Understanding Violence against Women in Relationships From Multiple Perspectives (original) (raw)

The Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationship (NEVR)'s mission is "to work toward reducing and eliminating violence in relationships in Surrey/North Delta/White Rock, British Columbia through coordinated, open and seamless service delivery, collaboration, sharing of resources among service providers, community leaders, educators and government bodies." Understanding Violence against Women in Relationships from Multiple Perspectives, is one of the initiatives undertaken in order to meet the community's demand for greater coordination and integration of services. We felt such research could strengthen the initiatives that NEVR members were already undertaking, as well as inform future projects and programs. This research report presents the perspectives of various community membersincluding those tasked with the prevention and intervention of violence in relationships, such as police, criminal justice system personnel, service providers, educators and medical services personnel, as well as the clients of programs and servicesthe perpetrators of violence in relationships as well as the victims/survivors. While respondents observed certain aspects/experiences of criminal justice, social services and medical services systems that were strong and wellcoordinated, they noted other experiences that were less positive, and suggested ways that these systems could be improved. Understanding Violence against Women in Relationships From Multiple Perspectives 2 The report findings conclude with concrete recommendations that could address the concerns noted by research participantsthese recommendations simultaneously meet NEVR's mission towards services that are much more interconnected. These recommendations are:  The need for an increase in non-profit funding in order to facilitate new programs / expand current ones. This would include increased funding for victims' services programs (support and counseling) and children who witness abuse, and developing programs for perpetrators of violence (in particular, programs available to men who are not charged)  Increased training opportunities  Reducing wait lists and response times for those in need of services  Improve the existing screening tools for assessment and education for front line staff (community service and health workers)  Where appropriate, provision of holistic family treatment  Provision of culturally-responsive training to meet the needs of Surrey's diverse communities  Increasing collaboration with community agencies with respect to information sharing and resource links  The establishment of a dedicated judicial system which would effectively shorten the duration of court processes  The development of a community conflict resolution system for individuals in the community who do not want to or cannot report the violence  The implementation of a central resource centre or database which would act as a guiding map for the community to provide information about the community resources and systems in place and how to access them Understanding Violence against Women in Relationships From Multiple Perspectives 3  Using social media avenues to educate communities about the issue of violence against women in relationships and its prevalence in the community  Organizing networking workshops and sessions where service providers can gain information about available resources NEVR, and the community organizations and citizens that make up its membership, are committed to seeing the above goals being met, so that we can meet our goal of ensuring a community that is free of all forms of violence.