CANADA’S ELECTION – WHAT THE ISSUES OF DEAR LEADERS ARE not TALKING ABOUT

VOTER’S CORNER: Ballot ‘boxing’ and ducking the real issues

ANNE BISHOP-Last Updated October 14, 2015 - 5:52pm

For years, I have stood on doorsteps trying to convince people that their vote counts and party platforms make a difference. At this point, however, I find I cannot convince even myself.

A vote is a precious thing. Hundreds of thousands of brave people have fought and died over the centuries for the right to vote.

In my own lifetime, long lines of black South Africans stood all day in the hot sun waiting their turn to cast a ballot for the first time. Zimbabweans, Afghans, Guatemalans and so many others braved threats of violence to go to the polls.

I have a vote that I need only drive down the road to cast, but something has happened to it over the past couple of decades. It has been quietly devalued until, frankly, I wonder if it is worth casting.

Canadian elections, particularly this one, have become, as Justin Trudeau suggested soon after the writ was dropped, a boxing match. It’s all about scoring points, getting power at all costs, saying what people want to hear, making promises that everyone knows can’t be kept, while distracting us with sideshows like the Duffy trial and the niqab.

When do we have a national conversation about real issues? When do we sit down and seriously wrestle with the colonial relationship between aboriginal and settler Canadians, and heal the terrible scars of the residential schools?

When do we truly debate how to have a thriving economy in a healthy natural world? We know how to abolish poverty; when do we talk about that?

We say we want women and racialized people, people with disabilities, elderly people and everyone else on the margins to have the same opportunities as everyone else. When do we talk about how to do it?

When do we talk about giving all our children a great start in life, and all the education and training required for whatever they are called to do in life? When do we talk about restoring a healthy dialogue between the federal and provincial governments? When do we talk about updating a health-care system created when Canadians’ average age was 27?

When do we talk about the survival of Canadian culture and stories, and the publishers, theatres, filmmakers, artists and public broadcaster who keep it vigorous? When do we talk about the role of statistics and science in public policy?

I am tired of spin, “talking points,” even lies, repeated endlessly as a wall against real questions. I can’t imagine how the politicians who do this live with themselves.

I find it disgraceful that a party can come up the middle of a multi-party system and form a government with a mandate from only a third of its citizens. I am tired of parties campaigning from the left and governing from the right, going for power and position, leaving real issues crumpled in their wake. I am tired of parties, period: I don’t want a “Liberal” government or a “Harper” government; I want a Canadian government.

Changing an electoral system is difficult and there is no avenue for protest in the voting booth, which leaves me with my question: How did my vote become so meaningless, and what can I do with it on Oct. 19 that might begin to bring its meaning back?

Anne Bishop, Falmouth

http://thechronicleherald.ca/letters/1316559-voter%E2%80%99s-corner-ballot-%E2%80%98boxing%E2%80%99-and-ducking-the-real-issues

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O Canada- and there's the crux - Poverty: Not present this election campaign | rabble.ca http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/policyfix/2015/10/poverty-not-present-this-election-campaign?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rabble-news+%28rabble.ca+-+News+for+the+rest+of+us%29#.Vh6uynjyjO0.twitter …

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THE REALITY OF LIFE AS A SINGLE MOM

The Reality of Life as a Single Mom.

Via Jennifer Williams-Fields on May 12, 2015

Yes, being a single mom is exhausting. We all know this. It’s a daily financial struggle and one that many of us didn’t choose.

But the financial concerns, the lack of sleep and the constant worry aren’t what really gets to me. That’s actually the easy stuff, the stuff that you just put on your big girl panties and do what you got to do to get through the day.
Then there are the single mom struggles no one really talks about. These are the ones that cause me to cry myself to sleep some nights:
Holding back tears of sadness as I stand in the doorway and find my son watching a YouTube video to learn how to tie his tie as he gets ready for prom that night.
The struggle to teach my daughters to love a good man when the first man they are supposed to love walked away from them.
The pride of watching my teen boys find their own path to becoming responsible men as they work part-time jobs and offer me their paycheck to help pay some of their own expenses. Wishing I didn’t actually need to accept their money. But knowing I do.
Relief as each of the boys steps up and offers to take their sisters to the Daddy Daughter dance at school.
The regret of having to teach my daughters how a man is supposed to treat a woman, when too often they saw their own mother belittled and mistreated by the man they were supposed to trust.
Feeling humbled when I find out my then 7-year-old introduced my best friend’s husband to her teacher as “my dad too”.
Grateful for the moms who still get go on the field trips and send me pictures of my kids having fun and smiling. And more than a little jealous of those moms too.
Knowing I am risking my family’s financial future as I tell my boss “Yes, I am leaving work early again” as I walk out the door so I don’t miss yet another school event.
Being the only one to sit up at night when it’s past curfew waiting on the offending child to make it home safely. Or being the only one to make the drive to the Emergency Room with a crying and hurt child.
Having to make major decisions by myself with no one who cares enough to have any input.
The really real reality of being a single mom is having the hard-fought and well-earned knowledge that nothing, and no one, is stronger than a single mom protecting her family.
But sometimes that’s a heavy load to carry.

BEST COMMENT:

I just want to say . . . I was a single father. The challenges of raising two boys, young men, through their teen and young adult years were, at times, crushing. They have grown into fine young men, and I am going through years of therapy to recover from a spouse with multiple affairs, and one who abandoned her sons.

REPLY FM CISSY: Bill –
Whether single mother or single father we all share similar struggles. I'm happy to hear your boys have grown into healthy young men. That is our reward isn't it?

COMMENT: Jennifer, I love this! I don't relate to the experience precisely as my daughter's father is very present in her life and with co-parenting. But as a daughter with a father that left and never returned – I felt this. From the mother's point of view. Thank you for that. I love the honesty of your experience and the voicing of so many others.

REPLY FM CISSY: Cissy –
Thank you. Although I'm sorry you were one of those daughters without a father, I'm glad to hear I was able to write from a place you could relate to. It is a part of single mothering we don't often talk about. It's easier to discuss financial struggles than crying to sleep at night because you are scared your daughters will have unhealthy relationships with future men because their father left them at a young age. Kudos to you and your ex for being able to successfully coparent.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/05/the-reality-of-life-as-a-single-mom/

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Governments must help communities with our loved children and their two family lifestyle integration- We must make transitions better so stability and progress and excitement about moving on- conquers disillusionment, fear and hopelessness -MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS CANADA

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Canada's Horrific Secret- A GLOBAL SECRET is the HARDSHIP OF Single Moms and Single Dads and unnecessary poverty caused by breakups with no interventions $$$ and sources of help. We are letting them and their children down

-BECAUSE FAMILY VIOLENCE COMES 2 VIST 2 OFTEN...

it's always the children who suffer the most /MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE-

we must do better Canada for our families to heal and look 4ward to tomorrow /we must do better -breaking up is hard on everyone, but finding genuine happiness from heartache and moving on- is the best gift u can give/receive -imho /MOVIN ON- RASCAL FLATTS(Fathers4LifeCanada is an awesome site- global stats- suicides of parents and children - 2 many)/

MENTAL WELLNESS MATTERS CANADA

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Pay Equity

Women earn 72 cents on the dollar that men earn? How can that be, given that we have laws that make such a practice a criminal offence? Full Story

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More Canadian single dads head rise in lone-parent families

More Canadians than ever — many of them fathers — are confronting the plight of the single parent in an age of economic uncertainty and growing disparity between rich and poor, new census numbers released Wednesday suggest.
The number of single parents jumped eight per cent between 2006 and 2011, including a 16 per cent spike in the number of single fathers, Statistics Canada reported. Single mothers, who still comprise about 80 per cent of all single-parent families in Canada, increased by six per cent.
Regardless of gender, sociologists say there's a divide among their ranks: on one side are those for whom steady work lifts them narrowly past the poverty threshold, while on the other, parents are left behind to contend with everything from mouldy walls to mental illness.
At the First Steps Housing Project in Saint John, N.B., Amy Young cuddles her 15-month-old son Striker, weeping as she reflects on a troubled past of addictions and a broken relationship — and a future she's determined to ensure means a better life for her baby.
"It's not about you any more," Young said, Striker happily playing nearby. "It's all about your child and the good decisions you have to make for them."

Converted convent a haven for single moms

First Steps, a centre for homeless, single mothers, is a safe haven, a daycare and and a provider of in-house high school education to the dozen women currently living there.
For Young, the converted convent next to a city hospital seems like "a mansion" compared to the squalor of her old neighbourhood, where many of Saint John's lone-parent families continue to live.
"There were stabbings," she recalled. "You would find syringes in the street, crack pipes and stuff like that."
Lone-parent families represented 16.3 per cent of all census families in 2011, nearly twice the percentage of 1961, before the advent of 1968's Divorce Act and a steadily growing proportion of parents who never got married in the first place.
In 1961, roughly two-thirds of lone parents were widowed, and the rest were either divorced or separated, with a small percentage never having been married. Since then, the proportions have changed dramatically: half are either divorced or separated, while the ranks of those going it alone from the outset have grown tenfold.
In 2011, there are more single fathers in Canada than ever before. And they face many of the same issues as single mothers, including the need for more education and income, said Edward Monzerolle, 39, a roofer who's father to two boys aged five and 14.
"I don't think there's much difference between males and females raising their kids," Monzerolle said. "My time is very tight — very tight. I go to work, I go home, I cook supper and it's time for bed."
That makes completing his high school education all but impossible, he added.

Photo:

Lidia Sok, holding son Robert at the First Steps Housing Project in Saint John on Sept. 4, became a single mom a year ago at age 19. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Lidia Sok, who became a single mom a year ago at 19, said First Steps has inspired her to get a high school diploma, much like the 40 other graduates whose photos are proudly displayed on the centre's main floor.
"This program saved me from being homeless when I was pregnant," said Sok. "They helped me with schooling and they helped me get into an apartment."
In Saint John, single parenthood and poverty seem to go hand in hand in some neighbourhoods, said Sharon Amirault, who's been running the First Steps centre for the last 10 years.
"Poverty can be caused by addiction and mental health, the pregnancy can be the result of mental health issues and poverty," Amirault said. "We have created more issues for families, and as more issues have arisen, unfortunately, the public services going along with them haven't grown."

Single parents improve standard of living

Still, there's also a wider national trend of some parents making their way to better lives, as single mothers gain education and enter the workforce.
A 2008 University of Toronto study of Statistics Canada data found poverty levels among single mothers following a downward trend between 1980 and 2000, with average earnings rising by 39 per cent and their low-income rate declining by 11 percentage points.
A Statistics Canada study done last year showed that trend continuing through to 2009, even as broader poverty rates climbed during the recession.
But single mothers and fathers with jobs still lead difficult lives, cautioned sociologist Sylvia Fuller, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia.
"Women have definitely improved their material standard of living for themselves and their children through employment, but the employment is often stressful," Fuller said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/more-canadian-single-dads-head-rise-in-lone-parent-families-1.1290201

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Children Come First: A Report to Parliament Reviewing the Provisions and Operation of the Federal Child Support Guidelines - Volume 2

4. SECTION-BY-SECTION REVIEW OF THE FEDERAL CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES AND THE DIVORCE ACT (cont'd)

SECTION 10: UNDUE HARDSHIP

On either spouse's application, a court may award an amount of child support that is different from the amount determined under any of sections 3 to 5, 8 or 9 if the court finds that the spouse making the request, or a child in respect of whom the request is made, would otherwise suffer undue hardship.
Circumstances that may cause a spouse or child to suffer undue hardship include the following:
1. the spouse has the responsibility for an unusually high level of debts reasonably incurred to support the spouses and their children prior to the separation or to earn a living;
2. the spouse has unusually high expenses in relation to exercising access to a child;
3. the spouse has a legal duty under a judgment, order or written separation agreement to support any person;
4. the spouse has a legal duty to support a child, other than a child of the marriage, who is:
  1. under the age of majority, or
  2. the age of majority or over but is unable, by reason of illness, disability or other cause, to obtain the necessaries of life; and
5. the spouse has a legal duty to support any person who is unable to obtain the necessaries of life due to an illness or disability.
Despite a determination of undue hardship under subsection (1), an application under that subsection must be denied by the court if it is of the opinion that the household of the spouse who claims undue hardship would, after determining the amount of child support under any of the sections 3 to 5, 8 or 9, have a higher standard of living than the household of the other spouse.
In comparing standards of living for the purpose of subsection (3), the court may use the comparison of household standards of living test set out in Schedule II.
Where the court awards a different amount of child support under subsection (1), it may specify, in the child support order, a reasonable time for the satisfaction of any obligation arising from circumstances that cause undue hardship and the amount payable at the end of that time.
Where the court makes a child support order in a different amount under this section, it must record its reasons for doing so.

BACKGROUND

The undue hardship provision recognizes that, sometimes, a parent or child can suffer undue hardship if the parent pays the table amount, or the table amount plus special expenses. This section permits courts to set a different amount.
There are three distinct steps to determining the amount of child support when a parent claims undue hardship.

The parent making the claim must show that paying the table amount would cause undue hardship for the parent or child.
The parent claiming undue hardship has to show that his or her household standard of living is lower than that of the other parent.
If the first two steps are cleared, the court decides on a new support amount. Courts may (but do not have to) change the table amount of support.

STEP 1: DEMONSTRATION OF UNDUE HARDSHIP

To help courts and parents decide whether undue hardship would result if the table values were ordered, subsection 10(2) lists five circumstances that may cause a parent or a child to suffer undue hardship. They are:

unusually high debts from supporting the family before the parents separated or resulting from earning a living;
unusually high expenses associated with access to a child;
a legal duty under a judgment or order to support another individual;
a legal duty to support a child, other than the child of the marriage, who is under the age of majority or who, owing to illness, disability, or other cause (including education), cannot support himself or herself; or
a legal duty to support a person who cannot get the necessaries of life due to illness or disability.

Because the list is not exhaustive, other circumstances could give rise to a claim for undue hardship.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(A): DEBTS

In some circumstances, the debt load of a parent may lead to a finding of undue hardship. If this leads to a changed support amount, the court may decide that, when the debt is paid, the amount payable will change again. This allows courts to grant temporary relief so the parent can pay the debts without requiring another court appearance after the debt is paid.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(B): ACCESS EXPENSES

Access expenses may be unusually high because of the extensive time a parent spends with the children or because the parent otherwise has large expenses related to access, such as airfare. On the other hand, if the paying parent spends little or no time with the children, the receiving parent may be the one with extra costs, such as babysitting fees.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(C): JUDGMENT OR AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL

A person may already have to support a spouse or children from prior relationships. Although the table amounts are presumed to apply in these circumstances, this section of the Guidelines recognizes that a pre-existing requirement to pay support to others may cause a parent or a child to suffer undue hardship, particularly those in lower income families.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(D): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER CHILD

The legal duty to support other children (in a second family, for example) can cause undue hardship if the parent also has to pay the table amount. These other children may be the parent's biological children, adoptive children, or stepchildren.[226] These commitments may reduce the financial resources available for the children involved. This provision provides financial relief and promotes equitable treatment of all children whether they are natural children, adoptive children, or stepchildren.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(E): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT AN ILL OR DISABLED PERSON

A parent may face undue hardship because he or she must support somebody, such as a previous spouse, who is ill or disabled.

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF THE HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS OF LIVING—SUBSECTION 10(3)

For a parent who would suffer undue hardship if the table amount were ordered, the next step is to show that his or her household does not enjoy a higher standard of living than does the other parent's. This ensures that the child support amount is not reduced when the child lives with a parent whose standard of living is lower still. Under subsection 10(4) of the Federal Child Support Guidelines, one way to compare standards of living is to use the Comparison of Household Standards of Living Test, found in Schedule II.

STEP 3: DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

Once the first two steps have been cleared, the courts have broad discretion to determine the appropriate amount of support. If a court uses this discretion to order a different amount, it must record its reasons for doing so, per subsection 10(6).

INTENT

The undue hardship provision is not meant to be used often. There is a strong presumption that paying parents are able to afford the table amounts because the tables represent reasonable amounts in average family circumstances. In addition, the Guidelines specifically permit a departure from the table amounts in special circumstances, such as when parents share custody, or when the paying parent earns over $150,000 annually.
Section 10 balances the Guidelines objective of consistency with the need for a fair standard of support in exceptional cases.

APPLICATION

Courts have narrowly interpreted each element of the undue hardship test. Case law overwhelmingly confirms that the requesting parent must establish undue hardship and must demonstrate that the other parent is not even worse off.[227] Even when a parent meets the requirements of the first two steps, courts may exercise their discretion by refusing to order a different amount of support.[228]

STEP 1: DEMONSTRATION OF UNDUE HARDSHIP

A parent will not necessarily clear the first step simply by showing the existence of one or more of the enumerated circumstances that may give rise to undue hardship.[229] The claiming parent must also show that the circumstances personally affect him or her and that they do in fact cause undue hardship.[230] Separation generally causes both parties to suffer financial hardship, thus hardship alone will not give rise to a change in the support order.
In Van Gool,[231] the British Columbia Court of Appeal confirmed the high threshold required by this section. Madam Justice Prowse, for the court, said in paragraph 51:

Since the basic tables were designed to be a "floor" for the amount of maintenance payable, rather than a ceiling, it is not surprising that the authorities have held that the threshold for a finding of undue hardship is high. Hardship is not sufficient; the hardship must be undue, that is, exceptional, excessive, or disproportionate in all of the circumstances.

Other courts have interpreted the word undue to mean excessive, extreme, unreasonable, unjustified, and improper.[232]

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(A): DEBTS

Each element of this provision has been interpreted very restrictively. Judges have only reduced child support because of debt in exceptional circumstances, an approach that is consistent with cases considered before the introduction of the Federal Child Support Guidelines.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(B): ACCESS EXPENSES

The courts have very narrowly construed each element of the phrase unusually high expenses in relation to access, which appears in paragraph 10(2)(b). For example, in the case of Williams v. Williams,[233] the paying parent's costs to travel between Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories to exercise access were not held to be unusually high. In a limited number of cases, courts have concluded that access expenses are unusually high in light of the extensive access that a paying parent exercises, not necessarily because of any single large payment such as airfare.[234] Few courts have accepted a lack of access as a circumstance that may cause undue hardship for the receiving parent.
The courts are more likely to lower the amount if it was the custodial parent who decided to move.[235] The comments of the court in the case of Marlow v. Berger[236] illustrate this judicial point of view:
In this case, the father chose to move to Toronto for employment purposes. That is not to be held against him but he cannot use it as a sword to obtain relief as he has asked. In this court's view, the phrase unusually high access costs relates to, among other things, circumstances beyond the control of the payor or a consensual decision made for the benefit of the child.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(C): JUDGMENT OR AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL

Few parents have sought a finding of undue hardship on this basis and, as such, this provision has had very limited application.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(D): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER CHILD

Under the Guidelines, the majority of undue hardship claims have been based on this section and most applications have been unsuccessful. Courts have very strictly construed each element of this provision.
A parent's legal duty to support a second family does not in itself create undue hardship.[237] The parent seeking relief must establish not just the existence of an obligation to another child, but also indicators of unusual financial pressure.[238] One has to show that supporting other children significantly contributes to one's financial difficulties.[239] There must also be a legal duty to support the children, not only a moral duty.[240] Many judges have refused to grant relief in part because the paying parent's second spouse has decided not to work, thereby lowering the paying parent's family income.[241] As a result, many claims have been dismissed because the applicant couldn't show undue hardship.[242] In addition, the mere fact that the applicant's standard of living is lower than that of the other spouse does not automatically result in undue hardship, even if this lower standard is due in part to the applicant's legal duty to support another child.
In Van Gool,[243] the court confirmed this, deciding that the parent seeking relief must show that the obligation makes paying the table amount an undue hardship. The person claiming undue hardship must provide cogent evidence that the costs incurred for the other child are beyond those associated with most children.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(E): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT AN ILL OR DISABLED PERSON

Very few cases have been determined on the basis of this provision and, as such, it has had very limited application.

OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES

Case law establishes that the subsection 10(2) list of circumstances is not exhaustive and that other factors may be considered.[244] However, courts are reluctant to expand the scope of undue hardship beyond the circumstances listed in subsection 10(2).[245] Courts are especially cautious if the receiving parent wants to increase the table amount because other circumstances have caused undue hardship; very few such cases have been successful.[246]

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF THE HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS OF LIVING—SUBSECTION 10(3)

The parent asking for the change may have a lower household standard of living than that of the other parent. But this does not in itself lead to a finding of undue hardship.[247] Case law overwhelmingly confirms that courts must compare the parents' household standards of living only after finding undue hardship.[248] Thus, this provision limits the number of successful claims for undue hardship.
Some courts rely on the optional Comparison of Household Standards of Living Test, found in Schedule II.[249] When courts did not use this test, they instead considered a wide variety of factors, including the parents' relative capital positions, debt, child care, and the financial contribution of the parent's spouse, if any.[250]

STEP 3: DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

Courts have exercised broad discretion to determine the appropriate amount of support in undue hardship cases.[251] There is no one way to do this.[252] In some cases, even when both steps one and two were cleared, courts exercised their discretion not to change the table amount.
In some cases, particularly when the circumstance that causes undue hardship is a legal duty to support another child, per paragraph 10(2)(d), courts have refused to reduce the table amount. Instead, they have somewhat reduced the payments to the receiving spouse because of special or extraordinary expenses, per section 7.[253] Courts are clearly reluctant to order less than the table amount because they view the table values as a minimum base or a floor for support.
In many cases where distance produces extensive access expenses, parents and judges instead agree to apportion the cost of those visits between the parents. Sometimes referred to as a separate civil order, this option is used in place of the undue hardship provision.

ISSUES

STEP 1: DEMONSTRATION OF UNDUE HARDSHIP

The undue hardship provision balances the Guidelines objectives of consistency and of a fair standard of support. However, many people feel that the very strict interpretation of this section has been unfair to children and paying parents who live far from each other. These parents may only be able to pay the table amounts by reducing their access, contrary to the children's interests.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(B): ACCESS EXPENSES

The table values attempt to balance paying parents' average access costs and hidden costs incurred by receiving parents. Hidden costs include loss of career advancement opportunities and lost overtime. Thus, usual costs of access, such as meals, transportation, and entertainment, are borne by the paying parent as a normal pattern of spending and are contemplated by the guidelines amounts.[254]
By including unusually high access expenses as a possible cause of undue hardship, the Guidelines implicitly recognize that children may benefit from meaningful contact with both parents. This provision therefore promotes the principle that children should have as much contact with each parent as is consistent with their best interests.[255]

EXTENSIVE ACCESS

In a small number of cases, the extent and quality of access, or the lack of it, may cause undue hardship.
Applications to reduce support because of extensive access have generally succeeded only when the paying parent proves that paying the table amount would interfere with the quality of time that the children spend with the paying parent or would threaten the children's relationship with him or her. For example, in Petrocco,[256] the paying parent's annual income was $40,000, whereas the custodial parent's annual household income was nearly $300,000. In granting the application for undue hardship, Justice Métivier notes at paragraph 20:

In this case, the access parent's role and importance may be detrimentally affected by an inability to offer the children a reasonable level of activity and comforts relative to that enjoyed in their primary residence. The payment of support at the Guideline level will interfere with the ability of the mother to provide such activities and comforts.

In Baranyi v. Longe,[257] Justice Wright reduced the support amount from $236 to $50 per month for two children so that the father could continue to have extensive access and to maintain a second bedroom for the children.

LACK OF ACCESS

The undue hardship provision was intended to be available to either the paying or the recipient parent. However, there have been very few cases where the recipient parent has successfully sought an increase from the table amount on the basis of undue hardship. This may be so because the listed circumstances in subsection 10(2) appear to be available only to paying parents to reduce the support order. In addition, some courts are reluctant to increase support under this section out of concern that the undue hardship provision may become an indirect way of getting spousal support.[258]
But the support recipient can claim undue hardship in some circumstances. For example, the paying parent may exercise little or no access, thereby increasing not only the receiving parent's regular costs, but also his or her hidden costs.[259] While this approach has not usually worked,[260] Scotcher v. Hampson[261] suggests that a failure to exercise access could give rise to a claim for undue hardship, if this increases the receiving parent's costs. In Scharf,[262] lack of access visits led to an increase in child support. There, the parents each had custody of one of the two children. Justice Métivier found that the mother suffered undue hardship and reduced the amount she was required to pay in part because the other parent had irregular access.

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(D): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER CHILD

For many years, courts and parents have struggled to determine the appropriate approach for determining child support when a parent has to support other children. The issue is complicated because the court must often decide between the competing interests of two (or more) sets of children. Courts are often faced with the difficult task of distributing limited resources between two or more households.
Many people think that financial hardship caused by subsequent family obligations should rarely reduce the child support amount. Paying parents, it is said, should fulfill child support obligations ahead of other, subsequent obligations, even if those obligations are to other children. That is to say that a parent should not be excused from a child support obligation because he or she chooses to have further children. This first families first approach has been adopted in many cases and is illustrated in the following comments from the case of Jackson v. Holloway:[263]

A separated spouse with a child support obligation enters into a new family unit knowing he or she has an obligation and is expected to organize his or her affairs with due regard to that obligation. A general or generic reference to the overall expenses of a new household will not give rise to a claim of undue hardship.

Other courts suggest that while every child has the right to support, the parent's subsequent family should be given a chance to succeed financially and shouldn't suffer because of the prior child support obligation.
As a result of these two judicial approaches to the difficult issue of second families, the outcome of any given case is difficult to predict, thereby undermining the Guidelines objective of consistent treatment of parents.

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF THE HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS OF LIVING—SUBSECTION 10(3)

Although courts have applied this second step as intended, research suggests that courts and parents have not been using the optional Comparison of the Household Standards of Living Test in Schedule II. Many legal observers, parents, and judges have criticized the test as being too complicated, too long, and too difficult to apply. For a detailed discussion of the Comparison of Household Standards of Living Test, please see the review of Schedule II.

STEP 3: DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT

Because families may live in so many different circumstances after separation, judges have broad discretion to determine the amount of support when they find undue hardship. As such, results are difficult to predict.

RECOMMENDATION

The federal Department of Justice does not recommend any changes to section 10.
Regarding unusually high access expenses due to distance, education and training should be used to promote the use of a separate civil order. Many court orders have already used separate provisions for access and the costs of access, particularly in mobility cases, so this is not entirely new. This approach maintains the important premise that the table values are a floor for support; in mobility cases, it also removes the rigid requirements of section 10. It is also consistent with subsection 16(6) of the Divorce Act, which allows the court making a custody or access order to "impose such other terms, conditions, or restrictions in connection therewith as it thinks fit and just." The approach permits parents to agree to an individual clause that may be tailored to suit the family's circumstances.

SECTION 11: FORM OF PAYMENTS

BACKGROUND

Even before the Federal Child Support Guidelines, the Divorce Act gave courts the power to order periodic or lump sum support, or both. This section was intended to establish the court's jurisdiction under the Guidelines to order periodic or lump sum support if necessary.

Form of Payments

11. The court may require in a child support order that the amount payable under the order be paid in periodic payments, in a lump sum or in a lump sum and periodic payments.

PAYMENT OF ORDERS

The courts have wide discretion: an order may be for a lump sum, for a definite or indefinite period, or for a period lasting until a specific event occurs. The court can also "impose such other terms, conditions or restrictions in connection therewith as it thinks fit and just."
Although the child support Guidelines propose monthly orders, there may be rare instances where it is in the best interests of children for the courts to make lump sum orders. Although the Guidelines will help the courts determine the levels, the courts should continue to have wide powers to determine how orders should be paid.

APPLICATION

ISSUE

Courts have traditionally been reluctant to order lump sum child support.

CASE LAW

In McLaughlin v. McLaughlin,[264] the court held that support ordered under the Guidelines could be paid in periodic installments other than monthly. In Lobo v. Lobo,[265] Gibney v. Gibney,[266] and M.R. v. S.R.R.,[267] the court ordered lump sum child support.
In Lobo,[268] the court found that, in light of the paying parent's record of poor money management, his refusal to seek alternative employment, his demonstrated willingness to risk his family's security for remote possibility of gain, and his unwillingness to sell real estate investments in the face of foreclosure action against the matrimonial home, it was proper to order lump sum child support.
In Gibney,[269] as the father had substantial assets, the court found it appropriate to order a lump sum payment to pay for the children's extraordinary expenses.
In M.R.,[270] the paying parent had a recent history of unemployment and illness and a long history of borrowing money from his mother to defray ordinary household expenses. The court found that those were ample reasons for ordering lump sum support from his only cash asset: proceeds from the sale of the matrimonial home. The court ordered lump sum child support based on the appropriate monthly child support table amount for approximately 30 months.
In Koyama v. Leigh,[271] the court, after reviewing the various "needless difficulties" created by the paying parent during litigation, ordered lump sum child support using the money being held in a maintenance security fund.
From a review of the case law, it appears that the practice of ordering lump sum payments is more common in cases where there are special expenses.[272]

AMENDMENT

This section has not been amended.

RECOMMENDATION

No amendments to this section are recommended.

SECTION 12: SECURITY

BACKGROUND

This section lets the court order that the amount payable be secured or paid in a way specified by the court. This power existed in the Divorce Act before the Federal Child Support Guidelines were introduced.

Security

12. The court may require in the child support order that the amount payable under the order be paid or secured, or paid and secured, in the manner specified in the order.

APPLICATION

ISSUE

This section has generally been applied as intended.

CASE LAW

In Davids,[273] Assinck v. Assinck,[274] and Lonergan v. Lonergan,[275] the court ordered that child support be secured against various assets, including the matrimonial home, in case the paying parent defaulted.

AMENDMENT

This section has not been amended.

RECOMMENDATION

No amendments to this section are recommended.

SECTION 13: INFORMATION TO BE SPECIFIED IN AN ORDER

BACKGROUND

This section specifically sets out what elements are to be included in a child support order. It ensures that the basic information used to determine the child support amount is included in the order. This information helps parties vary child support orders, as spouses know the various components that make up the child support amount.

Information to be specified in an order

13. A child support order must include the following information:

the name and birth date of each child to whom the order relates;
the income of any spouse whose income is used to determine the amount of the child support order;
the amount determined under paragraph 3(1)(a) for the number of children to whom the order relates;
the amount determined under paragraph 3(2)(b) for a child the age of majority or over;
the particulars of any expense described in subsection 7(1), the child to whom the expense relates, and the amount of the expense or, where that amount cannot be determined, the proportion to be paid in relation to the expense; and
the date on which the lump sum or first payment is payable and the day of the month or other time period on which all subsequent payments are to be made.

APPLICATION

ISSUE

Section 13 of the Guidelines is not always respected by those preparing child support orders. According to the Survey of Child Support Awards,[276] only 32 percent of cases contain all five items (see box below).

Section 13 Compliance

Name of the child: 86.5 percent
Birth date of child: 84.2 percent
Income of spouse: 74.4 percent
Dates of payment: 73.7 percent
Table support amount: 52.5 percent

Source: Survey of Child Support Awards database, February 2001.

Paragraph 13(e) details the special or extraordinary expenses to be included in a court order. This paragraph indicates that a judge can include a proportion of a special expense rather than the amount in the court order, when the judge cannot determine the amount in advance. However, maintenance enforcement programs cannot enforce a proportion of an unknown amount. Also, section 7, which deals with special or extraordinary expenses, does not refer to a proportion of a special expense but to the actual amount of the expense.

CASE LAW

In Lee v. Lee,[277] the court stated that an order would not be void if it did not comply with section 13 of the Guidelines, if the required information was identified and available from materials in the court file.
In several cases, the courts have ordered a percentage of a special expense to be paid by the paying parent instead of specifying the exact amount.[278]

AMENDMENT

This section has not been amended.

RECOMMENDATION

No amendments to this section are recommended. Since 1997, compliance with section 13 has improved. As the legal profession begins varying orders determined under child support guidelines, the importance of respecting section 13 becomes all the more evident. As such, compliance continues to improve.
To help enforce the orders, parents and the court should continue to set out the amount of the special expense, and not just the proportion to be paid. To this end, a November 2000 amendment to section 7 allows parents and the court to estimate the amount of the special or extraordinary expense.

SECTION 14: CIRCUMSTANCES FOR VARIATION

BACKGROUND

Paragraph 17(1)(a) of the Divorce Act empowers the court to vary a child support order. Subsection 17(4) of the Divorce Act says that the court must first be satisfied that there has been "a change of circumstances, as provided for in the applicable guidelines." Section 14 of the Guidelines sets out what constitutes a change of circumstances.
Defining "a change of circumstances" helps parents and the courts decide whether an order should be varied. In particular, paragraph (c) helps parents who have a pre-Guidelines order to get a new child support amount under the Guidelines.

Circumstances for variation

14. For the purposes of subsection 17(4) of the Act, any one of the following constitutes a change of circumstances that gives rise to the making of a variation order in respect of a child support order:

in the case where the amount of child support includes a determination made in accordance with the applicable table, any change in circumstances that would result in a different child support order or any provision thereof;
in the case where the amount of child support does not include a determination made in accordance with a table, any change in the condition, means, needs or other circumstances of either spouse or of any child who is entitled to support; and
in the case of an order made before May 1, 1997, the coming into force of section 15.1 of the Act, enacted by section 2 of chapter 1 of the Statutes of Canada (1997).

SOR/97-563, s. 2
SOR/2000-337, s. 2

APPLICATION

ISSUE

Courts have focused on paragraph 14(c) of the Guidelines and on interpreting the word may in subsection 17(1) of the Divorce Act.

CASE LAW

In one set of appellate decisions, the word may has been interpreted as giving the court discretion to make a variation order. Paragraph 14(c) has been treated solely as a "triggering mechanism." This allows a court to review the circumstances to see whether there is a sufficient change warranting a variation in child support payments and to review the reasonableness of the original order or settlement in light of the Guidelines.[279]
Another set of appellate decisions interprets the word may as empowering, giving the court the power to make a variation order. These decisions have seen paragraph 14(c) as a sufficient change in circumstances to require that all pre-guidelines orders be varied according to the Guidelines.[280] As a result, courts across the country apply paragraph 14(c) inconsistently.[281]
In Montalbetti v. Montalbetti,[282] a British Columbia Court of Appeal case decided after Wang, the court stated the following:

In my opinion, the chambers judge was correct in concluding that there was a sufficient change in circumstances to warrant a variation. I say that quite apart from the provision in s. 14(c) of the Guidelines, which in itself may also have provided a foundation for the variation.[283]

Section 14 was amended twice (see explanation below) to address this. Since the last amendment in November 2000, court decisions have tended to view paragraph 14(c) as mandating a change to child support orders to ensure their compliance with the Guidelines.
In O'Donnell v. Morgan,[284] a New Brunswick case, the court recited the amended section 14. It concluded that the paying parent met the test in paragraph (c) and varied the order according to the Guidelines. In Cholodniuk v. Sears,[285] the paying parent sought to vary his child support obligation, determined before May 1, 1997, so that it complied with the Guidelines. The court stated the following:

A previous application to vary this judgment was dismissed on February 11, 1999. Since that time however, s. 14 of the Guidelines has been amended to clarify that a child support order made prior to May 1, 1997, constitutes a change of circumstances that gives rise to the making of a variation order. As the order that Mr. Cholodniuk seeks to vary pre-dates May 1, 1997, he has met the threshold requirement for variation.[286]

In Turner v. Turner,[287] the court reviewed all of the relevant jurisprudence, articles written by various legal professionals, child support communications materials from the federal Department of Justice, and the amendments to paragraph 14(c). The court concluded that the coming into force of the Guidelines was a change in circumstances entitling a spouse to vary a pre-Guidelines child support order.

AMENDMENT

Section 14 has been amended twice since the Guidelines were implemented. In December 1997, section 14 was amended to clarify that only one of the listed circumstances in section 14 needs to be met in variation cases.[288]
In November 2000, section 14 was amended again.[289] In light of the conflicting appellate decisions from across the country, the section was amended to properly reflect its intent. All of the circumstances for variation listed in section 14, including paragraph (c), are changes in circumstances that a court can rely on to vary an order.
Where there is such a change, for example as listed in paragraph (c), which refers to a situation in which an order was made before May 1, 1997, the intent is that the court vary the order and apply the Federal Child Support Guidelines. The Guidelines were designed to provide a fair standard of support for children in light of the parents' ability to contribute.
The court can decide not to apply the Federal Child Support Guidelines when parents have an agreement or order made before or after May 1, 1997 that includes a special provision that benefits the child. In this case, the court can take the agreement into account under subsection 17(6.2) of the Divorce Act and decline to vary the order, since the Guidelines amount might not be appropriate in that situation.

RECOMMENDATION

No amendments to this section are recommended. As time passes, child support orders made before May 1, 1997 will become virtually non-existent and, eventually, paragraph 14(c) will be repealed. Also, since the November 2000 amendment, the lower courts in at least two provinces (Alberta and New Brunswick) are now ruling that the coming into force of the Guidelines is sufficient grounds to warrant a variation, despite earlier rulings to the contrary.
In addition, some legal observers agree that the amendments have clarified that the coming into force of the Guidelines is sufficient on its own to warrant a variation. As one such observer put it:

For the first three years in which the Guidelines were in force, there was disagreement at the appeal court level on whether s. 14(c) of the Guidelines mandated that all pre-Guidelines orders be converted into Guidelines-based orders. The amendments to s. 14 make it clear that the coming into force of the Guidelines is, standing alone, a change of circumstances [that] entitles the courts to vary pre-Guidelines orders[290].

