All too often, if there is a recognition of the violence, the system will tell survivors, in both subtle and overt ways, that it is their responsibility to “move on,” “get over it,” put the relationship “behind them,” and focus on “the best interest of the children,” co-parenting with their abusive ex-partner. Unfortunately, we have seen that this prioritization of preserving a relationship with a father over safety concerns for the mother and children can have devastating consequences, including the killing of children and women. It is deeply troubling how frequently legal services personnel advise the survivors we work with not to bring up their experiences of violence. 

All areas of the legal system tend to place the bulk of the responsibility on the ‘non-offending’ parent, often the mother. This means women survivors of relationship violence feel pressured to center the system and the abusive partner in order to avoid being perceived as ‘vindictive,’ selfish, or contributing to ‘parental alienation’. 

What’s in the Settlement Agreement?

As a result of this constitutional challenge, the settlement agreement with the province of BC and Legal Aid BC will establish the first government-funded family law legal aid clinics since 2009. These clinics will employ full-time, salaried lawyers with the primary responsibility of handling cases approved for legal aid and for those specifically impacted by family violence. This specialization could significantly enhance knowledge and expertise within the system regarding issues of family violence. It’s important to note that the clinics won’t eliminate the current certification model for legal aid but rather serve as another key component of available legal aid coverage for survivors.

In terms of available legal aid coverage for lawyers, we were very encouraged to see that the settlement agreement included an increase in the maximum hours available for lawyers, from 35 hours of preparation to a maximum of 60 hours. Much of our work at BWSS has involved filling the gaps created by the lack of legal aid coverage, which has been one of the most depressing parts for the survivors we work with. This single change in legal aid is remarkable because it will also help address the systemic barriers preventing lawyers from taking on family law cases in their practice and from having to refuse family law legal aid cases due to the significant amount of unpaid labor these cases would require. It is our hope that the increase in hours will attract more lawyers to take on legal aid cases. The increased 25 hours will be available to all new Legal Aid BC clients who qualify as of April 1st, 2024. 

For Survivors Who Access BWSS

We are truly encouraged by this advancement and what it could mean for the survivors we exist to serve. Approximately 80% of survivors accessing BWSS identify at least one legal issue where they require information in their family law cases, which often intersects with other areas of law – criminal, immigration, and child welfare law. These cases are intensified by an abusive partner who seeks to use the legal system to maintain domination and control. Unfortunately, the family justice system has struggled to recognize the impact of intimate partner violence in family law, often viewing the situation through a patriarchal lens, which further intensifies the experience for survivors. 

BWSS provides frontline legal advocacy to help survivors navigate the Canadian legal system, filling the gaps where legal aid is lacking through representation, legal aid advocacy, workshops and clinics, public legal education, and training for lawyers, along with legal research. As we enter our 45th year, we remain committed to supporting survivors and holding institutions accountable. We strive to promote racial and gender justice, including for immigrant/refugee survivors with precarious immigration status where immigration law intersects, for Indigenous survivors navigating child welfare and all survivors who are navigating the criminal legal system and how all these areas of law intersect with family law. 

Big congratulations to the plaintiff and its members through BC, who persevered through an eight-year lawsuit and survived multiple attacks on their public interest standing as a grassroots organization of survivors, their legal team led by West Coast LEAF, and all who have lent their voice and effort to making this moment happen. We are truly very grateful for all the mothers and women who continue to stand in their power and use their voice through the family justice system. The settlement is an important step in the struggle for access to justice for survivors of intimate partner violence in BC. We are celebrating this moment and looking forward to furthering the impact of this announcement and funding.

Why I March? Women’s Memorial March by Angela Marie MacDougall

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Why I March on February 14th at the Women’s Memorial March by Angela Marie MacDougall, Executive Director of BWSS

Trigger Warning: The following passage contains descriptions of violence, abuse, and exploitation. Reader discretion is advised. 

It has taken a while to write this, and even now, as the words hit the electronic page, it is uncertain if this is the time or the format to share some of the reasons why I march on February 14th at the Women’s Memorial March. Ultimately, it is about my own experience as a bi-racial Black girl growing up in Metro Vancouver, where all the memories from childhood and youth are shared by a day-to-day experience and witnessing of misogynist and racist violence against women and girls.  

The violence experienced by the mothers from the fathers of my grade school and high school mates. The stories shared by my friends of incest by their fathers and/or brothers. The casual victim blaming infused in the Monday morning stories of weekend gang rapes committed by classmates against classmates, casually and laughingly shared at the smoke pit at my high school. Or witnessing my step-father abuse my own mother and later my experience of sexual exploitation as a fifteen year old ‘runaway.’ I developed a profound sensitivity to how misogynist violence infused with race and class was…is widespread and regular occurring. Yet rendered invisible within a toxic cloud of victim blaming.  

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Nearing the end of the experience as a sexual exploited youth, navigating the extreme potential for violence and lethal violence as a continuous practice united us as sex workers with genuine camaraderie. It was jarring when Elaine Allenbach went missing. My memory tells me it was raining the night I learned that Elaine had gone missing and a few days later, two Vancouver Police detectives approached me while I stood at the corner of Helmcken and Seymour streets in the Vancouver neighbourhood, now known as Yaletown, to ask me about the last time I had seen her. I shared with them what I remembered and what I knew about her regulars. That was March 1986, and 38 years later, and Elaine is still missing, presumed a victim of femicide. 

