Abuse-Guiding Principles

The following principles are guidelines for our work on men's violence against women:

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS NEVER JUSTIFIED OR ACCEPTABLE.

IT IS A CRIME.

Violence:

is life threatening. In Ontario between 3-6 women are murdered each month by their current or former male partner.
has no place in the family or in the community.
is learned behaviour. It can, therefore, be changed.
is a choice.
is a power issue.
is never justified. No behaviour of any woman justifies or provokes violence.
is never the responsibility of the woman being abused. Responsibility for violence rests with the batterer.
does not stem from "loss of control". Control is what the batterer wants.
occurs in all classes, races, and cultural groups.
The issue of violence is complex. We need to understand the social, personal, economic, political, cultural, and religious dimensions of violence in a multicultural context.

Immigrant women and children face specific problems, such as:

racism
immigration policy/laws
language barriers
service access/lack of availability
lack of experience with social services
distrust of the judicial system
isolation
low economic status.
The community has the right and the responsibility to get involved. The more that is known about violence, the more effective the community can be in intervening and preventing violence, and the less it will happen.