SECTION 15: DETERMINATION OF ANNUAL INCOME

BACKGROUND

Section 15 of the Guidelines not only provides the starting point for calculating income; it also gives spouses an opportunity to agree on the amount of their income. This reduces conflict and tension between spouses and encourages efficient settlements. However, the court must be satisfied that the amount agreed upon by the spouses is reasonable. The court's approval is required to ensure consistent treatment of spouses and children who are in similar circumstances and to establish a fair standard of support for the children.

Determination of annual income

15.(1) Subject to subsection (2), a spouse's annual income is determined by the court in accordance with sections 16 to 20.

Agreement

(2) Where both spouses agree in writing on the annual income of a spouse, the court may consider that amount to be the spouse's income for the purposes of these Guidelines if the court thinks that the amount is reasonable having regard to the income information provided under section 21.

APPLICATION

ISSUE

No contentious issues have arisen as a result of this section.

CASE LAW

In the case of Robillard-Cole v. Cole,[291] the court confirmed that subsection 15(2) of the Guidelines allows the spouses to agree in writing on the annual income of a spouse. The court is not bound by this agreement and may review the spouse's income in light of the income information provided under section 21 of the Guidelines. In the Ontario Court of Appeal case Wheeler v. Wheeler,[292] the court decided that if both parents agree on the income amount of the paying parent, that should be the income used to determine the child support amount.

AMENDMENT

There have been no amendments to this section.

RECOMMENDATION

No amendments to this section are recommended.

SECTION 16: CALCULATION OF ANNUAL INCOME

BACKGROUND

Section 16 of the Guidelines says that a spouse's annual income is determined using the sources of income listed under "Total income" on the T1 General form issued by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA). This amount is then adjusted according to the rules set out in Schedule III of the Guidelines.
In practice, this means that the first step in calculating a spouse's annual income is to get his or her most recent federal income tax return. The "Total income" figure on line 150 includes income from all sources, including employment income, pension income, interest and dividend income, business or professional income, and employment insurance and social assistance payments. For each of these identified sources, the amount of income must be determined using the most current information available as specified in subsection 2(3) of the Guidelines.

Calculation of annual income

16. Subject to sections 17 to 20, a spouse's annual income is determined using the sources of income set out under the heading "Total income" in the T1 General form issued by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency and is adjusted in accordance with Schedule III.
SOR/2000-337, s. 3

In some cases, the spouse's most recent federal tax return will provide the most recent information. However, in other cases, the most recent federal tax return and the CCRA notice of assessment and reassessment may not be the best sources for current information. For example, the income tax information may not be up to date, accurate, or a fair reflection of income, especially if a spouse's income has recently changed significantly. In these cases, one must use more current sources of information, such as pay stubs or other income records.
The spouse's income from all sources may have to be adjusted according to Schedule III of the Guidelines to further determine the income actually available for calculating child support. So income under the Income Tax Act is not necessarily the same as income for child support purposes.

APPLICATION

ISSUES

PAST OR FUTURE INCOME?

At first, some people were confused about whether Guidelines income was based on past income, perhaps as found in an income tax return, or on projected income. As more case law interpreted the Guidelines, a clear direction emerged. For the most part, the courts are not determining current income on the basis of a preceding year's tax return, but rather by reference to the sources of income found in the T1 General form. This trend is reinforced by subsection 2(3), which directs the courts to use the most current income information, as well as by paragraph 21(1)(c), which requires a spouse to file his or her most recent statement of earnings.

ANNUAL INCOME

A related issue is the definition of annual income. Does the word annual refer to the current calendar year or to the next 12 months?

CASE LAW

PAST OR FUTURE INCOME?

The leading case is Lee v. Lee,[293] wherein the Newfoundland Court of Appeal made the following statements:

Support must be paid out of the future income of the payor-spouse. The underlying rationale is still ability to pay. In that sense, the process of setting child support is a prospective one. In engaging in that predictive exercise, however, historical data is obviously important and usually provides the best forecast of current ability to pay.
Subsection 2(3) of the Guidelines supports the foregoing analysis inferentially since it requires the use of "the most current information" in the determination of any amounts for the purposes of the Guidelines.
Section 16 merely provides that the "sources" of income used for calculating income for the purposes of support shall be consistent with the sources used for calculating income subject to taxation. It is the categories of income, not their historical amounts, [that] must be determined by reference to income tax concepts.

ANNUAL INCOME

Case law is divided on the definition of annual. In several cases, the courts based a party's annual income on the most current information, saying that annual income is from the calendar year in which the application is heard.[294] Other cases say that annual income is income to be earned in the 12 months following the application.[295]

AMENDMENT

Section 16 was amended on November 1, 2000, because Revenue Canada had changed its name to the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.[296]

RECOMMENDATION

No amendment to this section is recommended. With regard to what annual income means, the Guidelines have the built-in flexibility to allow a definition that is "time appropriate" to the situation. If child support is being determined for a period that precedes the hearing of the application, then annual income relates to the time for which the child support amount is being calculated and ordered. If the child support amount calculated and ordered is for a period after the hearing, then annual income reflects that time period.

SECTION 17: PATTERN OF INCOME

BACKGROUND

Under subsection 17(1), the court may select an amount of income that, in its view, would be a fairer amount than the most recent income information. The court reviews the paying parent's annual income over three years to identify trends, fluctuations, and non-recurring items, then adjusts the income amount. There is no formula for this; the court does what is appropriate.

Pattern of income

17.(1) If the court is of the opinion that the determination of a spouse's annual income under section 16 would not be the fairest determination of that income, the court may have regard to the spouse's income over the last three years and determine an amount that is fair and reasonable in light of any pattern of income, fluctuation in income or receipt of a non recurring amount during those years.
SOR/2000-337, s. 4

Non-recurring losses

(2) Where a spouse has incurred a non-recurring capital or business investment loss, the court may, if it is of the opinion that the determination of the spouse's annual income under section 16 would not provide the fairest determination of the annual income, choose not to apply sections 6 and 7 of Schedule III, and adjust the amount of the loss, including related expenses and carrying charges and interest expenses, to arrive at such amount as the court considers appropriate.

Where a spouse has a non-recurring capital or business investment loss, under subsection 17(2), the court may adjust the income amount of the loss to reflect a more appropriate amount.
Under the Income Tax Act there are limitations and restrictions affecting the deduction of capital and business investment losses. Sections 6 and 7 of Schedule III of the Guidelines[297] change the treatment of these losses so that the full net capital gain or the full business investment loss (not just the taxable portion permitted by the Income Tax Act) is included in determining annual income for Guidelines purposes.
In determining a spouse's annual income the court may adjust the amount of a capital or business investment loss without applying the amounts determined by sections 6 and 7 of Schedule III. The court may adjust the amount of these losses and therefore neutralize the effect of a one-time loss. This is consistent with the Guidelines objective of determining annual income as fairly as possible. The court may adjust the amount of the loss and any related expenses, including carrying charges and interest expenses, as it considers appropriate.
Section 17 gives the courts flexibility and discretion in determining income in cases where the strict rules would create an unfair result that does not truly reflect a person's income.

APPLICATION

ISSUE

Section 17 raises several issues not necessarily related to how the section is interpreted, but to how the section is applied in relation to the facts of any given case. Examples include whether overtime income should be included in Guidelines income, whether income that historically fluctuates (such as farming income, fishing income, and real estate income) should be averaged out over more than one year, and what amount from a non-recurring source of income should be included in Guidelines income. With so many variables, the Guidelines cannot address every possible income scenario. They can only provide general rules courts can use to decide on the fairest income amount, given the evidence and circumstances.

CASE LAW

The Court of Appeal case of Lee[298] explained, "Neither does s. 17 of the Guidelines indicate ... that the court is required to base its income calculations on past income levels." The Court added, "These are convenient shorthand methodological rules to enable a fair prediction of current income to be determined."
In Wilson v. Wilson,[299] a farming income case, the court decided not to rely too heavily on section 17 since the objective is to determine, based on the circumstances before the court, the fairest indicator of a person's income. The court went on to say that averaging the most recent three years of available information accounts somewhat for fluctuations that can occur from year to year.
In Pederson v. Walker,[300] the court held that a portion of the lump sum severance payment the paying parent received should be attributed to the income stream of all future years while the children were still dependent. In Holtby v. Holtby[301] and Hart v. Hart,[302] the court did not include a one-time RRSP withdrawal in income.
The courts have generally applied subsection 17(2) as intended. In the Saskatchewan case of Kuntz v. Kuntz,[303] the court found that, since the objective was to find the fairest indicator of current income, when somebody tries to use business losses to substantially reduce income, that person must completely explain the losses. The court went on to say that losses and expenses unrelated to earning income, as a general rule, should not be used to reduce income.
In Omah-Maharajh v. Howard,[304] the court did not allow a deduction from the father's income for his allowable business investment loss of $75,000. The court felt that if it permitted the deduction, it would be understating the father's ability to pay child support. However, the court allowed him to deduct the annual loan repayment on money he borrowed to make the investment, as this did reflect his income.

AMENDMENT

The initial wording of subsection 17(1) was long and cumbersome, sometimes requiring courts to go through unnecessary mental gymnastics. There was also some redundancy and excess wording. Although the courts were, for the most part, applying subsection 17(1) as intended, the subsection was amended to make it even easier to apply.[305]
Subsection 17(1) was amended on November 1, 2000. It was reworded to clarify that the court should only consider past income when the income amount determined under section 16 would be unfair. The rewording also clarified that, when determining the income amount, the court should consider a parent's pattern of income, or fluctuations in income, or the receipt of a non-recurring amount.
The former paragraph (a) of subsection 17(1) was removed because it was redundant when read with section 16. Section 16 and subsection 2(3) set out the criteria for determining income when a parent's income is increasing or decreasing steadily. The annual income is determined using the most recent information.
The reference to a "source" of income, which is also found in section 16, was also removed. Under section 16, the court will determine income using the "sources" of income set out in the T1 General form issued by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. Section 17 applies to cases where the amount determined under section 16 is not fair. Therefore, the reference to "sources" in section 17 was unnecessary.
Paragraphs (b) and (c) were collapsed into subsection 17(1), without affecting how 17(1) is applied. The section was simply streamlined to make it easier to use.

RECOMMENDATION

No amendment to this section is recommended.

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/fl-lf/child-enfant/rp/v2/v2_4.html

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The Facts About Women and Poverty

Commonly asked questions about women and poverty in Canada

We help women in Canada to move out of poverty by funding life-changing programs designed especially for them. Through these unique programs, they can learn a skilled trade, start a small business, or get work experience.

1. Canada is a rich country - is poverty really a problem?
2. Why are so many people in Canada poor?
3. How is poverty measured in Canada?
4. Why should we focus on women in poverty, rather than men in poverty?
5. Why are women more likely to be poor?
6. Is the earning gap between men and women really that significant?
7. Whats the best way to help a woman get out of poverty?
8. Sources

Canada is a rich country—is poverty really a problem?

· Once the full impact of the recent global economic crisis is calculated, it is estimated that as many as 4.8 million Canadians will be poor.¹ If you gathered this many people in one place—men, women and children—you would create a city twice the size of Toronto.

· On average, 9% of people living in Canada are poor. However, some groups are much more likely to be poor than others:

· Aboriginal women (First Nations, Métis, Inuit)—36%²

· Visible minority women—35%³

· Women with disabilities—26%⁴

· Single parent mothers—21%⁵ (7% of single parent fathers are poor⁶)

· Single senior women—14%⁷

· Some groups have appallingly high rates of poverty: In Manitoba, almost 70% of Aboriginal children under the age of six are poor.⁸

· Compared to other developed countries, Canada’s poverty rate is high—we rank 20th out of 31 OECD countries.⁹ High poverty makes a country less competitive, its people less healthy, and its society less equal.

Why are so many people in Canada poor?

· In Canada, people may be poor for many reasons:

· They don’t have enough skills or education to get a good job, one where they can earn enough to live above the poverty line.

· There are not enough good jobs in their community.

· They have lost their job and can’t find another.

· They have a physical or mental disability that limits their ability to work.

· They have an accident or develop an illness and can no longer work.

· They can’t find a good job because of workplace discrimination. Immigrants often have trouble finding work because of language barriers and the refusal of many employers to recognize education or experience from outside Canada, no matter how impressive.

· They live on welfare. People who rely on social assistance live in poverty.¹⁰ For example, a woman raising one child on her own could receive as little as $14,829 per year in welfare benefits. That’s only $1,235 per month. After paying rent, she would have very little left to buy food, clothing, bus tickets, school supplies, and other essentials.

How is poverty measured in Canada?

· Poverty can be described as ABSOLUTE or RELATIVE:

· Absolute poverty describes deprivation, a situation where a person can’t afford basic needs such as adequate food, shelter, clothing, and transportation. Our research shows that 38% of the women who attend our economic development programs cannot meet their family’s basic needs.¹¹

· Relative poverty describes inequality, a situation where a person is noticeably worse off than most people in his or her community. Many low income families can barely afford to pay the rent and put food on the table, let alone pay for dental care, eyeglasses, school outings, sports equipment for the kids, Internet access, or prescription drugs. These are things that most people in Canada take for granted and would consider necessities.¹²

· Our statistics are based upon Low-Income Cut Offs (LICO) as determined by Statistics Canada.¹³LICOs measure relative poverty and inequality.

· We focus on inequality because a large gap between rich and poor can have a devastating impact on a nation’s overall economic health. At the 2011 World Economic Forum, senior economists called the current increase in income inequality the most serious challenge facing the world. It not only “exacerbates political instability” but can also cause economic crises: inequality peaked in 1929 and again in 2007, directly before the two worst economic meltdowns of the past 100 years.¹⁴

Why should we focus on women and poverty, rather than men and poverty?

· Helping poor women helps poor children.

· When children are poor, it’s usually because their mother is poor. Eighty percent of all lone-parent families are headed by women. This adds up to over 1 million families, and they are among the poorest in the country. Single moms have a net worth of only about $17,000, while single dads have about $80,000.¹⁵ (Net worth is the total value of possessions such as a car, furniture, real estate, savings, stocks, RRSPs, etc.)

· Poverty makes children sick. Poor children often start out as underweight babies, which sets them up for future health problems. As they grow up, kids who live in poverty suffer from higher rates of asthma, diabetes, mental health issues—even heart disease.

· Poor children have more speech and hearing problems, and score lower on cognitive tests. Not surprisingly, they are also more likely to struggle in school. Research shows that poor children have “reduced motivation to learn, delayed cognitive development, lower achievement, less participation in extra-curricular activities, lower career aspirations, interrupted school attendance, lower university attendance, an increased risk of illiteracy, and higher drop-out rates.”¹⁶

· Poverty can endanger women’s safety.

· Women who leave a partner to raise children on their own are more than five times likely to live in poverty than if they stay with their partner.¹⁷

· There’s plenty of evidence showing abused women sometimes stay in abusive relationships because they know that leaving will plunge themselves and their children into poverty.¹⁸

Why are women more likely to be poor?

· Women are more likely than men to be poor for two main reasons:

· Women spend more time doing unpaid work, leaving less time for paid work.

· Each day, men and women work about the same number of hours, but women do more unpaid work (housework, childcare, meal preparation, eldercare, etc.)²⁰ Women do about 4.2 hours a day doing unpaid work, while men do about 2.2 hours.²¹ Stay-at-home dads do less childcare (under 1.6 hours per day) than stay-at-home moms (3.1 hours per day).²²

· In addition to doing this domestic work, 70% of women with children under the age of six also work outside the home. Not surprisingly, women are much more likely than men to lose time from their paid work because of family responsibilities.²³

· In order to juggle their domestic responsibilities, many women choose part-time, seasonal, contract, or temporary jobs. Unfortunately, most of these jobs are low paid, with no security, few opportunities for advancement, and no health benefits.

· 70% of part-time workers²⁴ and 66% of minimum wage earners are female.²⁵

· Most poor women in Canada are working, but can’t earn enough to lift themselves out of poverty because they are clustered in these low paid and precarious jobs.²⁶

· Canada’s lack of affordable childcare—and the lack of workplace policies such as flex-time and caregiver leave—often forces women into career choices that severely limit their earning power. That’s why many women refuse overtime and promotions, and select careers that promise to be ‘family-friendly.’ Women’s domestic responsibilities also make it harder for them to return to school or attend training sessions that could advance their career.

· Women who interrupt their career to care for children or other family members have much lower earnings: in one study, women aged forty who had interrupted their careers for at least three years for maternity leave were earning about 30% less than women with no children.²⁷

· The double-duty demands of home and workplace force many women to sacrifice their long-term economic security. This is a high price to pay for being a mother.

· Women face a gender wage gap.

· Women who work full-time earn about 71 cents for every dollar earned by men.²⁸

· Some people argue that this gap can be explained by the fact that women can’t or won’t work as many hours as men. However, this wage gap persists even when hourly wages are compared: women earn an average of $17.96 per hour compared to $21.43 for men, meaning that women earn 83.8% of the male hourly wage.²⁹

· The wage gap also persists even when women have the same education and experience as men. Although more women graduate from university, they are not earning as much as men. Female graduates earn an average of $62,800, males earn $91,800.³⁰

· Part of the problem is that jobs that have been traditionally done by women pay less than traditional male jobs. This is true “regardless of the value of the work to the employer or the consumer.”³¹The more a job is considered ‘women’s work,’ the less it pays.

· There is a perception that some traditionally male-dominated trades deter women from entering them: 53% of Canadians believe that women are detered from becoming a construction worker, 50% believe women are deterred from becoming a heavy equipment operator and 47% believe women are deterred from becoming mechanics.³²

Is the earning gap between men and women really that significant?

· Since women still shoulder most of the domestic load and still face wage discrimination, it’s not surprising that - over their lifetime – they earn much less than men.

· In 2007, the estimated average lifetime earnings for men was $803,000. On average, women earn about 65% of that, or $519,600. While women’s lifetime earnings are higher now than in the 1970s, given the stubbornness of the current wage gap it seems unlikely that women’s average lifetime earnings will ever equal men’s.

· Women’s lower earning power means they are at a high risk of falling into poverty if they have children and then become separated, divorced, or widowed. They are less able to save for their retirement and more likely to be poor in their senior years. And, as previously mentioned, the fear of falling into poverty means that some women stay in abusive relationships, despite the danger.

· It’s true many women today pursue demanding careers and are very successful. However, the top female CEOs usually have partners who take on the bulk of the domestic work and childcare.³³

· When women work outside the home and also do most of the domestic work, their long-term health suffers. According to Statistics Canada, women at every age are more likely than men to describe their days as ‘quite a bit’ or ‘extremely’ stressful.³⁴

· There are now twice as many working women in Canada as there were thirty years ago³⁵. This ranks among one of the most dramatic social changes of the last century. However, the failure of governments and employers to adequately respond to this new reality leaves women at an incredible disadvantage. Women “simply cannot participate in the labour market on an equal footing with men.³⁶ According to Human Resources Development Canada, “One of the major obstacles to gender equality has been the failure of workplace and social institutions, historically organized around the male breadwinner model of the family, to keep pace with changing labour market trends.”³⁶

What’s the best way to help a woman get out of poverty?

