Technology Safety for Virtual Conferences and Services: A Toolkit for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
COVID-19 has changed the landscape of community services in many ways. Many agencies and people have had to adapt to using technology to ensure the continuity of services, including counselling sessions, lawyer’s appointments, and court appearances.
The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, and other agencies providing services to survivors of violence, quickly adapted to the realities of COVID-19. Many family courts in Ontario have offered litigants the option to use technology to have their case heard by a judge. While some family courts are slowly reopening to in-person appearances, other courts remain closed or exclusively conduct proceedings virtually. Considering the increased use of technology involved in the delivery of essential support services such as court proceedings, we developed this toolkit for survivors of gender-based violence as a guide to the safe use of technology. The tips we have here are useful for overall technology use, and we have also included some additional resources.
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Gathering Evidence for Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) Applications:
A Toolkit for Advocates Supporting Women Survivors of Gender-Based Violence (2018 Update)
Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) applications can be overwhelming. This is because unlike other avenues of gaining permanent residency in Canada, the H&C application is open ended and discretionary. The more evidence you submit to make your case, the better. This is daunting. Where to begin? What kind of evidence do you need? How should the evidence be presented?
In 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada in Kanthasamy v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) considerably altered the law and guidelines governing H&C applications. This landmark decision has widened the interpretation of humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Since these changes have significant implications for applicants, it is important to update the H&C toolkit created by the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic (“the Clinic”), designed as a guide for advocates helping with the H&C applications of women who have survived gender-based violence.
If you would like to provide feedback on this toolkit, please contact the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic at [email protected] or (416)-323-9149.
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Race, Gendered Violence, and the Rights of Women with Precarious Immigration Status
Practical Information for service providers working with racialized women living with precarious immigration status who have experienced gender-based violence.
This resource was created by Deepa Mattoo as part of the Community Leadership in Justice Fellowship of Law Foundation of Ontario at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. This residential fellowship is in community partnership with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic and the Rights of Non-Status Women’s Network.
This toolkit has been written for service providers who assist racialized women living with precarious immigration status in Ontario, Canada. The aim of this project is to build the capacity of settlement workers, lawyers, and students to work with non-status, racialized women who have experienced gender-based violence. This training toolkit will provide information on issues affecting racialized women with precarious immigration status in Canada by exploring the relationship between race, gender, and immigration status.
This toolkit is one of the outcomes of the Community Leadership in Justice Fellowship of Law Foundation of Ontario at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. This fellowship is in community partnership with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic and the Rights of Non-Status Women’s Network (RNSWN).
If you would like to provide feedback about this resource, please contact the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic at [email protected] or (416)-323-9149. The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic would love to hear what worked well for you, and what you suggest could improve this resource.
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