The Toronto Hospital Launches
Awareness and Information Campaign
to Help Abused Women
(April 15, 1997 - Toronto)... Helping women escape the cycle of abuse is
at the heart of a public awareness campaign launched today by The Toronto
Hospital. The campaign provides women who may be in an abusive situation
with a discreet and safe environment, exclusive to women, where they can
obtain practical information: the women's washrooms. Over 550 large posters
will be displayed in all of the women's public and staff washrooms across
the Hospital's two sites. Holders containing credit-card sized resource
materials will also accompany the posters. These are small enough to enable
women to hide the information from their abuser. Searle Canada, a pharmaceutical
company, has sponsored the Hospital's campaign.
Another novel aspect of the campaign further focuses on helping women conceal
practical information to prevent their abuser from discovering it. Abusers
tend to be extremely suspicious and untrusting and often look through their
partner's personal possessions in an attempt to control every aspect of
their life. To ensure that the safety of these women is not further jeopardized,
the nature of the information containers cannot be revealed. "Women
need to know help is available and we encourage any woman in an abusive
situation to come to The Toronto Hospital for help," says Catherine
Kohm, Co-Chair of the Hospital's Abuse Task Force. The information containers
are currently available to front-line staff in departments which encounter
patients with a history of abuse. These departments include family practice,
psychiatry, gynaecology/obstetrics and emergency.
"This campaign was conceived out of an ongoing education and training
program for doctors and health care staff," says Ms. Kohm. "In
addition to education, we realized that it is equally important for physicians
and health care workers to have resource materials that they can give to
patients; information that will explain how to leave an abusive situation
and how to stay safe. For victims of abuse, it is essential that these resources
be small enough to hide from their abuser."
"Raising awareness about the high prevalence of abuse in the patient
population is the first step," explains Mary Jane McNally, Nurse Manager
of an Inpatient Psychiatry Unit and Co-Chair of the Hospital's Abuse Task
Force.
Click here to go
to"About Abuse" which
is attached to the end of this news release.
"Education and information are the next steps. Research has shown that
when victims of abuse are in an environment where they feel safe enough
to disclose information they will. If we miss that opportunity we may be
helping patients to recover physically, only to send them back into the
situation that led to their hospitalization in the first place," Ms.
McNally says.
"Violence against women is the most pervasive and least recognized
human rights abuse in the world," says Dr. Donna Stewart, Head of Women's
Health at The Toronto Hospital and Professor, Faculty of Medicine at the
University of Toronto. "It's a major women's health problem. This step
taken by The Toronto Hospital will remind patients, visitors, and staff
that help is available and that the Hospital actively supports this cause."
In 1994, The Toronto Hospital was one of the first hospitals in Canada to
develop hospital-wide comprehensive, patient care policies on child abuse,
elder abuse, sexual assault, spousal abuse and alleged offenders. The policies
provide staff with a list of physical, behavioural and other signs which
may indicate that a patient has suffered abuse and include a clear procedure
to be followed in situations where staff suspect abuse. This information
is updated yearly through abuse seminars held for front-line staff and for
those interested in supporting this cause. The goal of the seminars is to
ensure staff play a primary role in identifying, evaluating and supporting
abused individuals. The next scheduled abuse seminars will focus on Strategies
for Surviving Abusive Relationships: "What Women Can Do Before They
Choose to Leave" and "What Women Can Do After They Leave."
Abuse can manifest itself in many different ways including physical, sexual,
psychological, financial and verbal abuse and occurs in all kinds of relationships.
In recognition of this, the Hospital's Abuse Task Force is currently finalizing
a new set of policies and procedures to address abuse of staff by patients,
visitors or fellow staff.
For further information, call Mary Stobbe, Public
Affairs Officer, The Toronto Hospital, (416) 340-3303
Return to The
Toronto Hospital Home Page
About Abuse...
Violence against women cuts across all racial, social, cultural, economic,
political and religious spectrums: all women are at risk.
It is estimated that one-third of all women who visit emergency rooms are
victims of abuse.
A Canada-wide survey showed that 61 per cent of women physically or sexually
assaulted by their partners are injured in the attack.
A study which reviewed hospital emergency room records found that only 1
in 25 cases of wife assault is identified.
15,000 older persons in Metro Toronto will be victimized physically, emotionally
or financially each year.
40 per cent of wife assault incidents begin during the time of the woman's
first pregnancy.
20 per cent of women admitted for emergency surgery are victims of violence.
39 per cent of women in Canada experience sexual assaults that range from
unwanted touching to sexual violence involving wounding, maiming or life
endangerment.
Abuse involves many dimensions of violence including: physical, sexual,
psychological, financial, verbal and damaging a victim's property or valuable
possessions.
45 per cent of women know their attackers.
29 per cent of women experienced violence at the hands of a present or former
partner.
63 per cent of women attacked by their male partner are assaulted more than
once; 32 per cent are assaulted more than 10 times.
Only 14 per cent of violent incidents against women are reported to the
police.
Return to The Toronto Hospital News Release