Housing is critical to survivors’ safety, and there are opportunities for housing providers and landlords to develop policies and practices to protect the tenancies and safety of survivors.

Survivors’ experiences with landlords and private rental housing are examined in this infographic, along with their preferred safety solutions. 

Survivors living in private rental housing are faring worse than other Toronto renters.

The infographic looks at the living conditions of survivors, financial limitations, and eviction related to gender-based violence and rental housing barriers. 

It can be difficult for older women to connect and find appropriate services and supports for their needs. This is because most services lack an understanding of older survivors’ needs and how to effectively support them. 

This infographic recommends strategies for agencies across sectors to build age-friendly and inclusive supports and services for older women experiencing violence.

Age and gender both significantly impact older women’s experiences of violence.

This infographic demonstrates the interplay of gender and age in many areas of an older woman’s life and how the intersection increases the risk of violence and their ability to seek help.   

Economic abuse can be any form of financial control, abuse, mistreatment, and neglect. Senior immigrant women can have unique experiences of economic abuse because of intersecting identities of gender, age and immigration experience. Each of these have been known to impact experiences of gender-based violence and help seeking.

This leaflet provides information for senior immigrant women on identifying and seeking help for economic abuse. The leaflet is available in Amharic, Arabic, English, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese and Urdu.

Senior immigrant women occupy intersecting identities of gender, age and immigration. Each of these have been known to impact experiences of gender-based violence and help seeking. Furthermore, these intersections can create specific risk factors related to economic abuse.

This report examines the dynamics and experiences of economic abuse among senior immigrant women. The first part of this report explores the existing literature on economic abuse among senior immigrant women. The second part of this report contains findings from community-based research undertaken with service providers and senior immigrant women with lived experience of economic abuse.

The project will bring together key stakeholders, including senior women and community agencies, to raise awareness of gender-based violence, strengthen referral pathways and build the capacity of community agencies to identify and respond to violence against senior women.

Over the past 10 years, 1 in 5 women killed by gender-based violence in Canada were over 65 years old, representing a large victim age group. In addition to being at high risk of violence, senior women face unique risk factors and barriers to accessing services and supports. For example, family violence may be more difficult to identify among senior women because of dependencies on others or social isolation.

The project will create resources and deliver capacity building on violence against senior women. The project will also support senior women to raise awareness of gender-based violence, including family and intimate partner violence in their communities.

Financial well-being has a significant impact on women’s safety. Women’s economic insecurity can marginalize women, increasing their risk of victimization. It is also a barrier to their safety. Financial hardship after leaving an abusive relationship is a near universal experience for survivors.

This submission highlights the connections between women’s financial literacy, economic security and violence against women. The submission proposes recommendations to the National Strategy for Financial Literacy in Canada on how to help close the financial literacy gender gap in Canada while also working to promote women’s financial independence and safety.

Despite limited research on financial abuse as a form of intimate partner violence, it is clear that financial abuse is a commonly used form of power and control over women and very often entangled in other forms of violence. It is also clear that it has devastating impacts on a woman’s ability to flee violence, be safe and establish financial independence.

This research report draws on qualitative data gathered through surveys and focus groups with service providers and in-depth interviews with survivors. The report examines the experiences and impacts of financial abuse as well as the challenges in confronting it and the opportunities to prevent and address it. The report includes key findings from the research in addition to policy, programs and practice recommendations to help better identify, prevent and respond to financial abuse.

Financial abuse as a form of intimate partner violence involves behaviours that control a woman’s ability to gain and use economic resources. It is a common tactic used by abusers to isolate women and prevent them from being financially independent.

This infographic provides guidance on different ways women can protect themselves from the consequences of financial abuse.