Transitioning into “square” life (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26577882/) and continuing my formal education, by 1988, I was studying Counselling Psychology and doing a practicum with child and family service organization and facilitating groups for sexually exploited youth. That was an extraordinary peer facilitation experience that was transformative in so many ways. 

At the time, I reconnected with my childhood friend Patricia Ann MacPherson, one of my dearest friends who I had known since grade six. We were both young mothers and spent a weekend together catching up and having fun. I hold fond memories of that weekend because it was the last time, I would see her alive.

On December 9, 1988, Trish was killed while on a date with a man we both knew. It is horrifying to think about what she went through during the last moments of her life. I attend the trial of the man who killed her but really…so much of learning about her death became a dissociated memory fragment that is always recalled with tears. Part of that grief and rage journey of reckoning with the violent way Patricia Ann MacPherson died and that she had left this world became a politicizing moment dramatically changing the trajectory of my personal and professional life. 

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Inspired by the writing of Judith Herman and her brilliant book Trauma and Recover: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Violence to Political Terror in the 1990’s, professional counselling and feminist organizing spaces started to integrate a trauma-informed approach to understanding social problems and how people can heal. Delayed by the Canadian context by the time I got access to Kimberlé Crenshaw’s influential writing Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color, I was highly motivated to apply these ideas that validated the lived experiences of so many around me and myself

In 1994, I was employed at a women-serving organization located in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood in Vancouver doing frontline work supporting women navigating the impacts of colonization, child welfare, residential school, incest, racialized and gender violence, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, police brutality, and homelessness. Women were going missing…some women were being found murdered and of the missing and murdered women, I had met either through work or through my lived experience.  

I heard about a women’s march that was held on February 14th to honour women who had gone missing or who were murdered and that there was a committee of people who organized the march…so I joined. The committee became a way to be part of change. And participating in the march was a way to honour my friends and women I knew, while making visible the racialized gender violence that has been baked into the making of Canada as a nation grinding down in the lives of women and girls and with attention to the violence experienced by Indigenous and Black women.

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

And the violence didn’t stop instead and the result of the broader community that ignored women who were pushed to the margins of public concern and during the 1990’s there were at least three serial killers abducting and killing women mostly from the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver.  

My friend Tracy Olajide was killed, and she was found in mountains near Mission in the Fraser Valley in 1995. I hadn’t seen Tracy for a few years and remember her beautiful smile and always quick to crack a joke and make people laugh. It is still shocking to know that she had passed. I remain in contact with her mother and watch the brilliance of her beautiful and very accomplished son.  

I met Mary Lidguerre in 1995, tall and beautiful, warm, and kind, thoughtful, and considerate. The last time, I saw Mary, we shared some jokes and some laughs and that is my memory of Mary who went missing that same year and was discovered deceased on Mount Seymour in August 1996 

Both Tracy and Mary are linked to the Hemlock Valley Murders. Many people may not recall the Hemlock Valley Murders (https://youtu.be/Sfuqkaodkgk?si=NZyTekr3Hlha94rU). 

And we kept marching, every year on February 14th 

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.
An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Through the 1990’s to the 2000s and to 2010s there have been trials and inquiries and trials and inquiries, and the entire time February 14th Women’s Memorial March in Downtown Eastside Vancouver continues to honour the lives of our beloved sisters and to highlight the systemic nature of the killings and deaths, to visible the intersections of gender, race, poverty all the result of colonialism. 

I march for Elaine, for Trish, for Tracy, for Mary, for Kathleen Watley, for Janet Pelletier, for Tina Fontaine, for Stephanie Forster, for Cindy Gladue, for the hundreds of women, girls and gender diverse people who have been killed in the Downtown Eastside and neighbourhoods just like the downtown Eastside across the territories and all the girls and women who reach out to BWSS seeking safety from violence. 

Their spirit lives within us… 

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Why I March? Women’s Memorial March by Shianne Ewenin

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.
An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Shianne Ewenin, Women’s Counsellor & Manager of Indigenous Programs at BWSS

Like many Indigenous folks, the MMIWG2S march is personal because we feel the weight of systemic, racial and gender-based violence in our lives and in the lives of our relatives. The women who are missing and murdered are not just statistics, they are our sisters, cousins, aunties, mothers, friends, and beyond.

Every year on February 14th, I march alongside my children, relatives, friends, and community to show solidarity and support to the families of our stolen sisters. I march because our stolen sisters are never forgotten, they are loved and we keep their memories alive. I march to make sure that these injustices remain visible and to demand accountability from our governments and the systems that hold these structures of violence in place. I march to prevent the continuation of violence to Indigenous women, girls and two spirit peoples. I march because the violence on Indigenous women’s bodies is directly connected to the violence on the land and this needs to end.