· The Canadian Women’s Foundation works to advance women’s economic equality by bringing together community organizations to share research, skills, and the most promising practices for moving low-income women out of poverty.

· We also invest in community programs that help women to increase their income by launching a small business, learn a skilled trade, or work in a job placement.

· In the programs we fund, women learn to identify their strengths and skills and build upon them. This positive ‘asset-based’ approach avoids creating long-term dependency and builds self-confidence—an essential tool for starting the difficult journey out of poverty. Each woman receives customized just-in-time services, whether her immediate priority is food and shelter, budgeting skills, developing personal goals, creating a business plan, learning a trade, or being matched with a mentor. The goal is to help her to build a solid foundation that includes stable housing, childcare, employment skills, self-confidence, financial literacy, a strong social network, and a supportive family.

· Through this approach, we have helped thousands of women from across Canada to move out of poverty. Along the way, each woman has contributed to Canada’s economy and created a more secure future for herself and her children.

Sources

^{1. Up from
2008 when just over 3 million Canadians lived in poverty. The Problem of Poverty Post-Recession,
Armine Yalnizyan, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, August 2010, p. 3.
At the time of the 2006 census, 2,503,281 people lived in the City of Toronto
(comprised of the former municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York,
Scarborough, Toronto, and York).

3. Based on 2000 data. Women in Canada, p. 200.

4. Ibid, p. 254.

5. Ibid, p. 297.

6. Economic Wellbeing,}^{Women in Canada: A Gender-based
Statistical Report}^{, Cara Williams,
Statistics Canada, December 2010, p. 6.7. Ibid, p. 21.

8. Based on 2007 data.}^{Women's Poverty and the Recession}^{, Monica Townson, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives,
September 2009, p. 11.

9. Child poverty capital: 68% of aboriginal kids poor, report card states,
Kevin Rollason,}^{Winnipeg Free Press}^{, November 26, 2010.

10.}^{OECD Facebook 2010: Economic,
Environmental and Social Statistics - Poverty Rates and Poverty Gaps}^{, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

11. The only province in which welfare rates are above the poverty line is
Newfoundland and Labrador, at $19,297 per year for a lone parent with one
child.}^{Welfare Incomes 2009 - Postcards}^{, National Council on Welfare.

12. Beyond Survival: Helping Women Transition Out of Poverty, Canadian
Women’s Foundation, 2010.

13. See for example: The
Impact of Poverty on the Health of Children and Youth, Rachel
Singer, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, April 2003, p. 11-12.

14. The statistics used in Question 1 are based upon Low-Income Cut Offs (LICO)
from Statistics Canada. LICOs describe an income ‘line’ which changes according
to the number of people in a family, the size of their community, and so on.
Families living below LICO have to spend more of their income on necessities
than the average family. While LICO was originally designed to measure relative
poverty, however, some scholars argue that LICO should now be considered a
measure of absolute poverty because its baseline calculation is no longer being
updated. See:}^{Are
Statistics Canada’s Low-Income Cutoffs an absolute or relative poverty measure?}^{, Andrew Mitchell and Richard Shillington, undated.

15. “Davos WEF 2011: Wealth inequality is the ‘most serious challenge for the
world,” Philip Aldrick,}^{The Telegraph}^{, January 26, 2011.

16. Refers to median net worth. Women
in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report—Economic Well-Being, ,
p. 23.

17.}^{Supporting Education: Building Canada -
Child Poverty and Schools}^{, Canadian
Teacher’s Federation, 2009, p. 1.

18.}^{Canadian women on their own are poorest
of the poor}^{, Monica Townson, Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sept. 8, 2009.}

20. Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report—Economic Well-Being, Cara Williams, Statistics Canada, December 2010, p. 31. It’s true that women were slightly less likely than men to lose their jobs in the 2008-2009 recession, but only because women are concentrated in “pink-collar” jobs. In 2009, employment for women fell 1% in 2009, compared to 2.9% for men. See “The Pink Collar Factor,” Rebecca Lindell, The Telegram (St. John’s), December 13, 2010.
^{21. Cooking,
Caring And Volunteering: Unpaid Work Around The World, Veerle
Miranda, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, March 2011, p.
19.

22. “Women carry the load of unpaid work in rich nations,” Derek
Abma, Vancouver Sun,
March 5, 2011.

23. Cooking,
Caring And Volunteering: Unpaid Work Around The World, p. 19.

24. Women in
Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report—Economic Well-Being, p.
109.

25. Broad Investments:
Counting Women in to the Federal Budget, YWCA Canada, Jan. 20,
2009, p. 5

26. Ibid, p. 5.

27. See for example: When
Working Is Not Enough To Escape Poverty: An Analysis Of Canada’s Working Poor,
Dominique Fleury and Myriam Fortin, Policy Research Group, Human Resources and
Social Development Canada, August 2006. : See also:}^{Bringing Minimum Wages Above the Poverty
Line, Stuart Murray and Hugh Mackenzie, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives}^{, March 2007.

28.}^{Study: Earnings of women with and without
children}^{, The Daily, Statistics
Canada, March 24, 2009. Accessed April 8, 2010.

29. Women In Canada:
Economic Well-Being, The Daily, Statistics Canada, Dec.16, 2010.

30. Women in the Workplace:
Still a long way from equality, Canadian Labour Congress, 2008,
p.10}

^{31. Angus Reid
Omnibus Study, Canadian Women's Foundation, 2012.

32. Women In Canada:
Economic Well-Being, The Daily, December 16, 2010.

33. What is Pay Equity?,
Equal Pay Coalition.

34.}^{Halving the Double Burden}^{, Liz Bolshaw, Women at The Top, blog March 14, 2011.

35. Percieved life stress 2009, Statistics Canada.

36. In 2006, almost 60% of all females over the age of 15 were
in the paid workforce, compared to 68% of all males over the age of 15. From Women in Canada: A Gender-Based
Statistical Report, Statistics Canada, 2006, Fifth Edition, p. 103

37. If Women Mattered: The
Case for Federally Funded Women-Centred Community Economic Development,
Women’s Economic Council, 2010, p. 5.

38. Gender Equality in the
Labour Market, Lessons Learned, Final Report, Human Resources
Development Canada, October 2002, p.1.}

· Français

http://www.canadianwomen.org/facts-about-poverty

---------

CANADA- Mothers under siege

by Charlie Smith on June 6th, 2007 at 10:58 AM

Some say the B.C. government has violated the human rights of single moms with its punitive social policies.

Raven Prince has a job at a bank, doesn’t collect welfare, and works hard to provide a good life for her two kids. However, during an interview in her tidy East Vancouver apartment, she told the Georgia Straight that she still senses a stigma associated with being a single aboriginal mom when she goes out with her children. She said that in some stores, she feels like she’s under surveillance.

“People are always staring,” Prince said. “I always feel singled out or something—when I’m going shopping, especially. I always feel like I have to buy certain stuff just so they don’t think less of me.”

That’s not her greatest anxiety, though. The 26-year-old single mom has been on a waiting list for more than a year for daycare for her three-year-old son, Terence. This September, she will also need after-school care for her five-year-old daughter, Tatiana, who will be starting Grade 1. She won’t find out until August if Terence has been accepted.

Prince has been able to work 22.5 hours per week at the bank because her mother has been looking after Terence and Tatiana during the day. “My mom baby-sits; I’m lucky to have her,” Prince said. “But now she’s going to go back to school in September. Now it’s a matter of finding someone who is going to watch him.”

Like Prince, thousands of single parents across the province struggle with trying to earn a decent income, finding daycare, and ensuring their kids get a good start in life. But new data from Statistics Canada show that whereas the incomes of Vancouver single fathers have increased in recent years, the incomes of single mothers are in decline. This has some women’s rights and antipoverty activists claiming that B.C. Liberal government policies discriminate against single mothers, who are among the poorest citizens of the province. In a curious twist, the premier and the attorney general were both raised by single mothers.

Prince said that her children’s father has another family and she isn’t receiving family-maintenance payments from him. Each day, she leaves her subsidized Native housing project in East Vancouver and takes the bus to work on the city’s West Side. The closest child-care centre is several blocks from her home. It makes her wish she could have attended a recent demonstration for daycare in Vancouver.

“I would love to have been at that protest, saying, ”˜Yeah, we need daycare,’” she said with a smile. “But I had to be at work. I can’t afford to take a day off.”

If there’s nobody to care for her kids, Prince might have no alternative but to go on welfare. As a single parent “expected to work” with two children, she would receive $1,036 per month in social assistance.

The current welfare rate is far lower than Prince’s annual income, which clears $20,000. It’s also significantly lower than the $1,368 per month that a single employable parent with two kids would get if the B.C. Liberal government had indexed the welfare rate to inflation, according to a welfare-advocacy coalition called Raise the Rates.

Prince said that she recently “jumped” at the chance for more hours at the bank, even though it will mean less time with her children. “I want my kids to get ahead,” she said. “I don’t want them growing up the way I did—the poverty that I had to go through. That’s why I took those extra hours.”

Under Premier Gordon Campbell, the B.C. Liberal government has introduced several policies to discourage single parents from collecting welfare and encourage them to find a job. Single moms and single dads are now expected to work when their child turns three, regardless of whether or not the parent has found childcare. Under the previous NDP government, single parents weren’t expected to work until their child turned seven.

A single parent with two kids in the “expected-to-work” category receives $296 less per month than a disabled single parent with two kids. The B.C. government recently introduced a rent-supplement program for parents who make less than $20,000, don’t live in subsidized housing, and who have less than $10,000 in assets. Only the working poor are eligible. This rent-supplement program is not available for those on welfare. Working poor don’t pay provincial income tax on their first $15,000 of income.

Then there’s all the paperwork for those who apply for a daycare subsidy. Prince said that in the past, she could walk down the street to a government office and fill out some forms. “Now you need a referral from your doctor or a dentist or some sort of social worker,” she said. “What if you don’t have a social worker? And you have to do this every six months. I have to take a whole day off work just so I can do this. It is a big hassle because you have to go find someone qualified to sign this. Then you’ve got to sign all the papers. Then you’ve got to fax it out. It’s a big hassle.”

The Campbell government eliminated the monthly earnings exemption of $200 for welfare recipients in 2002. This means that if single parents on welfare earn any extra income with a part-time job—and they are “expected to work”—the provincial government will deduct those earnings, dollar for dollar, from their social-assistance cheques.

Seth Klein, B.C. director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, told the Straight that B.C. is the only jurisdiction in North America that has prevented people on welfare from topping up their incomes with part-time work. The B.C. Liberal government also eliminated a monthly $100 exemption for family-maintenance payments. Now the government deducts spousal payments from welfare cheques on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

“Before 2002, it was possible for a single mother to combine welfare and other sources of income in the course of the year and actually get just above the poverty line,” Klein said in a phone interview. “You could also get $100 in the family maintenance. And you add up all those different sources, and a lot of women could just manage to nudge above the poverty line.”

Richard Chambers, spokesperson for the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance, told the Straight that in 2001, there were 38,000 “cases” of employable single parents on welfare in B.C. This resulted in 101,000 people, including children, receiving benefits. As of this April, he said, that had fallen to 14,000 cases and 37,000 people. That’s a drop of 63 percent in both categories.

“If they’re expected to work, the government believes that full-time employment is much better than having people depend on income assistance for longer periods of time by mixing combinations of part-time work and income assistance,” Chambers said. “Full-time employment is better for the children and the parents.”

For Prince, one of the downsides of working is not participating in important events in her children’s lives. She missed Tatiana’s kindergarten sports day. “I’m going to miss her awards day,” she added.

Another Vancouver single mother, Karen Schendlinger, told the Straight that she’s always running from one place to another to get everything done. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for fun.

“I think one of the main sacrifices that I have observed in talking to other single moms is social,” she said in a phone interview. “We don’t go out much, you know. We maybe see each other and talk to each other on the playground when we drop off our kids at school.”

Schendlinger, a library technician with the Burnaby school district, said she was able to find a two-bedroom suite in a house for $880 per month, not including utilities. She added that she feels fortunate to have landed a job that pays $40,000 per year but says she still must watch her expenditures closely. She acknowledged that prior to this job, she experienced financial challenges as a single mom, often running up large credit-card debts.

“For three years before that, my daughter and I were living with my sister,” she said. “We shared rent and expenses. That was a cost-saving measure for both of us.”

The sisters thought about buying a place, but Schendlinger said it was out of reach in today’s housing market. She also said that she knows how to conduct research, which is an essential skill for any single mother looking for child-care subsidies, daycare spaces, or even an affordable place to live. “If you don’t know how to find it, it’s really hard,” she said.

Social activist Jean Swanson spent 14 years raising two children as a single mom. In an interview with the Georgia Straight at the Carnegie Community Centre at Main and Hastings streets, Swanson spoke frankly about some of her own experiences. She said there is a big difference in the lifestyles of middle-income and low-income single moms.

“It takes time to be poor,” Swanson explained. “You don’t have a car. You walk to save bus fare for the kids. You don’t go to The Bay. You keep an eye out for rummage sales and garage sales. You sew. You don’t buy frozen lasagna, right? You cook your beans from scratch—you don’t even buy them in a can. It takes time.”

For a poor single mom, she said, entertainment involves going to the park or the library, not to places like Science World. With a laugh, she recalled once reading an ad asking people to send in their favourite stories about the aquarium. She has her favourite “single-mom aquarium story”.

Swanson’s children were around nine and 10 years old at the time. They wanted hot dogs and fries, but they also wanted to see the aquarium. There wasn’t enough money for all of this, so Swanson decided to wait outside, giving the kids strict instructions to stay together at all times after entering the facility.

Five minutes later, her children emerged from the building. “They said, ”˜We miss you, Mom,’” Swanson said fondly. “They had the hot dogs.”

Swanson, coordinator of the Carnegie Community Action Project, said the federal Liberal government’s decision to abolish national welfare standards in the mid 1990s has played a “huge, huge, huge” role in letting B.C. provide inadequate rates and deny assistance to people in need.

She said she cofounded the Raise the Rates coalition in response to government policies, which she claimed are causing homelessness, suffering, and early deaths. “Poverty is the biggest cause of poor health and early death in the world,” she said. “There is no doubt about it.”

In 1988, Swanson ran against Campbell for mayor of Vancouver. When asked what she would tell the premier if he visited the Carnegie Community Centre today, she replied, “It would probably be one of those conversations that passes in the night. He would be talking about competitiveness.”

In late May, Statistics Canada reported that half of the single-parent families in Canada earned less than $30,000 in 2005. The median total income of single mothers in Vancouver in 2005 was $27,700, down from $29,000 the previous year. The median total income for male single parents in Vancouver, on the other hand, went up from $41,900 to $45,500 over the same period.

Spokesperson Chambers said that the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance wouldn’t comment on the recent Statistics Canada report because the information isn’t current. On April 1, single mothers who are expected to work received a $100 monthly increase in social assistance if they have one child and a $155 monthly increase if they have two children.

It was the first increase in shelter allowance since 1992. Last year, the B.C. government posted a surplus of $2.85 billion.

Shelagh Day, a director of the Vancouver-based Poverty and Human Rights Centre, points out that single mothers have the highest poverty rate of any group in Canada. In an interview with the Straight in a Cambie Street coffee shop, Day said that single mothers are poorer as a group than Native people and the disabled.

“Most people don’t realize that single mothers are the poorest people in the country,” Day said. “And they don’t think about the combination of social policies that puts women in that position.”

Day coauthored a 2005 report, Human Rights Denied: Single Mothers on Social Assistance in British Columbia, which stated that single mothers who work have a 35.1-percent poverty rate, compared with a 96.2-percent poverty rate among single-mother-led families with no income earner. She said that 20 percent of families are headed by single parents, which makes this a major public-policy issue.

Day also alleged that the B.C. Liberal government’s policies toward single mothers violate the British Columbia Human Rights Code and result in more child poverty. To her mind, the B.C. government’s delivery of public services, including welfare, fails to accommodate the distinctive needs and situations of families led by single mothers.

In 2003 and 2004, British Columbia ranked worst among the provinces in terms of child poverty, according to figures compiled by the Canadian Council on Social Development.

“We’ve got a rising poverty rate among single mothers in this province, while it’s falling in the rest of Canada,” Day said. “It worsened particularly in the three years between 2001 and 2004. In other words, under Campbell’s watch.”

In a speech last month at the University of Ottawa, Day said that 40 percent of Canadian single mothers and 73 percent of Native single mothers live below the poverty line. Only 15 percent of single fathers live below the poverty line, she said.

The premier himself was raised by a single mother. His mother was widowed when her husband, a UBC medical-school professor, committed suicide. During election campaigns, Campbell frequently mentions how hard his mother, Peg, worked to raise him and his three siblings. The Straight requested an interview with the premier concerning his government’s policies regarding single mothers. His office never returned the call.

“I think it’s very unfortunate that a man in the position of power that he is in—with personal experience of the kind that he has, apparently—would permit, if not foster, such social policies,” Day said. “So what can you say about this? There is a disconnect between his personal experience and what he is actually doing. You know, he’s got policies in place under his ministers and his government that are punishing single mothers. And everybody has to ask why.”

When the Straight asked Day to elaborate, she replied, “I don’t know his personal psychology. Personal psychology of politicians is not very interesting to speculate on. But I think it means that his interests are somewhere else. Who he wants to serve is some other group of people.”

Swanson had her own explanation for the premier’s policies regarding single mothers. “I think the most important thing is the class, not the family status,” she said, referring to Campbell’s West Side upbringing.

Gina Whitfield spends 15 hours per week volunteering at a Lower Mainland transition house. She told the Straight in a phone interview that the B.C. Liberal government’s welfare rates are forcing some women to remain in abusive relationships. Whitfield said women who spend time at the transition home have justified their decision this way: “Well, I’m going to get hit, but at least my kids won’t live in poverty.”

“It’s a serious consideration,” Whitfield said.

Day claimed that governments across the country are pursuing socially conservative welfare policies to undermine women’s autonomy. “I think we’re still dealing with a very deep resistance to the notion that women can make choices about leaving relationships and living on their own and having children on their own,” she said.

Not every single mother lives in poverty. Shannon Johnny is one aboriginal single mom who has beaten the odds. In an interview at a downtown coffee shop after work, she explained that she raised her 13-year-old son with help from the boy’s father. She works full-time as an executive assistant for an aboriginal child-welfare organization, owns a car, and volunteers with the Urban Native Youth Association.

“Not all of us are on welfare,” Johnny said. “We do work hard. We want to have that equal standard of living. I want the best for my son. I want to provide him with opportunity and to have what other kids have.”

Johnny estimated that she lived in 30 foster homes. She said that her mother, who had a drinking problem, was “heartbroken” when Johnny was made a ward of the court at the age of 13. Johnny doesn’t think of herself as being wealthy, but she noted that she didn’t qualify for a leisure-access card from the Vancouver park board, which provides discounted prices for swimming and skating. “I made too much money for that,” she said.

