The rise of the #MeToo movement has shifted dramatically society’s awareness of gender and sexual harassment, but global rates of gender and sexual harassment remain high. While there are many contributing factors, time and time again male-dominated workplaces are found to have higher rates of workplace gender and sexual harassment than spaces that have greater gender parity. This is particularly important for STEM fields, where women are a low percentage of the workforce.

This literature review explores the knowledge available on the subject of preventing and responding to gender and sexual harassment in the workplace, with a focus on STEM workplaces. It explores strategies for workplace prevention, training and response systems in addition to examples of best practices.

Most of the housing options for women experiencing intimate partner violence have something in common: they place the onus on women to leave home in order to reach safety. As a result, survivors of intimate partner violence routinely face housing instability, homelessness, and significant life disruptions in areas like employment, education and social connections.

This research report draws on qualitative data gathered through surveys, interviews and focus groups with survivors. The report explores survivors’ housing options and preferences when fleeing violence. The report also discusses the policies, programs and practices that support women to remain in their own home or independent housing when leaving a violent relationship.

Intimate partner violence can have an impact on a survivor’s employment. Intimate partner violence can lead to job instability and loss. This can be because of poor mental health, trauma, relocation and sabotage by an abusive partner.

This issue brief explores employment sabotage and disruption, a form of economic abuse that involves tactics used by an abuser to prevent their partner or ex-partner from working, or progressing in their career.

Racialized women are the fastest growing prison population in Canada and many have experiences of trauma. Women in the criminal justice system often have extensive histories of trauma and prisons often repeat traumatic events and intensify symptoms of previous trauma.

This infographic highlights the relationship between trauma, criminalization and race in Canada.

Research shows that experiences of intimate partner violence are a common pathway into the criminal justice system for survivors, especially racialized survivors. Women may be forced into criminal activities by partners or rely on criminal activities as a means of survival.

This infographic outlines the common pathways into criminalization, including coercion, coping and fleeing.

There is a significant correlation between the experiences of intimate partner violence and criminalization among Black women. Black women with multiple intersecting identities of marginalization such as race, class, citizenship status and gender are the most vulnerable to violence and interactions with the criminal justice system.

This infographic draws on Canadian research to highlight the impact of intimate partner violence on the experience of criminalization among Black women.

Safe at Home programs support women to remain in their own home or independent housing from leaving a violent relationship. WomanACT conducts research on Safe at Home programs and policies to help broaden housing options and solutions for women fleeing violence. This work includes convening stakeholders to identify strategies and opportunities to realize women’s right to remain in their own home.

WomanACT brought together leaders from across sectors to identify opportunities to advance Safe at Home housing models and approaches in Canada. This report explores what we heard from the stakeholders, including current policies and programs that can be leveraged and considerations for implementation.

Financial abuse is a common form of intimate partner violence. Financial abuse can involve restricting access to household income and benefits, withholding financial information, monitoring spending, excluding a partner from important financial decisions, and building up debt in their name. Financial abuse has many impacts on women, including long-term impacts on their economic security.

Financial services are in a good position to help identify and respond to financial abuse. This brief describes promising practices of financial services in preventing and responding to financial abuse and explores existing practices in different jurisdictions.

Risk assessment in the violence against women sector is a critical strategy to help identify the likelihood of repeat or increased violence and prevent further harm. 

As part of the MARAC project, a collection of risk assessment tools was reviewed for the purpose of identifying a tool for use at high-risk MARAC tables being piloted in Ontario. This community analysis features a range of risk assessments and examines the different components of the tools based on considerations outlined by project partners and criteria defined in academic literature.

While the research base about technology as a means to perpetuate intimate partner violence has grown, there is limited information available about how technology can support women experiencing violence. With the increasing prevalence of technology and the significant role that cell phones and the internet have in people’s everyday lives, there is a need to understand how survivors are using and could use technology to increase their access to supports and safety.

This report examines the intersections between intimate partner violence, legal help and technology. It draws on data that was gathered through interviews and surveys with survivors of intimate partner violence and explores the experience of survivors in using technology to access legal information and support.