This picture is of my relative @debalenabella_ and I at last year’s march. We are wearing our family’s ribbon skirt that my cousin @agneswoodward made to honour Laney Ewenin who is one of the 4000+ women who is on the MMIWG2S list. The woman in the red at the top represents Laney and the other 6 women represent her sisters (which include Deborah and Agnes’ mother Danielle). Together, they represent the “strength and resilience when we stand together.”

This year is special because Deborah, Agnes & Danielle will be traveling to Vancouver to join our family living here and we will all march together for the first time.

Join us Feb 14 as we march with Indigenous Leaders to honour the MMIWG2S+

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

Why I March? Women’s Memorial March by Michelle LaBoucane

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

I have been working with Indigenous communities in various capacities for many years. It wasn’t until I started working at BWSS in 2016 that I truly grasped the underpinnings and reasons why Indigenous women and girls are more vulnerable to violence and abuse. I didn’t realize the extent to which it pervades our communities and society. Oppression is systemic, and when I march, I stand against those systems that allow missing and murdered women to go unnoticed and without justice.

After attending the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry in Vancouver and participating in rallies, gatherings, and marches for the families of missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, I witnessed the injustice and its pervasive, ongoing nature. I also observed the remarkable strength and courage of the survivors and families enduring such unthinkable and unfathomable experiences without receiving answers or justice. It angers me profoundly, and this is why I march!

I want justice. I want education. I want change. Justice means Indigenous women and girls’ experiences of violence with utmost respect and dignity. It requires holding all agencies accountable and uprooting their oppressive roots. Rather than disempowering with inequality and judgment, they should receive earnest care, support, and due process. Their experiences must be taken seriously and they should be cared for in a culturally appropriate manner.

Many sacrifices have been made by families, workers, advocates, and our community to raise awareness, and I march for them. The failings and biases are evident, and their persistence is perilous. The march acknowledges the remarkable strength and resilience of our women warriors and community warriors, who have devoted their time, efforts, and lives to bringing peace to those who are no longer with us, those who still suffer, and those who lack a choice. It’s where we mourn, walk, sing, heal, and pray together, shedding light on injustice in some small way.

Join BWSS on February 14th as we march alongside Indigenous Leaders to honour the MMIWG2S+

Michelle LaBoucane, Indigenous Women’s Counsellor at BWSS

An image with a Black woman looking intently holding their hands in front of them with a flame above her. It is showcasing a workshop for Black women.

A Safe Home Changes Everything

Since 1994, BWSS has been envisioning the day when we can expand on our mission by providing housing for women. We’ve patiently awaited the right opportunity as we never wanted to grow for the sake of growth but rather to make the best of key opportunities that leverage the biggest impact for women and their children experiencing violence. We recognize that the time is now to make the biggest impact for women and their children experiencing violence, and we do not want to miss out during this key time in a housing crisis. Join us in shaping the future of housing in British Columbia.

In response to the dire situation faced by women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic, when traditional transition houses were temporarily forced to close their doors, BWSS took decisive action. We partnered with a local hotelier to operate emergency transitional housing, offering a safe haven for up to 40 women and children fleeing domestic, intimate partner, and sexualized violence, and continued to provide employment, legal advocacy, counselling, crisis intervention, and more. During this time, we witnessed firsthand the significant impact safe transitional housing has on survivors’ lives.

Empowered by this experience and with our 45 years of supporting survivors of domestic, intimate partner, and sexualized violence, including housing, in May 2024, we are opening 10 second-stage housing units where women and their children can reside while receiving comprehensive wrap-around support services.

Embarking on the journey to break free from abuse is no easy feat; it’s a maze of challenges, a complex navigation of survival. The path to safety unfolds in stages of crisis, stabilization and healing, and living free from violence.

 

What is Second Stage Housing?

In the first stage of “crisis,” a first-stage housing solution, such as shorter-term transition houses and safe home programs, provides an emergency exit strategy for women fleeing violence. Our Second-Stage Housing focuses on “stabilization and healing” on the path to safety, providing a longer-term stay option that is a safe space where empowerment, healing, and specialized support are intertwined. In this transformative program, survivors can develop their independence and access wrap-around support such as counselling, a chance at mother-child reunification, an opportunity to alleviate isolation by building community, and a palette of other resources to paint their own path towards freedom. It’s not just about securing a physical space; it’s about building a bridge between the chaos of crisis and living free from violence.

Second-stage housing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution as each survivor navigates through a unique tapestry of experiences. This program caters specifically to women seeking independent living with additional support. Not everyone may opt for it, but for those desiring extra assistance during their journey to safety and stabilization, Second-Stage Housing becomes a vital solution.

As we approach the opening of the Second-Stage Housing in May 2024, we have actively forged amazing partnerships with organizations and government agencies who acknowledge the priority of housing for survivors of violence and have raised $3,810,490 towards this campaign. We are almost at the finish line, but we need your help to raise the remaining $650,000 for capital and furnishings for the units. With your help, we can create not just transitional housing but also a cocoon of support, a chrysalis where survivors metamorphose.

Join us on this journey toward the opening of BWSS Second-Stage Housing. Your support will be pivotal in providing safe, secure housing for women and girls fleeing from violence.

Because a safe home changes everything.