But the big picture is still fairly bleak, according to the statistics. Penny Irons, executive director of the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society, told the Straight that the single moms who come to her group’s East Vancouver centre are “extremely poverty-stricken”. She also claimed that poverty is a factor behind the high number of First Nations children who have been apprehended by the provincial government, half the total number.

“They’re on the rise for aboriginal children, while the nonaboriginal rates are going down,” she said. “There were 9,262 kids in care as of April 30 of this year. There were 4,678 aboriginal children in care. Aboriginal moms are definitely being discriminated against. It’s in the research. It’s in the numbers.”

West Coast Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund has tried to find a woman on welfare who will file a human-rights complaint against the B.C. government for discriminating against single mothers. The group’s executive director, Alison Brewin, told the Straight in a phone interview that some women chose not to be complainants because they didn’t want to be stigmatized in their own communities and create additional difficulties for themselves and their children.

“The reality is that when most of the women who thought about it went away, they would come back and say, ”˜I don’t think I can bring that on my life,’” Brewin said.

Brewin used the term “adverse-effects discrimination”, which has been recognized by the courts, to explain how the breadth of government policies violate the Human Rights Code. Everyone may be able to apply for welfare, she said, but the effect of B.C.’s policies is to discriminate against single mothers on the basis of their family status and sex.

Like the premier, Attorney General Wally Oppal was raised by a single mother. And like the premier’s staff, his office declined to arrange an interview to discuss whether he thinks his government’s policies result in adverse-effects discrimination against single mothers.

http://www.straight.com/mothers-under-siege

----------------

CANADA- FROM FATHERS FOR LIFE CANADA

Children and Single Moms

Children of Divorce & Separation — Statistics

Consequences of father absence

It's Official: The Experiment Has Failed

For the best part of thirty years we have been conducting a vast experiment with the family, and now the results are in: the decline of the two-parent, married-couple family has resulted in poverty, ill-health, educational failure, unhappiness, anti-social behaviour, isolation and social exclusion for thousands of women, men and children.

From Experiments in Living: The Fatherless Family
By Rebecca O'Neill; Sept. 2002, CIVITAS

The following is from the newsletter Common Sense & Domestic Violence, 1998 01 30

Allegations of family violence are the weapon-of-choice in divorce strategies. Lawyers, and paralegals in women's shelters, call them "The Silver Bullet". False abuse allegations work effectively in removing men from their families. The impact that the removal of fathers has on our children is horrific. The following lists some of the consequences of the removal of fathers from the lives of their children.

The Impact on our Children

Inter-spousal violence perpetrated by men is only a small aspect of family violence. False abuse allegations are only a small tile in the mosaic of vilifying the men in our society. They serve well in successful attempts to remove fathers from the lives of our children. Here are some statistics resulting from that which show more of the whole picture.

79.6% of custodial mothers receive a support award

29.9% of custodial fathers receive a support award.

46.9% of non-custodial mothers totally default on support.

26.9% of non-custodial fathers totally default on support.

20.0% of non-custodial mothers pay support at some level

61.0% of non-custodial fathers pay support at some level

66.2% of single custodial mothers work less than full time.

10.2% of single custodial fathers work less than full time.

7.0% of single custodial mothers work more than 44 hours weekly.

24.5% of single custodial fathers work more that 44 hours weekly.

46.2% of single custodial mothers receive public assistance.

20.8% of single custodial fathers receive public assistance.

[Technical Analysis Paper No. 42 - U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services - Office of Income Security Policy]

40% of mothers reported that they had interfered with the fathers visitation to punish their ex-spouse.

["Frequency of Visitation" by Sanford Braver, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry]

50% of mothers see no value in the fathers continued contact with his children.

["Surviving the Breakup" by Joan Berlin Kelly]

90.2% of fathers with joint custody pay the support due.

79.1% of fathers with visitation privileges pay the support due.

44.5% of fathers with no visitation pay the support due.

37.9% of fathers are denied any visitation.

66% of all support not paid by non-custodial fathers is due to the inability to pay.

[1988 Census "Child Support and Alimony: 1989 Series" P-60, No. 173 p.6-7, and "U.S. General Accounting Office Report" GAO/HRD-92-39FS January 1992]

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.

[U. S. D.H.H.S. Bureau of the Census]

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.

85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.

[Center for Disease Control]

80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.

[Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14 p. 403-26]

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.

[National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]

70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes

[U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept., 1988]

85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.

[Fulton County Georgia Jail Populations and Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992]

Nearly 2 of every 5 children in America do not live with their fathers.

[US News and World Report, February 27, 1995, p.39]

There are:

11,268,000 total custodial mothers

2,907,000 total custodial fathers

[Current Populations Reports, US Bureau of the Census, Series P-20, No. 458, 1991]

What does this mean? Children from fatherless homes are:

4.6 times more likely to commit suicide,

6.6 times to become teenaged mothers (if they are girls, of course),

24.3 times more likely to run away,

15.3 times more likely to have behavioral disorders,

6.3 times more likely to be in a state-operated institutions,

10.8 times more likely to commit rape,

6.6 times more likely to drop out of school,

15.3 times more likely to end up in prison while a teenager.

(The calculation of the relative risks shown in the preceding list is based on 27% of children being in the care of single mothers.)

and — compared to children who are in the care of two biological, married parents — children who are in the care of single mothers are:

33 times more likely to be seriously abused (so that they will require medical attention), and

73 times more likely to be killed.

["Marriage: The Safest Place for Women and Children", by Patrick F. Fagan and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D. Backgrounder #1535.]

The following is from an article in the (Canadian) Report Newsmagazine, Daddy's girl matures later — Stepfathers are shown to produce 'precocious puberty' in young females, by Candis McLean, 2001 04 16, p. 46

ONE in six girls in Britain now enters puberty by eight years of age, according to recent research. This compares with one in 100 a generation ago. "Girls are now having sex before their great-great-grandmothers had their first period. Half of all girls in Britain will have entered puberty by the age of 10," announced Professor Jane Golding, director of the study at Bristol University's Institute of Child Health last June after tracking the development of 14,000 children from birth. In North America, one in seven Caucasian girls and half of African-American girls enter puberty (develop breasts or pubic hair) by the age of eight. The parade of suggested triggers has included obesity, pollution and food additives (see this magazine, Nov. 16, 1998). New research, however, suggests a radical new theory--that the father-daughter relationship is also a very important factor in when girls mature.

One of the leaders in this research, American Bruce Ellis, is a psychology professor at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. ...

According to Prof. Ellis' research,

"The clearest finding to emerge from this research was that it was the absence of warm, positive family relationships, rather than the presence of negative, coercive family relationships, that forecast earlier pubertal development in girls." But, while warm relations with both parents predicted later puberty, the more relevant was "father-daughter affectionate-positivity"; in fact, the more time spent by the father in childcare when the daughters were four to five years old, the less pubertal development by Grade 7. ...

Prof. Ellis does not think that pheremone exposure within the home is the only factor at work. He continues, "It is also likely that girls who have high-investing fathers in the home tend to begin sex and dating at a later age and thus have less pheromonal exposure to male dating partners in early adolescence." He concludes his article (to be published in a book [whose title is] Just living together: Implications of cohabitation for children, families, and social policy) with the statement that the inherent instability of cohabiting unions--an average duration of about two years--means any children will be three times as likely to live with a biologically unrelated parent which could result in earlier onset of puberty. In girls, this is associated with negative health and psychosocial outcomes: greater risk of breast cancer in later life, unhealthy weight gain, higher rates of teenage pregnancy, low birthweight babies, emotional problems such as depression and anxiety, and problem behaviours such as alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity. [My emphasis —WHS]

The Report article recommends to parents that to be successful in,

Preserving childhood

Stay married

Keep stress levels down; do not overbook children's activities

Prevent obesity

Provide a high-fibre diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables

Cut out fast food

Keep your daughter active; get her interested in a sport or out playing with other kids

Throw out the TV

Send early-developing girls to same-sex or age-segregated schools to reduce exposure to older boys

The following is from the newsletter Common Sense & Domestic Violence, 1997 12 24

Children and Single Moms

Whether it is caused by violence or not, children living with single moms don't do well in our society. It used to be the exception.— Now it is becoming the rule and progressively worse.— Is that not child abuse too? —

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CHILDREN FROM SINGLE-MOTHER FAMILIES

Single-Mother Family Two Parent Family Relative Odds¹

Problem % (n)² % (n)² —

Hyperactivity 15.6 (69,480) 9.6 (221,573) 1.74

Conduct disorder 17.2 (73,659) 8.1 (180,786) 2.36

Emotional disorder 15.0 (67,205) 7.5 (173,714) 2.18

One or more behaviour problems 31.7 (137,460) 18.7 (418,894) 2.02

Repeated a grade ³ 11.2 (36,288) 4.7 (78,026) 2.56

Current school problems ³ 5.8 (18,862) 2.7 (46,120) 2.22

Social impairment 6.1 (25,105) 2.5 (51,344) 2.53

One or more total problems ³ 40.6 (128,895) 23.6 (381,715) 2.21

Children from single-mother families are 2.21 times (221%) as likely to have one or more total problems than those from two-parent families, twice as likely to have an emotional disorder, etc. (The probability of this being due to chance is smaller than 1 in 1,000)

Weighted projections to reflect national population of children.

Data for items so annotated apply for 6- to 11-year-olds only. All other data in the table apply to 4- to 11-year olds.

[Source: GROWING UP IN CANADA, National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 89-550-MPE, no.1, November 1996, p. 91) Available from StatCan. It is only available in hard copy. $25 +GST)]

See also:

The study report: [US] Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing: at least $112 billion a year (2008, Institute for American Values; Georgia Family Council; Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, and Families Northwest)

Video on violent women

Back to Divorce Issues: Main Page

http://www.fathersforlife.org/divorce/chldrndiv.htm

---------------------

Family Violence — Main Page

Key to Index

Abstracts of articles

Men's Help-Index

Introduction

Family violence in Canada
By Eeva Sodhi

Life with Mom, a sign (or button, if you wish) identifying the most common form of family violence, a mother manhandling and seriously abusing her son

Life with Mom is often violent
It is a sad reality,
but few talk about it very much. Why not?

Key to Index

Index

Introduction

Men Also Suffer from Domestic Violence Monday, 22 Oct 2007, FOX2 Detroit

History of the politics of DV

The Facts About Spousal Conflict: Personal Responsibility Must Be Expected in Public Policy. Family violence myths debunked by the American Coalition for Fathers & Children (ACFC — Missouri Chapter)

The Nature of Domestic Violence Against Men

So, you think that you are being abused...or maybe you don't think so...

Telling the Truth about Domestic Violence

Controversy Within Family Violence Research

The Magnitude of Family Violence

Domestic Violence and the Male Victim,
By Anne Lewis and Dr. Sotirios Sarantakos

Domestic Violence Policies: Where Did We Go Wrong?
By Sotirios Sarantakos

Leading Causes of Death by age group and sex
(US data for 1995, age group <1-24 years)

US Murders 1995

US Murders 1996

The troubles with DV murder statistics

[US] Domestic Homicide of Male Spouses by Females: A Review for Death Investigators, By Lt. Cynthia T. Ferguson, CNM, MSN

Hate Propaganda

Alberta Government's website promotes hatred against men

Extremist and cunning misandry: Alberta FV round-table discussion workbook

Massive, government-sponsored hate propaganda that demonizes all Canadian men at the Canadian National Clearing House on Family Violence, a Health Canada web site

The ACLU Sports Hall of Shame — Hate Crimes Against Women?

Toronto Police Hate-Crime Policies — Tools for the suppression of free speech, a symptom of universal national and international trends?

London Metropolitan Police Service launches hate-propaganda campaign against men (2005 03 16)

Researching the "Rape Culture" of America — An Investigation of Feminist Claims about Rape, By Christina Hoff Sommers, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Clark University

We've all heard that "one in four" college women will be victims of rape or attempted rape during their years on campus. Michael Wright takes a look at campus police records and comes up with... a different answer.
Read the article (off-site)

THE HATE MONGERS
From THE CASSANDRA PAPERS, by Andy Turnbull

Neo Nazis and other overt hate groups are amateurs. THE HATE MONGERS explains how some elements of the women movement use lies and hate to make big money for themselves, and how they harm our culture and our economy.

Read THE HATE MONGERS

The relative propensity of the sexes to be violent and the reasons why our perceptions about the genders in that respect have become so biased and distorted

Men are More Likely Than Women to Be Victims in Dating Violence, UNH Expert Says
(UNH Media Relations, May 19, 2006; off-site)

...This research is part of the International Dating Violence Study, a multinational study of violence against dating partners by university students. A consortium of researchers around the world collected data from 13,601 students at 68 universities in 32 nations.

In the paper, Straus calls for an end to the focus on men as the only perpetrators of dating violence, saying the refusal to recognize the multi-causal nature of the problem is hampering the effort to end domestic violence and ignoring half the perpetrators. As recently as December 2005, the National Institute of Justice refused to consider applications for funding that dealt with male victims....

Abused Men - The Other Half of Domestic Violence involving adults.  Violence involving children is another story

Alberta MLAs are being asked for help

A letter to John Ashcroft, United States Attorney General,
Re: VAWA and Domestic Violence Against Men and Children

A letter to the Alberta Justice Department, in response to a call for input to a discussion paper on a proposal for a new Prevention of Family Violence Act

A tool kit to destroy families

Battered-Men Shelters

Battered Men — Resources and links, by Bert Hoff
   Additional information and help-line index

Battered-Women Shelters

Betty Friedan and her Lies — Carl Friedan tells his side of the horror story of his twenty-year marriage to his violent ex-wife.

Bill C-245 (1998), an act to amend the Criminal Code, penalties for sexual offences involving children, to be read the second time and to be referred to a committee

Domestic-Violence Industry: A Cult

Family Violence Studies: A Brief History, by Richard Bennett

History of domestic violence among male patients presenting to an urban emergency department.

C. Crawford Mechem, MD, Frances S. Shofer, PhD, Sharon S. Reinhard, BA, EMT, Sarah Hornig, BSN, RN and Elizabeth Datner, MD

From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (CCM, FSS, SSR, SH, ED).

Address for correspondence and reprints: C. Crawford Mechem, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283. Fax: 215-662-3953; e-mail:mechemc@mail.med.upenn.edu

Academy of Emergency Medicine 1999 Aug;6(8):786-91
Abstract and publication details

Husband Abuse: An Overview of Research and Perspectives

Prepared by Leslie Tutty for the Family Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada.

This discussion paper provides insight into the issue of abuse against men by their intimate partners. It summarizes information from three sources: literature on husband abuse, studies in which abused men describe their experiences, and conversations with representatives from approximately 40 family violence treatment programs and men's issues groups. 1999, 28 p. Full Paper (292kB PDF file - off-site)

Intimate Partner Abuse Against Men - Overview Paper
by Dr. Eugen Lupri and Dr. Elaine Grandin

For the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Health Canada.

This document provides an overview of the available research findings on the nature and extent of abuse committed by women against their intimate male partners, as well as an examination of the various methods that have been used in that research. It identifies risk factors and the physical and psychological effects on victims. Finally, it considers issues relevant to prevention and offers suggestions on what individuals (victims, friends and professionals) can do and what resources and services they can access for help. 2004, 13 p.  Full Report (109kB PDF file - off-site)

Intimate Partner Abuse Against Men [and Boys]
A compendium of resources,
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Health Canada (off-site)

Video on violent women

Male and Female DV-rates

The implications of the report from which the excerpt shown below was copied are mind-boggling.

Unfortunately, the report is completely in graphics format, which is why the PDF file is so large. Nevertheless, it is worth having a copy of.

The report is based on a an examination of a good number of DV studies from all over the world. It confirms what those with open and objective minds have known for decades: interspousal violence is not a male monopoly. It is at least as often committed by women as it is committed by men.

That the myth of men having a monopoly on that aspect of intimate partner violence persisted for so long in the face of so much evidence from reputable and even government sources is nothing less than evidence of the power of feminist propaganda promoted by people in thrall to a totalitarian ideology.

Japan joins the community of nations falling victim to the tactic of implementing domestic- or family-violence laws for the destruction of families

Lenore Walker's "The Battered Woman" has become the bible of family violence for people making their living off and promoting the battered women's industry. Her husband, Morton Flax, shot himself.

Malicious Mother Syndrome — A letter from a handicapped woman who was abused — along with her sisters — by her own mother

Video on violent women

One Father's Story — The sad story of the destruction of one family on account of family violence.

Rape is a crime that is now being investigated routinely through the help of DNA testing

References Examining Assaults by Women on their Spouses or Male Partners: An Annotated Bibliography, by Martin Fiebert

Sex Differences in Aggression Between Heterosexual Partners: A Meta-Analytic Review, by John Archer, University of Central Lancashire

War in the Family — An account of one battle skirmish near Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

WFN Press Release, Re: New (1997) Bureau of Justice Stats on DV

"Where’s My Frying Pan?" Women and Domestic Violence

Women Hit Too! — An article by Nancy Updike in the May/June 1999 issue of Mother Jones

The Myth of Female Innocence — Many "experts" state that the characteristics of serial killers include "male", "Caucasian", and exclude women. What then are we to make of cases like these?

Countess Elizabeth Bathory "of Hungary, who bled to death 610 peasant girls, whom she abducted and kept in her castle dungeon so that she could fill rejuvenating beauty baths with their youthful blood." (Patricia Pearson, "When She Was Bad: The Myth of Female Innocence," p. 156)

On December 20th, 1985, Marybeth Tinning in Schenectady, New York, murdered the last of her nine children, a four-week-old baby girl Tami Lynn. The others, aged from a few weeks to five years, were killed by her over the preceding 14 years. The cause of all deaths had been diagnosed as SIDS. The community members had began to wonder after the sixth child died. Not until the ninth death happened were charges laid.

Melissa Ann Russel: Internet Black Widow — She killed two men for their money and defrauded others, including the Canadian taxpayers, of theirs. However, she did receive an early parole for a murder convictions in Canada, became a $50,000/year spokeswoman for battered wives, and then promptly picked, married, exploited and killed her next victim, an 85-year-old man.

People like Jack the Ripper (he killed five prostitutes) are the stuff of movie after movie, book after book, headline-story after headline story in the papers. People like Jane Toppan (a nurse and contemporary of Jack the Ripper who killed as many as or more than 90 patients for no other reason than that she wanted to set a record) and like Countess Elizabeth Bathory are forgotten, as is the fact that the vast majority of serious or fatal family violence victims fell victim to women's violence and also the fact that the vast majority of serial killers is female.

Who is at fault in Domestic Violence

Patrol Constables' Perceptions of Wife Assault Sensitivity Training, A Qualitative Evaluation, Theresa Petkau, June 1998

Emergency Department Injury Surveillance Report

Video on violent women

Lesbian Violence

The Bloody and Deadly Countess Elizabeth Bathory

Lesbian couples are far more violent than heterosexual couples

Erin Pizzey comments on A Lesbian DV Brochure

If the data collected are accurate, then Gay DV is the fastest growing sector of domestic violence.

