Taking the DV @ WORK NL project on the road

FACE TO FACE MEETINGS
A key partnership with ‘Empowering Indigenous Women for Stronger Communities’ has informed and shaped so much of the qualitative work we have accomplished to date. Odelle Pike and an ever-growing list of feminist activists have shaped the way we are asking questions and building key concepts for the discussion groups. Beginning with two trips to Labrador (key meetings with the Mokami Status of Women Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and a paper survey session in Rigolet), outreach to date has also included an early presentation to the Board of the NL Federation of Labour in Terra Nova and a timely, dense and powerful connect with all of the Executive Directors of the Status of Women from across the province in Grand Falls-Windsor at their AGM in September.

We were so excited to be asked to partner with ‘Empowering Indigenous Women for Stronger Communities.’

Your ‘tiny but mighty’ duo of policy analysts will be travelling as far as our limited travel budget allows! Qualitative data is being gathered steadily – initially thanks to a series of road trips. We couldn’t wait to communicate directly with frontline workers alongside women who were so eager to share their relevant lived ‘DV in the workplace’ experiences. Our two Roundtables in Stephenville and a bonus meeting in Corner Brook, along with a recent focus group at the Multicultural Women’s Organization here in St John’s have left us neck deep in notes and so anxious to talk to more groups and take…more notes! Special thanks to all the Status of Women Councils who continue to help us arrange meetings with key community front line service providers.

Fantastic meeting with women from the Bay St. George’s Women’s Council.
Powerful focus group with the Multicultural Women’s Organization of NL and a key follow up paper survey session hosted by Abir zin alabdin. We can’t thank the Board of MWONL enough!
Special thanks to Nourin (left), Rabia (right) and the amazing Abir (found in the other MWONL group photo) for their help translating back and forth from English to Arabic!

BEFORE THE END OF 2018
We are so thrilled to share that both Tina Pretty from UNIFOR/FFAW and the Allan Horwood from the Military Family Resource Centre in St. John’s leapt at the chance to share the survey with their networks – putting the survey link on their websites immediately. The FFAW went above and beyond – printing the survey link on 2000 business cards along with distributing the cards to women’s advocates and including the link and background flyer in their magazine – with a distribution reach of 10,000 workers. Included were the fish and processing and non-fish industrial units along with their members in brewery, hospitality and metal fabrication. We are so grateful for all the help we are getting from so many corners.

Finally, some of the most critical moments in the project, in addition to the Roundtables and survey sessions described, have been the one-in-one interviews with DV survivors and their co-workers. We are so grateful for those who have reached out by email – willing to share their lived experience and ideas for better resourced workplaces.

So grateful for this impromptu ‘crack-o-dawn’ meeting with the Corner Brook Status of Women Centre!
Focus Group in Stephenville – we can’t thank the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network (NAWN) enough for their leadership and inspiring outreach work. We took 17 pages of notes!
PANSOW AGM IN GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR – we were so thankful to be empowered to present the DV@ Work project to this powerful assembly of Executive Directors and key staff. It was such an honour to hear from feminist leaders from right across our province – and hear from them directly about key concerns and priorities.

Has your workplace been impacted by domestic violence – we want to interview you!

Please email jnolan@sjwomenscentre.ca or brenda@sjwomenscentre.ca or call (709) 753-0220.

For Immediate Release: New Survey Closing in on the Impact of Domestic Violence in the Workplace

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St. John’s, NL – The St. John’s Status of Women Council has partnered with the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women and Children at the University of Western Ontario to launch a critically important survey on the impact of Domestic Violence on workers and workplaces in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A national survey conducted by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) in 2014 found that Domestic Violence (DV) negatively affected the working lives of more than 80 per cent of DV survivors. Over half of those reporting DV experiences indicated that at least one type of abusive act occurred at or near the workplace. More data is needed to fully understand the scope of the impact of DV on workplaces in our province.

“Domestic Violence costs the Canadian economy a staggering $7.4 billion annually,” said Jenny Wright, Executive Director of the St. John’s Status of Women Council. “The good news is that Canadian and international research has shown that positive change can happen when the right types of policies, training and other supports are put in place. By completing the DV at Work survey, you can contribute to creating workplace practices that help support victims of DV and their co-workers.”

The survey is anonymous, and participation is voluntary. All workers in Newfoundland and Labrador over the age of 15 are invited to participate.

“We are working hard to ensure participation from all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador, all genders, Indigenous people, and people with different perspectives and experiences,” said Ms. Wright. “Your voice is important, whether or not you have personally experienced or witnessed violence.”

The DV at Work survey is available at https://sjwomenscentre.ca/dvatworknl/. Paper copies of the survey can be accessed by calling (709) 753-0220.

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Media Contact
Jenny Wright
Executive Director
St. John’s Status of Women Council
Tel. 709.753.0220
jenny@sjwomenscentre.ca

About St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre
The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is a feminist organization that since 1972 is continually working to achieve equality and justice through political activism, community collaboration and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for all women in the St. John’s area. The St. John’s Status of Women Council operates the Women’s Centre, Marguerite’s Place Supportive Housing Program and the Safe Harbour Outreach Project.

Backgrounder
A nationwide survey was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the University of Western Ontario in 2014 to help understand national DV trends. The resulting data illustrated that DV is a systemic barrier to women’s economic security. This has severe implications for our province’s labour force and presents a tremendous cost to our economy.

The CLC’s initiative was inspired by ground breaking surveys used to gather data in Australia. The Australian findings identified the prevalence and impact of DV on the workplace and resulted in vital new legislation. It mandated domestic/family violence workplace benefits, including dedicated paid leave and flexible work arrangements.

A growing number of provinces in Canada are implementing DV Leave legislation and policies to make workplaces safer. New Brunswick has most recently implemented DV Leave.

RESULTS FROM THE CLC’s PAN-CANADIAN SURVEY (2014):
• Over half (53.5 per cent) of those reporting DV experiences indicated that at least one type of abusive act occurred at or near the workplace. Of these, the most common were abusive phone calls or text messages (40.6 per cent) and stalking or harassment near the workplace.
• 53 per cent of survivors felt their job performance was negatively impacted.
• 75 per cent had difficulty concentrating on their work.
• 19 per cent reported causing or nearly causing workplace accidents due to their violent relationship.
• 40 per cent of those who reported experiencing Domestic Violence, said DV made it difficult for them to get to work.