Committees

Public Awareness Activities

The Woman Abuse Council of Toronto works to raise public awareness about the issue of woman abuse through a number of innovative initiatives, presentations, films and workshops. ADD Many of the public awareness initiatives are developed and led by the Women’s Voices for Action Committee. Please contact the Woman Abuse Council at 416-944-9242 or email wact@womanabuse.ca to arrange an event or presentation for your organization.

Walk the Talk Shoe Exhibit

Walk the Talk Shoe Exhibit commemorates Ontario women who were killed by their intimate partners. Community agencies and family members donated and decorated a pair of shoes for each woman and child murdered. The display helps viewers appreciate the real people behind woman abuse statistics.

The exhibit premiered on Dec 6th 2006 at the St. Lawrence Theater as part of a commemoration of the Montreal Massacre. Since that time, the exhibit has been mounted in a number of settings, including a week-long display at the Malvern Public Library in recognition of International Women’s Day (March 8) and at a three-day exhibition Toronto City Hall.

For more information about the exhibit and/ or inquiries about mounting the exhibit please contact the Woman Abuse Council at 416-944-9242 or email wact@womanabuse.ca.

Silent Witness

Silent Witness is an interactive, dramatic workshop that is designed to increase understanding about the barriers women in abusive situations face when they seek help.

The workshop was originally developed in the United States. The Woman Abuse Council and the Women’s Voices for Action Committee took a version of Silent Witness that had been produced in Nova Scotia and adapted and modified the presentation to reflect Toronto’s urban context.

We have presented this interactive workshop in large and small venues, with young people and adults of different professions including nursing students, high school students, child welfare staff and at the WACT 2006 Annual General Meeting. The participation of the audience helps to make this a powerful and effective tool to understand the impact of woman abuse.

One of the important aspects of the presentation is that it can be adapted by groups to accommodate different time frames and the needs of specific religious and ethnic communities.

To book the presentation, please contact the Woman Abuse Council at 416-944-9242 or email wact@womanabuse.ca

Whispering Out Loud: Opening the Door on Woman Abuse

WACT has partnered with the City of Toronto Department of Health to produce a public education newspaper to raise community awareness about woman abuse. This 14 page Broadsheet includes messages from Mayor David Miller, Chief of Police William Blair and Dr. David McKeown, the Medical Officer of Health. Articles in the newspaper include, "What is woman abuse?", "Effects on children," "It’s a men’s issue," "For Teens," "Help is available," and more.

The Broadsheet is available through the WACT office. Please contact 416-944-9242 or email wact@womanabuse.ca for more information or to order copies.

Women’s Speakers Bureau

In 2006, members of our active Women’s Speakers’ Bureau made over 45 presentations to groups ranging in size from 10 to 300 people. Our speakers are members of Women’s Voices for Action- the accountability committee of WACT. Women who are survivors of abuse speak to community groups, schools and community agencies about the impact of abuse on their own lives and about the need for broad community action to challenge abuse.

Among the issues presented by the Speaker’s Bureau is the need to encourage agencies to develop mechanisms to involve survivors of abuse in their planning and programs.

Members of the speaker’s bureau have also been active in responding to a wide range of media requests for interviews and WACT press conferences.

Speakers are able to address a variety of issues such as immigration and legal issues related to woman abuse and the health care response from a survivor’s point of view, among others. Although WACT has some flexibility, there is a fee for Speaker’s Bureau presentations to help cover the ongoing costs of the initiative.

Film Screenings

WACT recognizes the power of film to bring forward social issues to reach the general population. Over the past few years we have been promoting screenings of two films that deal with the issue of woman abuse. Both films are the work of award-winning directors.

"Looking for Angelina," is an award-winning film by Platinum Film Productions. Directed by Sergio Naravatta and written by Alessandra Piccione, this film is the true story of one of the most divisive murder cases in the history of Canada. Angelina Napolitano was an Italian-born mother of four who killed her husband in Sault Ste. Marie in 1911. Her husband, Pietro, had become increasingly abusive over the course of their marriage and threatened to kill her and their unborn baby. Angelina killed him in order to save herself and her children. She was sentenced to death but after a global campaign to save her life, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
http://www.lookingforangelina.com

"Let’s Talk About it," is a documentary by the award-winning director Deepa Mehta that explores domestic violence from the perspective of children. This powerful film was created by giving children cameras to document their experience of living with the abuse of their mothers. The film is a powerful eye into the struggles and experiences of mothers and their children as they attempt to find safety.
http://www.filmblanc.com/filmblanc.htm

WACT is available to host a film screening and panel discussion that concludes with opportunities for survivors to speak.

For more information, please contact 416-944-9242 or email wact@womanabuse.ca.

Workshops and Presentations

WACT staff and Council members are available to offer presentations and workshops on a range of topics including:

Women’s Court Watch Project
Women Charged with Domestic Violence in Toronto: The Unintended
Consequences of Mandatory Charge Policies (ADD LINK TO DOCUMENT OF SAME TITLE IN Resources) (See Women Charged Task Force) ADD LINK TO ABOUT/committees/women charged http://208.106.134.16/projects/index.cfm#) Women Charged
Responding to high risk and potentially lethal situations.
Best Practice Guidelines for Responding to Woman Abuse and Implementation Checklist.