Various Articles

The Facts About Spousal Conflict: Personal Responsibility Must Be Expected in Public Policy. Family violence myths debunked by the American Coalition for Fathers & Children (ACFC — Missouri Chapter)

Knocked for six: the myth of a nation of wife batterers
by Neil Lyndon and Paul Ashton, The Sunday Times of London 1995 01 29

Quotes from and articles by Armin Brott

Extracts from 'Manufacturing Concern' (see also the message announcing "Manufacturing Concern")

Husband Battering, a section in David Throop's Men's Issues Index

Wendy McElroy discusses: Feminist Urban Legends

Spare the rod and run for cover — When students hold the cards, school violence grows, especially among the girls

Myths and Facts about Domestic Violence

Myths and Facts about family violence (containing analyses and summaries of, and references and some links to, a large number of US Bureau of Justice reports and to Canadian and British sources)

Fact: Political correctness drives and taints the politics of domestic violence statistics

Fact: Quote from a press release August 27, 1997 by the Women's Freedom Network

Fact: Reena Sommer — Male and Female Perpetrated Partner Abuse: Testing a Diathesis-Stress Model

Fact: The "Rule of Thumb for Wife-Beating" Hoax
Wife beating was always illegal

Fact: The Super Bowl Wife-Battering Hoax

Fact: To round out the picture, have a look at the collection of articles at the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FORUM of the Shared Parenting web site.

Fact: Domestic Violence in Gay "Families"

Fact: FBI Statistics on Spousal Murder, they show that gender equality works in weird and wondrous ways.

Fact: Women are the gentler sex?

Newsletters: Common Sense and Domestic Violence

Canadian FV Statistics — A collection of information by E. Sodhi
Research on domestic violence against males:

Sexual abuse of children

An Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Based on Non-clinical Samples

Are your children safe in school?
The big list: Female teachers with students
Most comprehensive account on Internet of women predators on campus, by WorldNetDailyNews

Health Canada: Adolescent Sex Offenders

USA: (2003 11 06) A Lansing mother accused of molesting her 2-year-old son and broadcasting the incident on the Internet pleaded no contest Wednesday to a reduced charge.

Meet 'Women's Auxiliary of NAMBLA'

Lesbian Child Sexual Abuse

A report by the National Clearing House on Family Violence, "The Invisible Boy", examines the issue of the abuse of boys and how our society fails these poor children.

Political opportunism and grand-standing vs. scientific facts: Women commit at least as much sexual abuse of children as do men.

The extent of involvement by women in the sexual abuse of children

Female perpetrators of sexual abuse of boys , by Jim Hopper, Ph.D. (off-site)

Sexual Abuse of Males — Prevalence, Possible Lasting Effects, and Resources, by Jim Hopper, Ph.D. (off-site)

The Invisible Boy: Revisioning the Victimization of Male Children and Teens
by Frederick Mathews

Prepared by the Canadian Foster Family Association (CFFA) on behalf of the
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence of Health Canada.

This document provides insight into the issue of sexual abuse of male children and teens. It outlines the prevalence of sexual abuse against boys and male teens in various settings, summarizes data on the perpetrators of the abuse, and identifies some of the effects on survivors. Implications for research, assessment, treatment, and program development are also presented. 1996, 68 p. Full Report (287kB PDF file, off-site)

The extent of involvement of women in the sexual abuse of children

The psychological impact of sexual abuse: Content analysis of interviews with male survivors (off-site) [warning, 2 megabyte PDF], Lisak, D. (1994), Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 525-548.

Woman charged with raping boy after giving birth to his son

Women commit at least as much child sexual abuse as do men

Women's Violence

An Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Based on Non-clinical Samples

Child Abuse: Statistics, Research, and Resources

Gender as a factor in the Family Violence Courts, by Eeva Sodhi

Husband-Killing Syndicates (h/t: http://news.mensactivism.org/node/17318)

At the website of The Unknown History of MISANDRY

FACTS which contradict what is taught in the universities and which even run counter to the assumptions made by critics of misandry.

Lesbian Child Sexual Abuse

Meet 'Women's Auxiliary of NAMBLA'

More deadly than the male
Media hide the fact women are far more likely than men are to kill their children.

NSPCC research findings of women's role in the maltreatment of children in the UK

The extent of involvement of women in the sexual abuse of children

The quiet horror — The murder rate for U.S. females is highest in the first year of life.

Women commit at least as much child sexual abuse as do men

When statistics for all family violence victims are examined, it emerges that women, primarily mothers, perpetrate by far the largest share of incidents of violence in the family.

False Abuse Allegations

False Abuse Allegations, how many of them are there, and what are their consequences?

Getting rid of dad —False allegations levelled against men who are said to have sexually abused their children have become the weapon of choice in custody battles following divorce and separation.

Almost half of child abuse allegations that are being investigated are proven to be unsubstantiated. Another quarter cannot be substantiated, although suspicions remain.

Introduction

For a few decades now, and increasingly so during the past two, man-hating gender activists created and nurtured the perception that men are violent, especially against women. All too often, examples of the violence by men are produced and used to extrapolate and project from them to all male members of the human species. Common sense should tell anyone that such depictions simply cannot be true.
    The vast majority of humanity, men or women, are simply not violent. Moreover, men are being indoctrinated from childhood on that boys don't hit girls. It used to be that girls were being educated that violence doesn't become them, but increasingly so in the last two decades girls are being taught to have the "right to hit back," from where it now follows in the minds of many girls and women that they have the right to hit, whether that is done by them in aggression or in retaliation.
    We must therefore not be surprised that violence by women is becoming more and more prevalent. In many states in the US arrest rates for women in incidents of domestic violence are growing and now comprise about one third of all arrests in DV incidents.
    The truth, from an authoritative source, is,

From the cover of "Not Guilty : In Defence of the Modern Man," by David thoms. The image is an adaptation from Michael Angelo's Creation (of Adam), where in that adpation God gives the "thumb-up" after seeing what he has produced with Adam

Adaptation from Michel Angelo's Creation (Adam)
from the cover of David Thomas' Not Guilty : In Defence of the Modern Man

The History of the Development of the Popular Views and Politics of Domestic Violence, a collection of links to articles that explain the workings of the massive feminist propaganda campaign that served the purpose — quite effectively — to demonize all men.

The Nature of Domestic Violence Against Men

The following is Anne Bransdon's DV against men model from her Web site. It is a great improvement on the power wheel from the Duluth model. (Click on the image to see larger version.)

Domestic violence against men, Australian model

copied from Model 1999 at Anne Bransdon's site

Anne Bransdon's website is currently experiencing difficulties with accessibility, but Anne Bransdon gives permission to use her model far and wide. Send an e-mail to Anne Bransdon.

So, you think that you are being abused...or maybe you don't think so

Looking through Anne Bransdon's excellent categories and indexes of types of abuse, many will without doubt recognize familiar aspects of every-day life they became subjected to over the last little while or over the period of their lives that they escaped from and consider to have been hell on earth.

There are many more people who are right now involved or have been in circumstances in which many of the items in Anne Bransdon's model play dominant roles, but many of those people don't realize at all that any of those aspects are at work to destroy their relationship, their love, their family and their lives.

The devil is in the details. Maybe all that is required, for abusers and abused alike, is to consider an account by someone who was involved in an abusive relationship and who, even though he escaped from it, is still very strongly entangled in it. It is quite obvious that the individual who wrote the account managed to get a good grasp on the mass of tiny details in everyday life that constitute abuse in his case. It is also obvious that perhaps he is setting himself up to being abused by insisting that his abuser should act rationally. Abusers abuse because they don't, and often can't, act rationally.

As Erin Pizzey explains in her discussion paper on how to deal with terrorists in the family (that was the original title of the paper, but it is now called "Working with violent women"), it is not reasonable to expect terrorists (that's what abusers are) to act rationally. There is therefore not much point in expecting to be able to negotiate with terrorists. What is necessary in trying to get terrorists to make concessions or to have them live by equitable principles is to make them live by the law. A line needs to be drawn, and terrorists need to have pointed out to them what the rules are by which they must guide their conduct. They need to learn what they can get away with and what not. They need to learn that they can't get away with as much as they wish to get away with.

Here is the link to the story I mentioned. The story is an excellent account of such details that an abused man began to recognize and analyse in looking back at the abuse he experienced through his abuser, the mother of his son, his former wife.

She Married The Great Satan…And Lived To Tell The Tale
By "Tex," her angry, abused ex-husband
Published at Dr. Irene's verbal abuse site

Telling the Truth about Domestic Violence

by David Fontes, Psy.D., CEAP, August 29, 1998 (PDF 67kB)

The essay by David Fontes is an objective and thorough overview of violence research and statistics. It provides truths that will surprise many, but its title, "Telling The Truth about Domestic Violence", is misleading.

Although the essay is very thorough in telling the truth, it mentions nothing at all about many forms of domestic violence, such as that against children, violence between siblings, violence by children against parents, or violence against the elderly. Therefore a better title for the essay would be, "Telling the Truth about Partner Violence", because that is the only type of domestic violence the essay tells about. However, the essay is immensely valuable for debunking feminist claims about "domestic violence".

David Fontes' essay analyzes not only the fallacies inherent in misleading partner violence statistics, it also identifies the failings and shortcomings of the various and often even official, governmental (therefore apparently credible) sources of the partner violence statistics misandrist feminists love to use in their propaganda war against men and families.

It is deliberate and not an accident that the essay's focus is solely on partner violence. The article is a refutation of a "domestic violence" article by feminist Kate Orman.

Like all feminists that use distorted and selective "domestic violence" statistics as propaganda tools when speaking or writing about partner violence, so as to stress the victim status of women, Kate Orman, too, is blind to all forms of violence in families except men's violence against women. All such feminists, if they mention women's violence against men at all, use it only for propagandistic purposes. They use at best only what of it gets reported (the vast majority of it doesn't) and, most importantly, they only use it to falsely claim, and thereby indoctrinate the public into believing, that there are vastly fewer incidents of violence by women against men than there are of violence by men against women.

By such propaganda tactics feminist were successful over the years in making "domestic violence" a synonym for "violence against women".

Full Story

http://www.reenasommerassociates.mb.ca/a_wfn.html

Controversy Within Family Violence Research

Reena Sommer, Ph.D.; University of Manitoba, Canada

PRESENTED AT THE WOMEN'S FREEDOM NETWORK CONFERENCE

Washington, D.C., 14-15 October 1995

I have been involved in the study of partner abuse for the past eight years. My interest in this issue began with my concern about violence against women. Initially, my examination of partner abuse focused on courtship violence and spouse abuse perpetrated by men. My sense of curiosity led me to go against what I believed to be the essence of partner abuse and examine the prevalence of abuse perpetrated by women. Quite to my surprise, I found that women too, abused their male partners at equivalent rates. This led me to search out other research examining this issue, and again to my surprise I found my findings were not an anomaly, but had considerable support.

Considerable controversy has emerged as a result of studies finding equivalent rates of abuse for males and females. The rift within family violence research centers on how researchers have approached their investigations. On one hand, there is the unidimensional approach to partner abuse advanced by feminists. They view abuse between intimates as a problem of women being abused by men whereby the abuse is perceived as a dichotomous variable (abuse/no abuse) and seen in its most severe forms. On the other hand, sociologists and family researchers view partner abuse as being gender neutral and occurring along a continuum with no abuse at one end and very severe abuse at the other end.

I would like to address this controversy by first providing a backdrop to how the divisiveness in the study of partner abuse developed, and then by discussing some of the methodological and practical issues that have contributed to it....

(Full Story)

The Magnitude of Family Violence

Family violence is a relatively small problem in relation to all other causes of deaths and injury. It is difficult to understand why comprehensive information that permits a look at the relative numbers of victims is so hard to find. Most likely the reason for that is that when information pertaining to victims of family violence is looked at in relation to victims of other causes of death, it becomes obvious that the number of family violence victims appears to be exceedingly and trivially small, and that is the last thing the proponent of the domestic violence industry want people to learn much about. Therefore they keep that fact hidden and distorted. They can easily do that, because they control what information we get to see. They refuse with all their might to tell us the truth, nothing but and all of the truth.
    To take such an objective view provides another truth. Boys and men comprise the vast majority of all victims of violence, but not only that, they comprise the vast majority of deaths in every major category of death except for the elderly, which are comprised largely of women. That stands to reason. Women are far more likely than men to survive into old age. Depending on country, their life expectancy is up to 14 years higher than that of men.
    So, because women comprise the vast majority of the elderly, it stands to reason that far, far more elderly women than elderly men die. Nevertheless, feminists have absolutely no compunction in painting that circumstance – which is an outcome of all-pervasive discrimination against boys and men – as another manifestation of discrimination against women. Go figure, the fact that women live far longer lives than men is, according to the feminists, due to sex-discrimination against women. Let's not worry about that. Such contradictions are prevalent in, and govern, feminist dialectics.
    However, on account of the changing demographics that are caused by and fuel the escalating destruction of our families, women face special challenges, both as victims and perpetrators, due to abuse of the elderly. The population sector containing the elderly grows at an unprecedented rate in absolute terms and especially in relative terms with respect to the size of the younger productive population sector that has to bear the increasingly unbearably large responsibility to care and provide for those who can't produce anything any longer for themselves. One of the consequences of that is an enormous increase (150% in the US from 1986 to 1996) in elderly abuse, predominantly cases of neglect of the elderly. (Trends in Elder Abuse in Domestic Settings, NATIONAL CENTER ON ELDER ABUSE, Elder Abuse Information Series No. 2 (PDF 42kB); see also Prisoners in Their Own Homes, by Glenn Sacks.  In addition, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch produced an excellent series of articles on the topic of fatal elder abuse and neglect in US nursing homes (it is estimated that tens of tousands of cases happen each year), Neglected to Death (Oct. 12 - 19, 2002). See abstract and commentary relating to the articles and to the problem of elder abuse and neglect in nursing home and hospitals.)

Update 2004 06 24:

If you have concerns about these and other issues related to the condition of seniors, visit, contact and perhaps even join:

SUN — Seniors United Now

The up- and coming, rapidly-growing advocacy organization for seniors (55 years and over) in Alberta

There are in the order of about half a million or more people of age 55 and over in Alberta. If all of them were to join SUN, they would become the most powerful advocacy organization in Alberta; and seniors would no longer be robbed of their comforts and otherwise ignored.
At the price of one package of cigarettes seniors will be able to gain a voice that will be heard by a government that otherwise can and will take from seniors what they worked for all their life to enjoy in their old age.

If you are concerned about how seniors are affected by the planned, systematic destruction of our families and society, a search at google.com (for elderly OR seniors OR grandparent OR grandfather OR grandmother site:http://fathersforlife.org) will provide you with the links to about 84 web pages at Fathers for Life that will be of interest to you.

Pure and simple, any claims that women are being killed by their boyfriends and husbands in large and ever escalating numbers are nothing but plain and unadulterated propaganda and fantasy.
Furthermore, a slight majority of interspousal violence is initiated and committed by women. However, any claims that men are the perpetrators of the majority of domestic violence become quite simply ludicrous when all types of domestic violence are examined. When children are being abused, they, too, become victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, on account of the world-wide feminist-driven and feminist-inspired and sustained propaganda campaign against men, violence by women has become virtually invisible.
The sad consequence of that is that ever escalating numbers of children are being abused by their mothers. Those abused children, in turn, become then the next generation of adults who abuse other adults and primarily children. Women commit the vast majority of all child abuse.

All discussions of family violence revolve around the information shown in the following graph and the subsequent tables. Unless we look at the information in the graph and keep it in mind, we'll lose sight of the fact that all discussions pertaining to women as victims of violence are addressing information that has been taken out of context.

Leading causes of deaths, by age group and sex (US data)

Discussion of and links to sources of data

Murders in the US in 1995

Victims

Percent
of total

Total Murders 21,597 100

   Men 16,630 77

   Women 3,752 17.4

   Children (Source: CPS) 1,215 5.6

Men murdered by girlfriends/wives 3% of 16,630 499 2.31

Women murdered by boyfriends/husbands 26% of 3,752 976 4.52

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report for 1995
Discussion of data

Murders in the US in 1996

Victims Percent
of total

Total Murders 19,645 100

   Men 15,848 80.7

   Women 2,711 13.8

   Children
(Child Fatality Fact Sheet) 1,077 5.5

Men murdered by girlfriends/wives 3% of 15,848 475 2.4

Women murdered by boyfriends/husband 30% of 2,711 813 4.1

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report for 1996
Discussion of data

Additional information and help-line index:

Domestic Violence Against Men —Gender Equality in Social Services Delivery, by Bert H. Hoff
Gender Polarization in Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs —The "Duluth Model", by Bert H. Hoff
Domestic Violence, Official Washington State Policy: The Gender Neutrality Joke, by Bert H. Hoff
Battered Men, Men's Personal Stories, by Bert H. Hoff

Men's Help Lines (International)

Index for countries other than the US(by dvmen.org)
Domestic Violence against Men (UK, TV Channel 4, Thursday 7 January 1999)
U.K. Crisis line
NZ Crisis Line
NZ Crisis Line for Men in Big Demand After TV Ad

USA — Various States

DVmen listed all the resource they could find for men and women athttp://www.dvmen.org/dv-191.htm#pgfId-998197, by state.

USA — New York

Where to Find Help

Note: The help-line information provided in the following comes from an article in Newsday. If you are a man seeking help, it is unlikely that you'll be comfortable, or will even get the help you seek, with all but the Father's Rights Association of Long Island mentioned in the article. I checked all of the other organizations over. Just judging from their web sites, it appears that they'll not have much sympathy, let alone anything else, to offer to men, given that they do a fair bit of men-bashing at their web sites. —WHS

According to Clarice Murphy, program director for the Victim's Information Bureau of Suffolk, a man-or woman-who may be being abused should ask: Am I fearful of my partner's behavior? Am I afraid of being physically harmed? Do I feel I need to change my behavior in order to avoid harm? Does my partner control my behavior with threats or intimidation? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, contact a domestic violence agency or advocacy group to get more information about legal, counseling and advocacy services.

Local agencies include:

Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence
516-542-0404 or http://www.zip2.com/newsday/cadv/

Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence
631-666-8833 or http://www.sccadv.org/

Victim's Information Bureau of Suffolk
631-360-3606 or http://www.vibs.org/

Father's Rights Association of Long Island
516-783-1636 or http://www.sarilaw.com/fathersrights/

Safe Horizons in Manhattan,
800-621-HOPE or http://www.safehorizons.org/

USA — Pennsylvania

www.MensCustodyShelterNetwork.com

I became a mother when my son was born. I became a father when my son died and left me his kids. I became an advocate of father's rights when they tried to take the kids away.
MCSN assists with physical, mental and counseling needs for men falsely accused in custody disputes. We attempt to obtain temporary housing for men taken from their homes and their children with restraining orders based on false accusations.

