Until Indigenous men are held to the same standards as everyone else, nothing will change Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with the murder of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, Manitoba. If proven, this is a truly horrible crime that deserves the public’s full attention and a demand that justice be done. That is happening. There…
All students deserve to be safe and secure while at school The Manitoba government intends to improve how it handles teacher misconduct. In a recent news release, Education Minister Wayne Ewasko said his department is consulting with key stakeholders about this issue. It’s about time the province tackles this problem. The latest report from the…
Studying the history of law in Iran might help point the way to improving legal systems in the West
You might be tempted to think Jairan Gahan’s interest in the legal history of sex in Iran is purely academic. She is most fascinated by the early 20th century, following Iran’s Constitutional Revolution of 1906, when the country was drafting its criminal code. How could that possibly be relevant to life in the modern state, especially…
No one believes the decision to cancel two prominent women from speaking was a simple misunderstanding
Canada has experienced some strange episodes of late when it comes to free speech. Two recent decisions on the education front are real doozies, however. The Toronto District School Board cancelled two book club events involving prominent, well-respected female leaders from ethnic backgrounds. Why? For fear and concern (completely unfounded, mind you) that these talks…
The right person to talk to at the right time for people affected by violence
Roohi Dodd knows that having the right person to talk to at the right time can make all the difference, which is why she is devoting her career to providing support for those affected by violence. Set to graduate with her BScN from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Nursing, Dodd is already working as…
Lise Gotell was living in Toronto in 1986 when a serial rapist, later dubbed the “Balcony Rapist” because he broke into homes by climbing onto balconies, started attacking women. Gotell, a graduate student, remembers following the case of one of his victims, who sued the police force for not warning women about the violent attacks…
Evidence-based handbook helps service providers make virtual interventions confidential, safe and accessible
Providers of domestic and sexual violence interventions have new guidance to help them safely deliver trauma-focused services and supports virtually, thanks to a new handbook from public health experts at the University of Alberta. “At the onset of the pandemic, the anti-violence sector had to quickly pivot to remote-based virtual delivery to ensure continued access to interventions…
An increase in child marriages, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexual violence is likely to be seen for years in low-and middle-income countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a University of Alberta nursing researcher who is leading an international study to address the problem. “In many countries all the health services…
Not all the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report recommendations stand up to scrutiny
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW) report declares that violence against Indigenous women is genocide. But do the recommendations stand up to scrutiny? Already, a Senate committee is at work dealing with some the report’s 200-plus recommendations, as part of the Senate’s study of an omnibus criminal justice act, Bill C-75. One…
True power doesn’t rest with the violent, it lies with those of integrity and courage
Canadian Gen. Romeo Dallaire stated, “At its heart, the Rwandan story is the failure of humanity to heed a call for help from an endangered people.” It would be nice to believe that the world learned its lesson in Rwanda, where nearly one million people were slaughtered in roughly 90 days as the world stood…