On November 12th, 2024, Harmy Mendoza, the Executive Director of Woman ACT, spoke at the Toronto Police Service Board Meeting about the increasing incidents of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Family Violence in Toronto. In alignment with the Toronto Police Service’s recognition and acknowledgment of IPV, coupled with the ongoing community advocacy for Bill 173 – the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, it is essential to address the rise of intimate partner violence through a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach. This approach should prioritize survivor-centered, trauma-informed practices.

This submission to the Toronto Service Police Board includes several key recommendations, including strengthening coordination across various systems, comprehensive data collection, and building an integrated multi-sector approach. These efforts aim to better prevent, respond to, and support survivors of intimate partner violence.

Economic and financial abuse impacts every part of a survivor’s life, causing stress, anxiety, depression, and a loss of self-esteem. It often leads to poverty, housing instability, and limited career opportunities. The social impacts can include feeling isolated and becoming financially dependent on their partner/spouse. Legal and financial consequences include coerced debt and legal vulnerabilities.

This visual report outlines the social impacts of financial and economic abuse, and real-life examples of survivor experiences.

While research on financial abuse as a form of intimate partner violence remains limited, financial abuse is commonly used to exert power and control over women, often occurring alongside other types of abuse. This form of abuse is impactful because it strips individuals of financial freedom and independence, with lasting effects such as damaged credit and housing instability. 

This visual report explores what constitutes financial and economic abuse, real-life examples, and practical steps to protect your financial well-being. 

Housing stability plays a crucial role in the safety and well-being of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). When faced with renovictions, many women and gender-diverse individuals experience increased housing insecurity, which can exacerbate their vulnerability to further violence. The threat of eviction and displacement not only disrupts their lives but can also deter them from seeking help or leaving abusive situations.

This joint submission by WomanACT and Right to Housing Toronto to the City of Toronto’s Planning and Housing Committee addresses the urgent need for a Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw to mitigate the impacts of renovictions on vulnerable tenants. It outlines the importance of adopting a human rights and trauma-informed approach in the bylaw’s implementation, emphasizing the unique challenges faced by survivors of GBV. The letter offers recommendations to strengthen the proposed framework, including enhanced tenant protections, educational resources for landlords, and support for marginalized communities. By prioritizing these measures, the City can uphold the right to housing and contribute to safer living conditions for all residents.

Economic abuse affects many women and gender-diverse individuals in Canada, with rates as high as 1 in 3 women experiencing it from intimate partners. ​

The Economic Abuse Project: Providing a model of improved support for survivors of domestic violence (EASE), is a collaboration between credit specialists, anti-violence organizations, and financial institutions to address the impacts of economic and financial abuse on survivors of domestic violence. It involves support for survivors to rebuild credit and develop financial literacy, brings professionals together to collaborate for financial system change and build the capacity of professionals to recognize and respond to economic abuse. ​

​The project is an adaptation of the UK-developed Domestic Economic Abuse Project (DEAP). The project improved outcomes for victims/survivors of domestic and economic abuse, enhanced understanding of economic abuse and identified areas for system change among the financial sector and other community agencies.

Publications

Financial Safety Planning – Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Economic and Financial Abuse – Key Terms

_{This project has been funded through Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program}

The healthcare system is one of the most used public services by survivors of intimate partner violence, however the barriers to healthcare access are significantly increased for survivors who are older than 55 and living with disabilities. 

The aim of this brief is to increase awareness of the unique needs and experiences of older survivors living with disabilities in accessing and using health services. It offers an intersectional analysis about barriers to access, abuse tactics related to health, experiences with service delivery and health professionals, and how these practices directly and indirectly impact a survivor’s health. 

On August 14th, 2024, WomanACT’s Executive Director, Harmy Mendoza, spoke at the Province’s Standing Committee on Justice Policy as part of their study on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). WomanACT emphasized on the importance of adopting a prevention-focused response model to end intimate partner violence and gender-based violence in Ontario.

This written submission details evidence-based literature on the necessity of declaring IPV as an epidemic in Ontario as well as an evaluation from a public health perspective. It elaborates on our policy recommendations focusing on: affordable housing, improved systems collaboration with a focus on prevention, the need for whole-of-society approach to GBV education and bystander training, and addressing the lack of coordinated and comprehensive data and evaluation strategy and open access to GBV data.

The Safe and Stable Housing through Intentional Partnership (SSHIP) project aims to develop a comprehensive governance model and research process for collecting trauma-informed longitudinal housing data for diverse survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Through collaboration with community partners and pilot studies at key women’s shelters, SSHIP will innovate and test effective methods for understanding and addressing housing instability. The project’s ultimate goal is to scale these models and protocols, providing sustainable housing solutions and enhancing support for IPV survivors across Canada.

_{This project has been funded through Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program.}

Understanding the legislative process is crucial to grasping how decisions are made, and laws are passed in our province. In Ontario, the journey of a bill from its initial proposal to becoming law involves several key stages and rigorous scrutiny. For Bill 173- The Intimate Partner Violence Act, 2024 to become law, it needs to pass through Ontario’s legislative process that includes the Legislative Assembly (Elected MPPs) and the Monarch (Head of State, represented by the Lieutenant Governor in Ontario).

WomanACT has developed this explainer on how a bill becomes law in the province of Ontario to help build community knowledge and understanding of the provincial legislative process.

We would like to acknowledge MPP Peggy Sattler’s office for their support in the creation of this resource.