— Carol Carpec
Founder of MCSN

Canada

Directory of Services and Programs for Abused Men in Canada
by the NCFV
Published by the authority of the Minister of Health Canada, 2004
Prepared by: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Family Violence Prevention Unit, Public Health Agency of Canada

Grouped by province and territory, this 2004 directory lists programs and services across Canada. Each organization is listed with a brief description of its services as well as current contact information. Where possible, the description identifies the type of service provided, relevant fees, and whether services are available in English and/or French. 2004, 66p. Full Directory (393kB PDF file)

Canada, Ontario

Huron County

Men’s Help Line
Divorce, Loss of Children, Family Violence

— Balance Beam 519-525-2066 24 Hours a day

Family Violence and Divorce hurt men and their children. Men are at a disadvantage in divorce and legal conflict.
    Balance Beam provides emotional support and strategy planning to ease the trauma of conflict and breakup. Our goal is to mediate and encourage non-adversarial resolution of family problems.
    Canadian studies show men and women initiate violence equally in domestic relationships, yet men suffer silently and are scorned when they do speak out.
    Fathers are often denied access to their children. Studies document that as many as 30% to 40% of fathers are denied access to their children.
    Many children who are denied fathers are harmed by the loss of their fathers love. Studies document an increase in drug abuse, falling grades, violence and teen pregnancy.
    Divorce hurts grandparents too. Many children are denied access to grandparents and many people have been injured by the fallout from divorce wars.
    Balance Beam works to mediate and resolve family disputes. Our help line is available to anyone needing a friend who understands the loss of children, home or partner.

Finally, a Men’s Support Group

[Please note:
Don't use this help line if you are not located in Huron County. This help line is being paid for out of the operator's own pocket (there is no funding for any such effort or for any men's issues).
If you are located elsewhere and need help, please contact me. I'll try and put you in touch with someone in your area. Details of my address are at the bottom of this web page.

Thank you,

Walter Schneider ]

Canada, Alberta

Parents Helping Parents will assist any parent anywhere in Canada who is facing false abuse allegations. Parents Helping Parents has been successful in returning about 200 children from the clutches of child welfare officials and re-uniting them with their parents. Parents Helping Parents was instrumental in bringing about a substantial reduction in the incidence rate of false abuse allegations in Manitoba and is now working to bring about a similar reform of the child welfare system in Alberta to bring about similar results there.

Canada, Alberta, Greater Calgary Area

Canadians for Organizational & Personal Accountability
(403) 417-1171
Gary Nixon, Ph.D. (403) 217-1532
Men's Transition Centre (403) 290-00776
National Fathers' Rights association (403) 285-8586

The following may seem incongruous in the context, but if you think about it a bit, they are more likely than many others to be able to help. Every orphaned grandparent is most likely the parent of a disenfranchised father. From my experience, these are people likely to have been involved with the consequences of husband battering (the battering or abuse of their son).

Orphaned Grandparents Association (780) 961-3168
Canadian Grandparents' Rights Association (403) 284-3887

If you need help and live in the Edmonton area, especially east of Edmonton, call Walter or Ruth at (780) 796-2306. That is a local call from Edmonton. The line may often be busy, that's a sign that we are home. Don't give up and try again. E-mail: Fathers for Life

Last, but not least, many MLAs will provide help or at least direction and advice to men in need of it, even though most MLAs are very reluctant to speak out publicly in sympathy for the plight of men. Let's not forget that our MLAs are fearful of the wrath of radical feminists and feminist sympathizers. Here is the URL that contains a contact list for Alberta MLAs: http://www.assembly.ab.ca/conlist/Mla.htm

Alberta MLAs are being asked for help

If all else fails, you are down and out, have no reasonable hope left, and you are contemplating suicide, there still is a better way out. Check the article Dads on the run and contact us at (Country code 1, area code 780) 796-2306, or write to us for more information.

Who is at fault?

Lenore Walker's "The Battered Woman" has become the bible of family violence for people making their living off and promoting the battered women's industry. Her husband, Morton Flax, shot himself. People close to the couple have described Dr. Flax as a "battered man." [Family Violence Studies: A Brief History, by Richard Bennett,http://www.bennett.com/fv/history.html ]

ACCOUNT AND ACCOUNTABILITY: PATROL CONSTABLES' PERCEPTIONS OF WIFE ASSAULT SENSITIVITY TRAINING, A QUALITATIVE EVALUATION (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY), Theresa Petkau, June 1998

Emergency Department Injury Surveillance Report

South Fraser Health Region
April 1, 2001 - June 30, 2001
Distribution of Cause of Injury
South Fraser Health Region Emergency Department

Lesbian Violence —

The Bloody and Deadly Countess Elizabeth Bathory — The connection between the right-of-the-first-night hoax and the true story of Countess Elizabeth Bathory (1560 - August 1614)

Lesbian couples are far more violent than heterosexual couples

Erin Pizzey comments on A Lesbian DV Brochure

If the data collected is accurate, then Gay DV is the fastest growing sector of domestic violence.

Various Articles

The Facts About Spousal Conflict: Personal Responsibility Must Be Expected in Public Policy. Family violence mythsdebunked by the American Coalition for Fathers & Children (ACFC — Missouri Chapter)

   This is an excellent assessment of the evolution and of the impact of the US Violence Against Women Act, a piece of discriminatory legislation that surpasses in absurdity but not in effectiveness anything that the jurists of the Third Reich devised to rationalize the eradication of "sub-humans" and other undesirable "enemies of the state".
   Men are now the new enemies of the state, and DV legislation is being produced by the ream to make not necessarily the eradication of men possible but to relegate men to the status of second-class citizens, sub-humans.
   Got to start somewhere to get rid of those pesky men, right?
   You may also wish to look up the history of radical feminism and its impact on society documented at the same site. Visit the pages at the following links:

http://www.dadsnow.org/

Preamble: We must now grant to fathers the same right to be in the family as we have granted to women in the workplace

http://www.dadsnow.org/index2.html

Radical feminism's first organized incarnation was within the Women's Ku Klux Klan (WKKK) in the late 1800's

Post-Klan Feminism

Lesbian Political Agenda: What its really all about

The Actual Goal sought under the guise of "lesbian rights": A Sexually-Segregated Society

Misandry Enacted Into Law

http://www.dadsnow.org/index3.html

Mainstream Feminism -- not an innocent bystander.

What High-Profile Femininsts Believe (and what feminism has not been attacked for)

Now, lets go back and compare the baseline agenda of WKKK feminists of the 1880's and contemporary millenium feminists, both of which are founded in misandry.

_______________
If the term "radical feminism" (a.k.a. Marxist- or socialist-feminism) is somewhat new to you and still seems strange, you need to expand your knowledge. After all, radical feminism, the currently controlling faction of feminism, governs just about everything that is happening in your life. See,

Carey Roberts column

Carey Roberts is an analyst and commentator on political correctness. His best-known work is an exposé on Marxism and the roots of radical feminism.

Carey Roberts' best-known work, his exposé on Marxism and the roots of radical feminism, is not necessarily easy to find, but this link will help with that. (Some of the URLs for the article series appear to keep changing. For that reason the identified link leads to an Internet search for the series. The first or second link in the return list will most likely lead you to the series.)

"Where’s My Frying Pan?" Women and Domestic Violence by Richard C. Weiss
Women's Freedom Network press release on new domestic violence statistics published by the US Bureau of Justice. Erin Pizzey's reaction to new BoJ statistics.

Knocked for six: the myth of a nation of wife batterers
by Neil Lyndon and Paul Ashton, The Sunday Times of London 1995 01 29

The article is a review of various statements about the frequency of domestic violence that were made during the past 25 years, statements that are myths, wild guesses, and worse, but statements that, through sensationalizing in the media have been spread far and wide and have become— even though the dimensions of the domestic violence problem vary so widely as to boggle the mind — widely accepted as the truth.
    Neil Lyndon and Paul Ashton trace the history of these deliberate misrepresentations and lies and compare the various myths to what is known about the truth in domestic violence figures, based on a report by police forces in England and Wales, released October 1994. They state:

    "...We may well believe it to be true that 0.7%, or one in 150, of women living with men in London are subjected to a criminal assault in the house.
    Nobody should be surprised by that figure, except the professional parasites on the domestic violence racket who will be dismayed at the prospect of their easy money drying up.
    However, if that figure is true, or even nearly true, we should ask ourselves this: is it big enough to justify the colossal national flapdoodle and panic which has been made out of domestic violence towards women for the past 25 years? Or have we all been had?..."

Did the money dry up? Not by a long shot! We all know what happens to rumours and lies. They take on a life of their own, and that life has become an integral part of our society.

Update 2005 03 16:

London Metropolitan Police Service launches hate-propaganda campaign directed against men

Domestic Violence

Publicity

The Met's latest advertising campaign targets domestic violence offenders with the strong message that if you are abusing your partner, and we have reasonable grounds, we will arrest you, and we don't need your partner's statement to do this. The campaign uses posters, press ads and radio advertisements to communicate London-wide that domestic violence is a crime that the Met will not tolerate. (Full Story)

One of the beer mats to be distributed in bars throughout London and everyone of the radio adverts that are to be broadcast state that "one in four murders in London are the result of domestic violence." Common sense should tell anyone that the statement is an outright and outrageous lie.

In a Dec 10, 2000 article of his (— halfway down that page), Neil Lyndon wrote:

In the mid-1990s, I co-wrote an article (Knocked for six) which proved that a number of accepted feminist claims about domestic violence were false. For all the difference it made to what people believed then and believe now, I might as well not have bothered.

Right, Neil Lyndon is correct. There is no possible way that even hundreds of journalist who now tell us the truth will prevail in the face of the fact that literally millions of people make their existence from living off the domestic violence racket. All of those people have to protect their existence, their careers, their reputations, and their agenda.
Feminism is bringing about a totalitarian regime, made possible through the destruction of traditional moral values, families, and national boundaries. That regime is being actively promoted by the non-elected officials of the UN in their quest for world domination (they call it globalization). However, just as any totalitarian regime in history, radical feminists everywhere know that if you want lies to succeed, tell big ones, tell them often, and tell them to everyone.

Of all commodities, the truth is the hardest, and lies the easiest, to sell.

The Battered Statistic Syndrome by Armin Brott
Extracts from 'Manufacturing Concern' (see also the message announcing "Manufacturing Concern")
Husband Battering, a section in David Throop's Men's Issues Index

Myths and Facts about Domestic Violence

More Myths and Facts about family violence (containing analyses and summaries of, and references and some links to, a large number of US Bureau of Justice reports and to Canadian and British sources)
Fact: Political correctness drives and taints the politics of domestic violence statistics
Neutralizing Hostility between the Sexes : Solving the Problem of Domestic Violence with the Bigger Picture
Transcript of a speech by Chris Erickson honouring Erin Pizzey at Toronto Mensa's Annual Regional Gathering, October 19, 2002

Fact: Quote from a press release August 27, 1997 by the Women's Freedom Network:

"The new Justice Department numbers show that ALL violence is responsible for about 3% of women's INJURY-RELATED visits to emergency rooms, and domestic violence for about 1%. Since fewer than a third of women's emergency-room visits are injury-related, this means that domestic violence accounts for fewer than 0.3% of these visits. While it is possible that some domestic violence cases were not identified in the study, it is noteworthy that its estimates include not only positively established but probable cases of violence from injuries."

Fact: Reena Sommer — Male and Female Perpetrated Partner Abuse: Testing a Diathesis-Stress Model

Abstract: http://fathersforlife.org/sommertc.htm#ABSTRACT

Full indexed Text (about 20 files, 1 MB in total, or close to 300 pages) of a doctoral dissertation on the dimensions of inter-spousal violence and the correlation between the history of perpetrators of violence — abuse by their family members in their childhood in their families of origin — and their tendency to commit violence against their spouses. Within one generation, it appears, violence by women has increased enormously. Women who witnessed their fathers being hit by their mothers are more than 12 times as likely to become violent abusers of their partners than those who didn't. Violence by women now exceeds the frequency of violence by men in spousal relationships. The full text of the study report is available at this web site.

Fact: The "Rule of Thumb for Wife-Beating" Hoax

Wife beating was always illegal

Fact: The Super Bowl Wife-Battering Hoax

The article recounts the role of Sheila Kuehl, a feminist California lawyer – long ensconced in the family violence industry who then became a California senator, to boot – and those of others like her in the creation and perpetuation of the Super Bowl wife battering hoax.

Fact: To round out the picture, have a look at the collection of articles at the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FORUM of the Shared Parenting web site.

Fact: Domestic Violence in Gay "Families"

If it is true that men are the sole perpetrators of family violence then it should be expected to see eternal bliss and peace in lesbian "families," right? That's not the case! The reality, according to Susan Holt, the program coordinator for domestic violence services at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, is that 25% - 33% of gays, according to self-reports, experience violence at the hands of their partners — a problem more severe than "hate crimes." According to Susan Holt, lesbians are only slightly less likely than gay men to experience violence at the hands of their partners. If the data collected is accurate, then Gay DV is the fastest growing sector of domestic violence.

Which are more violent, heterosexual or homosexual relationships?

Gay Domestic Violence Finally Measured
Family Research Report
Vol. 16 No. 8, Dec 2001
Family Research Institute

Violence and Homosexuality, by Paul Cameron, Ph. D.; Family Research Institute

Fact: FBI Statistics on Spousal Murder, they show that gender equality works in weird and wondrous ways.
Fact: Women are the gentler sex?

Really? As can be seen from the many study reports indicated in this section, study reports that reflect the relative participation of the sexes in initiating and perpetrating violence against the opposite sex, women are as or slightly more likely than men to commit violent acts. The truly amazing thing is to what extent violent women direct their fury against the weak, the innocent and the sleeping or the intoxicated.
    The perception of the public, created and nurtured through the hate crime of anti-male bias andthe concept of western chivalry in the media and other sectors of society, is the primary force in maintaining the myth of the innocence of women.
    The media, being almost totally dominated by feminists, feminist sympathizers and anti-male sentiments, generally reports male-on-female violence on the front pages, with follow-up articles that may bring sentiments about a given case back to light even years after a given event originally occurred. On the other hand, any violence by women against other members of society, even if these victims are women, and especially if they are children, is being reported in short, terse articles in the back pages of newspapers — provided they even make the papers — with very little personalizing of the perpetrators or victims taking place, and with very little information about the suffering of women's victims.
    To level things out just a little bit, here is a collection of items about women's violent acts that did make the news, even if only in a minor way. When you go to that URL and read the articles there, pay some attention to how often violent women claim that they committed a violent act in self-defence. However, consider also how often their violence is being directed at small children and infants. Women's self-defence against small children?

Video on violent women

Canadian FV Statistics — A collection of information by E. Sodhi

See also Eeva Sodhi's letter to Health Canada, in which she provides excerpts from abstracts of family violence studies by eminent and reputable researchers. The data presented in the studies clearly and irrevocably establish that Health Canada is involved in a massive, feminist-inspired and -promoted, government-sponsored propaganda campaign that actively seeks to demonize all Canadian men.

Sexual abuse of children

Health Canada:  Adolescent Sex Offenders
Information from ... The National Clearinghouse on Family Violence

Female Adolescent Sex Offenders

XXX. Though a majority of adolescent sex offenders are male, research emerging over the past ten years has begun to document female sex offending. Studies of hospital, child welfare agency, and treatment programs have found that females comprise between 3% - 10% of the sex offender population. General population and victimization surveys report significantly higher numbers and extend the range up to 50% ⁽¹²⁾and even higher ⁽¹³⁾, depending on the victim sample population studied. [My emphasis --WHS]

USA: (2003 11 06) A Lansing mother accused of molesting her 2-year-old son and broadcasting the incident on the Internet pleaded no contest Wednesday to a reduced charge.
   Ashlea Rock, 21, faces a maximum of two years in prison and a $500 fine for one count of criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree, which involves sexual contact, but not penetration....
   Rock was arrested last October after an FBI task force agent in Atlanta saw her fondling her son during a real-time video stream, police said....

A report by the National Clearing House on Family Violence "The Invisible Boy" examines the issue of the abuse of boys and how our society fails these poor children. As the report's title states, their suffering is truly invisible.
    Take the time to read The Invisible Boy. It'll give you a fair appreciation of how much research has been done of the abuse of boys, that we don't get to see the results of that research to any large extent, and that boys are the invisible victims of abuse — simply because they are not of the right sex.

Women's Violence

Life with Mom is often violent.
It's a sad reality, but few talk about it very much. Why not?

ALBERTA EDITION

REPORT NEWSMAGAZINE

February 28, 2000, p. 36

More deadly than the male

Media hide the fact women are far likelier to kill their children than are men
by WALTER H. SCHNEIDER and CANDIS MCLEAN

Article

Hansard of the U.K. Parliament, March 2, 2006

From a debate regarding presumption of child-visitation rights by non-residential fathers:

Tim Loughton [MP]: Let me finish...

In support of its claim, the NSPCC [which is fighting hand, tooth and nail to keep non-residential fathers from having child-access rights — "in the best interest of the child"] cites the fact that 29 children were killed over the past 10 years during contact visits to non-resident parents. That is an appalling figure. However, it ignores its own research, which shows that over the same period some 800 children have died at the hands of resident parents or carers [read "mothers"], and the 2000 publication "Child Maltreatment in the UK" ^[1], which showed that violent treatment was more likely to be meted out by female carers than male ones. [Emphasis by F4L]

The briefing is alarmist, sensationalist, misleading, empirically flawed, completely irresponsible and highly reprehensible. It is not worthy of an organisation such as the NSPCC, which claims to stand up for our children. I hope that our deliberations on the amendments will be based on balanced, rational and well-informed debate, rather than the arrant nonsense that I am sure will shock many dedicated and hard-working NSPCC supporters around the country.

Full Transcript

______________________
References:

NSPCC Research Findings, November 2000
Child Maltreatment in the United Kingdom: a Study of the Prevalence of Abuse and Neglect
By Pat Cawson, Corinne Wattam, Sue Brooker, Graham Kelly,

Executive Summary November 2000 (PDF File - 67kB)

Most of the violent treatment (78%) had happened at home, most often by mother (49%) or father (40%).

When statistics for all family violence victims are examined, it emerges that women, primarily mothers, perpetrate by far the largest share of incidents of violence in the family. Women commit a good two-thirds of all violence against children — and the majority of child murders — in families.

Unfortunately, women's boyfriends, common-law husbands and stepfathers of children commit a substantial share of violence against children in families. Fortunately, natural fathers perpetrate a relatively insignificant share of it.

The quiet horror

The murder rate for U.S. females is highest in the first year of life.

