Making Women Count-Tenir compte des Femmes

The details about the upcoming women's issues debate that I posted yesterday have changed and are as follows.
Les détails que j'ai écrit hier à propos du débat des problèmes face aux femmes ont changé et sont comme suit.

20 octobre 2010 18h30-20h30

Council Chambers City Hall Ottawa-Salle du conseil hôtel de ville Ottawa

A mayoral debate on women's issues-Un débat des candidats à la mairie à propos des problèmes face aux femmes

This is a bilingual event with mayoral candidates of Ottawa. It is a moderated debate with a Q&A period. Ceci est un évènement bilingue avec les candidats à la mairie d'Ottawa, incluant un débat modéré est une session de questions et réponses.

Light refreshments will be served. Il y aura un léger goûter.

Everyone is welcome! Tout le monde est encouragé de venir!

Organized by grassroots women's advocates in partnership with...Organisé par des défendeurs et des défenseuses des droits des femmes de plusieurs organismes populaires de base en partenariat avec...

OPIRG-GRIPO U of O
Women's Resource Centre-Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO)
Canada Council on Social Development Conseil canadien de dévelopment social
Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre

Please come to this very important event and have your opinion heard and question answered

En solidarité,
M-M

Sisters in Spirit Vigil

I hope this finds everyone well. This is a friendly reminder that this afternoon starting at noon on Parliament Hill the Native Women's Association of Canada will be hosting a Sisters in Spirit Vigil and community feast. This is to commemorate the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Aboriginal girls and womyn across this country. It is also a call to action to bring forth this very important issue and to do our part on behalf of all peoples of this country to create accountability within our communities and especially within our government (at all levels).

In case you hadn't noticed, there is an upcoming municipal election here in this (insert chosen adjective) city of Ottawa. Womyn's issues don't often, if ever, make the discussion rounds mainly under the guise that it is a provincial or federal issues (there are of course many excuses made by local politicians). That is why this year a wonderful citizen of this city has decided to set up a debate. All candidates mayoral debate to be held on Monday Oct 18th from 6-9pm at the main auditorium of the Ottawa Public Library Main Branch. Come with your concerns, questions and constructive criticisms. The debate will be bilingual of course and all are welcome. Stay tuned for further details...

namaste...
M-M

We Took it Back

Last thursday, many women from Ottawa and Gatineau got together to take a stand against violence against women and reclaim the night as a safe space for all. It was wonderful to see women from so many different backgrounds united together for the important cause.

After the March, Women's Organizations in Ottawa welcomed all those present to City Hall to give information on their services. The Women's Event Network did a wonderful job in coordinating the event and offering great food and entertainment for all! The Slam Poetry/Spoken Word Artists and Musician were very inspiring and captivating.

The Ottawa RebELLEs were happy to help organize the event and see so much enthusiasm from young women. We hope to collaborate with them in the near future.

Although the March was vibrant, many of us asked ourselves, why weren't more women of Ottawa present?

Take Back the Night -- Ottawa 2010 -- La Rue, La Nuit, Les Femmes sans Peur

(english below)

Appel pour La Rue, La Nuit, Les Femmes sans Peur

Chaque année, les femmes d’Ottawa se rassemblent pour La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur, un effort collectif d’affirmer la sécurité des femmes dans les rues d’Ottawa et un appel à mettre fin à la violence faite aux femmes.

Cette année, plus que jamais, les services essentiels offerts aux femmes partout au pays sont menacés par un gouvernement conservateur qui tente, depuis plusieurs années, d'éroder certaines sections du mouvement des femmes. Cette année, le thème sera: La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur: Demandons nos droits.

Venez Marcher, Demandez vos Droits! Le Jeudi 23 Septembre 2010

Deux facons de participer:

1) Appel pour Marcher

2) Appel pour les Bénévoles

1) Venez Marcher, Demandez vos Droits!
La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur: Demandons nos droits.

Le Jeudi 23 Septembre 2010

17h30 Ralliement sur la Coline parlementaire (Monument des Cèlébres cinq)

18h15 Marche dans le Marché By

19h15 – 21h Foire D’information- Hotel de Ville (110 Laurier ouest)

UNE MARCHE POUR LES FEMMES ET LES ENFANTS

Vous êtes invitées à apporter des objets qui font du bruit (casseroles, sifflet, tam tam)

Un autobus adapté sera disponible!

