1st World Conference of Women’s Shelters

Edmonton, AB

September 8 – 11, 2008

Delegates

• 800+ delegates• 51 countries (Denmark, Sweden, Russia,

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Scotland, Ghana, Mexico, Italy, Serbia, Ukraine, Botswana, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, and so on)

• Included shelter workers, government agencies, YWCA, SPCA, Batterers intervention programs, authors and researchers, health care providers, union representing health-care workers

New Brunswick Delegates

• 8 delegates from New Brunswick• 2 WIB• 1 ACSW• 5 Transition House Executive Directors

– Woodstock– Tracadie– Moncton– Miramichi– Gignoo

Pre-conference Workshop

• 4th annual “Breakfast with the Guys”• Attended by Edmonton Eskimos, Edmonton

Oilers,local and provincial governments, police, business, etc. Over 300 attended.

• Key messages: 1. Media impacts the socialization of boys2. Violence against women is a men’s issue!3. Leaders must take a stand and this will

make it easier for others to follow.4. Programs alone will not eradicate VAW -

Social change is needed!http://www.endingviolence.org/node/664

Key Workshop Themes

• Different shelter practices• Responding to diversity• Children and violence against women• Human trafficking• Staff wellness

Key Learnings

• Domestic violence is a part of the continuum of VAW • VAW must remain a gendered issue – Male Violence

Against Women• Women working in shelters are in high risk professions• 30 day shelter stay is not long enough• VAW shapes a child’s development• Safety and wellbeing of children are directly related to

the safety and wellbeing of their mothers• Staff wellness is a MUST

Questions to ask ourselves

• What are the needs of women?• Are our shelters meeting all the needs of

women (Australia – paradigm shift – focuses on meeting all the needs of women (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)?

• How are we addressing the complex needs of women, such as women with addictions?

Special Events

•Violence against Women 365 International Poster Exhibition

• http://www.dvposters365.net/welcome.htm

More special events

• Cultural Events• Youth play “Speak”• Peace banner –

Japanese form of Saori weaving

Next Steps

• Develop strategy for dissemination of information: http://www.womenshelter.ca/gallery_en.php

• Share information at next meeting of Transition Houses

• How can we improve our response?