It is a little-known trend . . . and one that shows no sign of easing

By Kirsten Scharnberg
Tribune Staff reporter
Published June 27, 2002

My Note: The interesting aspect of the article is that it bemoans that the murder rate for girls is much higher during the first year than at any other time of their life. The fact is, and the article does mention that, too, the murder rate for boys in the first year of life is quite similar and even a little higher than that for girls.
The article identifies

...a little-known and rarely publicized criminal statistic in the United States: A female is most likely to be the victim of homicide during her first year of life.

Nevertheless the most important aspect of the circumstances of infanticide is that it is in the vast majority mothers who kill their children, with mothers' boyfriends, and then stepfathers of children being distant second and third in rank. The article does mention some of that, although it obfuscates that fact by normalizing the killers as parents.
   However, the fascinating aspect of the article is that, although it identifies that boys and girls are almost equally likely to be killed in their first year of life, it uses only examples of girls who were killed by their mothers or their mother's live-in boyfriends.
   Although the article is fairly honest and objective and far more so than many others, its aim is to identify girls as victims and not so much the real objective truth, namely that mothers – if left unsupervised – are exceedingly dangerous to infants, and equally so to boys and girls.
   However, who wants to blame Kirsten Scharnberg for putting her particular spin on the story. Girls as victims are sooo much more fascinating to readers than are mothers as murderesses. Given that the fact of mothers being the predominant killers of children can't be denied, then what is wrong with invoking the public's pity for the murderesses as well? That always worked and still does.
—WHS

Violence by men against women in families is a relatively minor portion of all family violence.
Families headed by two married parents (one of each sex) are, short of widowhood, the safest and least violent environment of all for women, by far.
The sad truth is that the most violent domestic relationships occur in "families" of which men are no part, those between partnered lesbians.

Child Abuse: Statistics, Research, and Resources.

A collection of information from a large number of studies, stressing that boys are subjected to abuse about as often as girls are and stressing as well that even though these rates are much higher than many thought them to be, they are conservative estimates.
Although the report does not point a finger at either women or men as being the abusers, does that really matter? What matters is that at least half of the children who are being abused are being ignored and not being helped. If you are a victim of sexual abuse that you received as a child, you'll find within the report a large collection of URLs that might be of help to you now.

Mothers in the USA more than twice as likely than fathers to kill their children (Posted 2006 05 01)

The website of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families contains information on the rate of child maltreatment deaths per 100,000 children.

The information shows that mothers are more than twice as likely than fathers are to kill their children. (Child Maltreatment 2004, Chapter 4, Fatalities, US DHHS, ACF)

It must be recognized that the information identified above is for all "family" types, including families with married, never married, divorced, adoptive and foster parents. Treating "family" types as individual categories, it has been found in Britain that a child whose mother cohabits is 73 times more likely to suffer fatal abuse than a child whose parents are married. (The Social Scientific Data on the Impact of Marriage and Divorce on Children by Patrick F. Fagan, Heritage Foundation; Testimony Before the Senate of the United States, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Subcommittee on Science, Technology, And Space regarding the Social Scientific Data on the Impact of Marriage and Divorce on Children. -- Map of the Family Powerpoint Presentation)

Gender as a factor in the Family Violence Courts, by Eeva Sodhi

An Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Based on Non-clinical Samples

Paper presented to the symposium sponsored by the Paulus Kerk, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on the 18th of December 1998

The extent of involvement by women in the sexual abuse of children

As identified in "The Invisible Boy" a considerable number of studies has investigated that subject. A search using the string "sexual abuse by women" and altavista.digital.com/ will return about 17 URLs.* The studies indicated in both of these sources identify rates of incidents of sexual abuse by women of child-victims of sexual abuse that range from about 10% to about 80% in the sample populations studied.
* That was about five years ago. As of February 5, 2002, a search using google.com for the same string returned about 200 URLs.

Here are some of those URLs and some that have been found since then:

According to Harry Krop, a licensed psychologist in Gainesville, Florida:

"The motivation for adult women who form a sexual relationship with boys is different than men who develop relationships with girls. Men who have sex with girls, tend to have sexual disorders, such as pedophilia. But for women, it's not about the sex, but rather the romance. It's more of a need to be desired, to have someone find them attractive and the need for attention...." (Full Story)

In his interview Harry Krop apparently didn't say anything about women who have sexual relations with under-age girls or about men who have sexual relations with under-age boys. Nevertheless, Harry Krop is not the only one who views sexual child abuse by women as far less harmful than sexual child abuse by men. It is not only people like Harry Krop that make a living by spreading the gospel of "Women Good, Men Bad" when it comes to finding guilt in women. Take this compendium of sexual child abuse cases in which women were perpetrators as guilty as any male abuser but all being women who were routinely treated very leniently.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary, Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature, Washington, D.C., 2004; p. 25

Note that most if not all of the studies mentioned in the preceding reference document are somewhat limited in their objectivity on account of questions such as these:

Did anyone do any of the following to you when you didn't want them to in the last school year?

Touch, pinch, or grab you.

Lean over you or corner you.

Give you sexual notes or pictures.

Make suggestive or sexual gestures, looks, comments, or jokes.

Pressure you to do something sexual.

Force you to do something sexual.

All interactions of a sexual nature with minors, whether welcomed by the minors or not, constitute statutory rape. It is therefore nothing but an excuse to exclude teacher-student sexual intercourse in which the intercourse took place with the students' consent and not against the students' wishes. For that reason it can be assumed that the incident rate of teacher-student sexual intercourse is seriously under-estimated in all studies that ask such limiting questions. Surveys based on such self-limiting questions don't address smart and successful seducers of children.

Female Perpetration of Child Sexual Abuse: An Overview of the Problem, by Lisa Lipshireshttp://movingforward.org/v2n6-cover.html

When Girls Do It, An examination of female sexual predators, a CTV program that was aired in 2001.  The video (45 minutes) can be purchased. A number of clips are available at the website forWhen Girls do it.

From the site:

"When Girls Do It" features compelling testimony and powerful interviews with survivors of abuse by female sexual offenders, therapists, and psychologists. The documentary delves into related issues including the long-held misconception that sexual abuse of children is exclusively a male crime.

2006 04 20
Female Sexual Predators: The Veiled Epidemic

By Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D.

Full Story

The Sexual Abuse by Women of Children and Teenagers

Summary of UK TV programme - Panorama - BBC1 - 10 pm Monday 6th October 1997http://www.vix.com/menmag/panosumm.htm

Full transcript of the program   http://www.vix.com/menmag/panofull.htm

The psychological impact of sexual abuse: Content analysis of interviews with male survivors(off-site) [warning, 2 megabyte PDF], Lisak, D. (1994),  Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 525-548.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28336

WorldNetDaily.com

Posted: 22 July 2002, 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Meet 'Women's Auxiliary of NAMBLA'

Website celebrates sex between adult women, young girls

By Art Moore

Celebrating erotic relationships between women and young girls is the theme of a website called "Butterfly Kisses,*" which indicates the relatively unknown fact that pedophilia exists in significant numbers among females....
   Linda Halliday-Sumner, a sexual abuse consultant in Courtenay, B.C., Canada, told WND that when she first began in 1980, about 1.5 percent of her cases were women who abuse minors. Within six years that increased to 11 to 13 percent. In the last 10 years, she said, at least 33 percent of her 325 cases a year have been women....
   Studies in the 1980s by researchers David Finkelhor and Diana Russell estimated that in the United States about 14 percent of abuse cases involving boys were perpetrated by females. About 6 percent of the cases were of women who abuse girls.
   While these studies give some clues, the true number of women who have sexual contact with children is probably severely underestimated, according to German psychologist Marina Knopf. ...
   She writes that it "is less spoken of, more hidden, and the women do not have any groups they attend or have formed themselves as do men. ... The strength of this taboo might help explain the enormous difficulty we had in finding women to interview."
   Well-known pedophile advocate Pat Califia... writes in an article posted on the "Butterfly Kisses" site that, "It is possible that sexual activity occurs more often between mothers and children or other women than between men and children. Women have more access to kids, and there are fewer taboos surrounding women's handling young people's bodies."
(Full story)

Copies of many or most of the articles that were contained at the original "Butterfly Kisses" website can be accessed at http://inoohr.com. See there:

Butterfly Kisses

Lesbian pedophiles

Michigan  Womyn's  Music Festival

Girl Scouts of America

Big Sisters — The second article on that page is about Big Sisters, but a site search will produce more hits.

Woman charged with rape of boy

Wendy McElroy discusses:

Feminist Urban Legends

The FOXNews URL is
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,69982,00.html>

The ifeminists.com URL is
<http://www.ifeminists.com/introduction/editorials/2002/1112.html>

Tuesday, November 12, 2002

By Wendy McElroy

Advocacy research refers to studies and reports produced by people with a vested interest in reaching a foregone conclusion. Politically correct feminism is notorious for its advocacy research and for the shoddy methodology that often accompanies political bias. (Full Story)

Fox News chose to omit the modifier "feminist" in their title for the article, however, it is a must for anyone to read the article, regardless of what title is chosen for it. The article lists excellent standards that should be applied by the media in choosing articles for publishing, so as to put an end to the promotion of advocacy research, slander and ad-hominem attacks by opponents of the truth.

Government-promoted and taxpayer funded hate-propaganda

Massive, government-sponsored hate propaganda that demonizes all Canadian men at the Canadian National Clearing House on Family Violence, a Health Canada web site. Comments and a bibliography of studies that should be but aren't shown at the Health Canada web site.
The Alberta Government doesn't want to be left behind in demonizing men

The American Psychological Association and its stand on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA)

The APA's stand on CSA is so onerous that some of the messages I receive expand the abbreviation of its name to "The American Pedophilia Association?" In one of those messages I received a reference to a recent public outcry about a study that had been promoted by the APA. The study had been hailed by NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association) as evidence that adult-child sex was truly not harmful to children.
    However, as the following two items show, the study was no more than a piece of advocacy research every bit as bad as the now discredited advocacy research done by Alfred Kinsey. What the items show is also that the APA is mainly a political body that reacts more to public pressure than according to its twisted social agenda, and that perhaps its agenda would never have come into existence if the public would have taken a greater interest in what the APA is promoting. It seems that if enough objections are raised by the majority of people that the minorities aren't really that all-powerful.
APA Takes Harder Stance Against Controversial Study

     WASHINGTON -- Backing away from a controversial article that had said child molestation with "willing" children may not be harmful, and may, in some cases, even be beneficial, the American Psychological Association unveiled Wednesday a resolution condemning all "sexual relations between children and adults."
      "After much pressure, the APA has begun to undo the damage wrought by its publication of a badly conceived article that has been hailed by such groups as the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA)," said FRC's Chief Spokesperson Janet Parshall. "It's a good first step, but now the APA needs to root out the pro-pedophilic academicians who are trying to normalize child abuse. And the APA should write to NAMBLA and strongly urge them not to use this article as justification for molesting young boys."

Full article at http://mentalhelp.net/articles/apa6.htm

The next item is a press release by the Family Research Council that refutes the advocacy-research study at the centre of the uproar:

Family Research Council

"It is as if a study that purports to examine the effects of being shot in the head contained a majority of cases in which the marksman missed. Such research might demonstrate that being shot in the head generally has no serious or lasting effects!"

—Dr. Paul Fink,
Past President of the American Psychiatric Association,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 1999
CONTACT: Kristin Hansen, (202) 393-2100

FRC RESPONDS TO CRITICISM BY AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL
ASSOCIATION AND AUTHORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE STUDY

WASHINGTON, DC - Family Research Council (FRC) released the following statement Thursday in response to a statement made on May 12 by the authors of a recent child sexual abuse study, "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples," published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The authors' statement, which was printed on APA letterhead, criticized FRC's position on the study.
It was released by the APA in light of a press conference addressing the study that FRC was to hold that day. FRC's statement follows:

Full article at http://www.frc.org/press/052099.html

Satanic Ritual Abuse

Satan's Excellent Adventure in the Antipodes, a paper by Michael Hill, Professor of Sociology, Victoria University of Wellington. The paper traces the history of the satanic-ritual-abuse scare from its arrival in Australia and NZ to the present time. The paper also contains a summary of the emergence of the satanic ritual abuse ideology in the American psychological industry.
A Modern Witch Hunt Trial in New Zealand, The horror of the persecution of Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis.

David Throop's Subject index on Men's Issues contains a large number of entries of references to sources of pertinent information.

False Abuse Allegations, how many of them are there, and what are their consequences?

Getting Rid of Dad

False allegations levelled against men who are said to have sexually abused their children have become the weapon of choice in custody battles following divorce and separation.

(Full Story)

THE ACLU SPORTS HALL OF SHAME — HATE CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN?

This "ACLU" is not to be confused with the "other one", the American Civil Liberties Union. This one is run by feminists (with the help of men who like to bash other men) who claim to be opposed to pornography and violence against women but are in favour of violence against men. It comes as no surprise that they most certainly are not in favour of balanced reporting.

Note that in the long list of cases cited at the ACLU site, there isn't a single one listed of a hate crime committed by a women against a man, not even one of a hate crime committed by a woman against another woman. Indeed, why single out alleged crimes by men against women? Note also that only a small fraction of the alleged crimes actually resulted in convictions in criminal court, and that many of the accusations were later dropped. How many of the cited cases were based on false allegations? How many of the convictions resulted from false allegations?

Toronto Police Hate-Crime Policies — Tools for the suppression of free speech, a symptom of universal national and international trends?

COMMON SENSE & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — Newsletters (links shown below)

These contain collections of statistics, essays and other information from various sources — all pertaining to the issue of family violence. Download, print and distribute them. The printed originals, with the body of the text in size 10 font, were about ten 8 1/2" x 11" pages each. The originals are in two-column format. MS Word 6 document files can be made available to anyone who would like to reproduce the newsletters in the original format. e-mail: Fathers for Life
    Printed copies of the originals were sent to all Canadian federal and Alberta provincial legislators, to some Canadian senators, to various father's rights activists, and to various media organizations. The production and distribution of the newsletters had to cease on account of total absence of funding.
    My pension income is insufficient to keep on producing the newsletters, and my taxes were increased to help contribute toward the tens of millions of dollars in funding generously provided to theheterophobic and family-hostile organizations supported through the office of the Secretary of State Status of Women and comparably-biased Canadian provincial government offices.
    Four issues were produced. Three were printed and distributed. Time and money ran out during the production of the fourth issue, with the purchase of food and other necessities of life taking higher priority. The following are links to HTML versions of the three published issues.

The Pillory 1997 12 24,

Battered Women's Shelters and Abuse Allegations 1998 01 03,

Family Violence — Trends, Results 1998 01 30

One Father's Story — The sad story of the destruction of one family on account of family violence.

Researching the "Rape Culture" of America — An Investigation of Feminist Claims about Rape, By Christina Hoff Sommers, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Clark University

Spare the rod and run for cover — When students hold the cards, school violence grows, especially among the girls

War in the Family An account of one battle skirmish near Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

What politicians are doing about it:

Speeches by Sen. Anne C. Cools, relating to FV

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BLOGSPOT:

Clara Hughes CANADIAN OLYMPIAN- Finishes Bike Ride -July 3 update-from the mouths of the children- JUNE 26 UPDATE- CANADA DAY'S COMING-JULY 1- GET UR CANADA ON -4 CANADA OLYMPIAN CLARA HUGHES BIG RIDE 4 MENTAL HEALTH FOLKS- send her tweets of support and love- Hey it’s Canada –Mental Health matters. NEWS UPDATES-Teen/Youth/PTSD/Abuse/Bullying stuff /Our Olympian Clara's completes journey 4mentalheal-let's talk-July 1- Clara's in Ottawa CANADA DAY 2014/SEPT 24 NS RCMP- preventing violent encounters -respect homeless and psychiatric problems DO LIST

http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/students-and-youth-are-stepping-up.html

Friday, October 2, 2015

Yes, being a single mom is exhausting. We all know this. It’s a daily financial struggle and one that many of us didn’t choose.

Governments must help communities with our loved children and their two family lifestyle integration- We must make transitions better so stability and progress and excitement about moving on- conquers disillusionment, fear and hopelessness -MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS CANADA

Pay Equity Women earn 72 cents on the dollar that men earn? How can that be, given that we have laws that make such a practice a criminal offence? Full Story ---- ----------------

More Canadian single dads head rise in lone-parent families

Converted convent a haven for single moms

Single parents improve standard of living

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BLOGSPOTS:

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BLOGSPOT:

CANADA- MEN STEPPING UP AGAINST ABUSE OF GIRLS-WOMEN- Canada is Manning Up- WHITERIBBON.CA- real men and boys stepping up 2 break the chains of abuse of women all over the world- empowering men and boys- no more excuses - no more abuses- pictures videos-Oct 04 2013

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BLOGSPOT

CANADA MILITARY NEWS: One Billion Rising- no more excuses or abuses- girls and women matter in this world- St. Mary's University needs 2 get with 2day's world and human dignity - privileged indifference does NOT work in Canada- Women equal Men in Canada- Blogs -ALWAYS ...GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS

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Children Come First: A Report to Parliament Reviewing the Provisions and Operation of the Federal Child Support Guidelines - Volume 2

Children Come First: A Report to Parliament Reviewing the Provisions and Operation of the Federal Child Support Guidelines - Volume 2

BACKGROUND

STEP 1: DEMONSTRATION OF UNDUE HARDSHIP

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(A): DEBTS

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(B): ACCESS EXPENSES

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(C): JUDGMENT OR AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(D): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER CHILD

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(E): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT AN ILL OR DISABLED PERSON

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF THE HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS OF LIVING—SUBSECTION 10(3)

STEP 3: DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

INTENT

APPLICATION

STEP 1: DEMONSTRATION OF UNDUE HARDSHIP

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(A): DEBTS

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(B): ACCESS EXPENSES

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(C): JUDGMENT OR AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(D): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER CHILD

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(E): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT AN ILL OR DISABLED PERSON

OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF THE HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS OF LIVING—SUBSECTION 10(3)

STEP 3: DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

ISSUES

STEP 1: DEMONSTRATION OF UNDUE HARDSHIP

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(B): ACCESS EXPENSES

EXTENSIVE ACCESS

LACK OF ACCESS

PARAGRAPH 10(2)(D): LEGAL DUTY TO SUPPORT ANOTHER CHILD

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF THE HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS OF LIVING—SUBSECTION 10(3)

STEP 3: DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT

RECOMMENDATION

BACKGROUND

Form of Payments

PAYMENT OF ORDERS

APPLICATION

ISSUE

CASE LAW

AMENDMENT

RECOMMENDATION

BACKGROUND

Security

APPLICATION

ISSUE

CASE LAW

AMENDMENT

RECOMMENDATION

BACKGROUND

Information to be specified in an order

APPLICATION

ISSUE

Section 13 Compliance

CASE LAW

AMENDMENT

RECOMMENDATION

BACKGROUND

Circumstances for variation

APPLICATION

ISSUE

CASE LAW

AMENDMENT

RECOMMENDATION

BACKGROUND

Determination of annual income

Pay Equity

Women earn 72 cents on the dollar that men earn? How can that be, given that we have laws that make such a practice a criminal offence? Full Story

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