Organisé par le Réseau d'événements pour les femmes

Pour plus d'information, appelez le 613.230.6700

ou écrivez à: communityevents@wiseottawa.ca

2) Bénévoles requis pour LA RUE, LA NUIT, LES FEMMES SANS PEUR 2010

Afin de garantir le succès de l'évènement, nous avons besoin de l'aide de bénévoles! Nous aurons besoin de soutien pour assister à installer le rallye, à patrouiller la marche, et à aider à monter / démonter la foire d'information.
Si vous être disponibles et que vous souhaitez aider le Réseau d'activités des femmes à organiser La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur, veuillez contacter Julia McDonald au 613 325 0500 ou par courriel à loquacious.julia@gmail.com

Histoire de l'evenement ci-dessous (desolé, elle est en anglais seulement)

____________________________________________________________

Call-Out for Take Back the Night

Every year, women in Ottawa come together to Take Back The Night, a collective effort to assert safety for women in the streets of Ottawa and a call to end violence against women.

This year more than ever, essential services offered to women across the country are threatened by a conservative government who has, for years, been attempting to erode sections of the women’s’ movement. This year’s theme will then be Take Back The Night: Demand Our Rights.

Come March with us to Take Back the Night and Demand our Rights, Thursday, Sept 23^rd, 2010

Two ways to participate:

1) Call for Participants

2) Call for Volunteers

1) Call for Participation

Come March with us to Take Back the Night and Demand our Rights

Thursday, Sept 23^rd, 2010

5:30 pm Rally at Parliament Hill (Famous Five Monument)

6:15 pm March through the Market

7:15 - 9:00 pm Info Fair- City Hall (110 Laurier West)

A MARCH FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Please bring Noise Makers (Pots and Pans, whistle, drum, horn, tambourine, etc)

Accessible bus on site!

Presented by the Women’s Events Network

For more information, or to volunteer, please call (613)230-6700 or email

communityevents@wiseottawa.ca.

More information about the herstory of Take Back the Night is below.

2) Volunteers Needed for TAKE BACK the NIGHT 2010

In order for this event to be a success, we need the help of Volunteers! Support will be needed for assisting in setting up the Rally, Marshalling the March and assisting in setting up/taking down the info fair.

If you are able and willing to support the Women’s Event Network in putting on Take Back the Night in any way possible, please contact Julia McDonald at 613 325 0500 or email loquacious.julia@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Herstory of Take Back

The Night Take Back The Night, a march to protest violence against women, began in Europe in the early 1970's. The United States began organizing their march in 1977 and a year later, three Canadian cities, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Halifax, held their first "Reclaim the Night" marches in which women took to the streets to reclaim their right to walk alone at night without fear of violence.

The Political Action Collective of the Ottawa Women's Centre organized the first "Take Back The Night" march in Ottawa. They did not advertise or officially take credit for the march. About 80 women marched simultaneously down Rideau Street and Bank Street before meeting up at Confederation Square. No permit was obtained, but the sheer force of these determined and brave women forced the police to provide an escort. A party followed in which everyone had a good time - celebrating the courage and spirit of women in the first year of this 33-year battle against violence against women.

Each year we still meet to hold a rally at a specific location, attend and info fair where we make available resources for women from the community, network and share our experiences. Of course, central to the whole night, is the march! Women marching together in solidarity - voicing our message to demand safety on our streets, in our communities, our workplaces, and in
our homes. Women should be able to live free from fear of violence! We're taking back our streets! And the night!

This year in particular, we are marching to also demand our rights. Years of cutbacks to essential services has led to the erosion of sections of the womyn's movement and womyn's basic rights. We demand for these cutbacks to end, the return of services we require and the provision of basic rights and freedoms to womyn from all communities!

Women gather to decry hospitals' lax standards for sexual assault staff

Forget Shorter Showers

"Part of the problem is that we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance."

Sexual Assault victim turned away from Ottawa Hospital

"Last Sunday, police brought a woman to the emergency room of the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital, home to Ottawa’s only provincially-designated program for sexual assault cases.

It’s one of 35 centres across Ontario providing specialized care and counselling to victims in the aftermath of an assault, including the preparation of evidence kits for prosecutions. As detailed in a lengthy 2006 protocol with the police and community groups, the hospital’s Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program is to provide care “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

That’s not what happened last Sunday.

None of the hospital’s sexual assault nurses were available on Sunday, says Mike Tierney, vice-president of clinical programs at The Ottawa Hospital.

The patient was given the option of going home and returning later for treatment, or seeking treatment at the hospital in Renfrew."