‘A CLEAR MESSAGE’ Policy aids battered women By JOANNE MacDO LD THE WOMEN come from all walks of life; from the upper strata of society or the worst urban ghettos; highly educated or barely literate. What they share has nothing to do with their liv- ing conditions or intellectual capacities: Their bond is that one in every 10 women living with men as couples will be assaulted during their relationships. A recently released policy paper trom the B.C. Ministry of the Attorney General defines wife assault as ‘‘the assault or threat of assault of women by men with whom they have or have had intimate relationships, whether or not they are legally marnmed or are living together at the time of the assault or threat."’ The definition deals specifically with physical assaults or the threat of a physical assault so that it falls clearly within the realm of the criminal justice system CLEAR MESSAGE The reason for the policy paper? According to Linda Light, a co-author of the study and a Research Officer with the Police Services Branch in the’ Attorney General's department, one of the main intentions of the Paper is to give a clear message fo victims, offend ers and to the publa that wite assault is a crime ts very. very difficult foro a woman to day charges agaist ao man whe she tay fhave been of ts Cutrentls fevitip owath Worth othe STatittal ruistiee xvstemn tak hyoover for her she thay be potubaped toy De a sup pear ve wate ss ry THe Ne she ay fon low wil ANS GUT predasy peaper fests oan teruas principles. In addition to the recommendation that wife assault must be recognized as a criminal offence, it also prescribes that all members of the justice system be supplied with clear policy guidelines and procedural instructions reflecting that wife assault is a criminal offence. The paper goes on to state that training sessions be provided to all persons coming in contact with assaulted women (police, Ministry staff, persons working with assaulted women, etc.) and the general public; and that the new policy be monitored follow- ing its implementation, with regular follow-up reports to be made “It's one of the few policy papers in the country that looks at the total justice system and recommends training tor the people mvolved. says Light ‘thes a teal Coordinated policy Moth oa omonttoring and evdluation plan now beimy done, in sin months we ll be able to look at the the effects of policy and ting out where the stresses and strains abl ¢ Phere ate few statisties relating to wite assault and tescarchers are in general agreement that only a frac- tion of the total number of wife assaults are actually reported to the authorities. According to a study con- ducted by the London, On- tario police force in cooperation with the Uni- versity of Western Ontario in 1984-82, the women studied had been assaulted an average of 35 times be- fore going to the police. CHILLING STATS The Canadian Centre for Criminal Justice Statistics has even more chilling statistics. Between 196] and 1981, about 20 per cent of Canadian murder victims were killed by their spouses or common-law partners and 107 Canadians were killed by their spouses in 1981 Light) savs among. the problems encountered in dealing with wife assault in the past was that it was tele such domestic problems were best handled outside of the cfiminal yustiee osystem Coupled with the fears of women to lay charges agaist the offenders, ter reason’ ranging trom relic ranee bo break up the family tO fears of repeated assaults the situation has proven to We're giving you the brush! | L ONSDALE ii ope “a Le Al5S - Sunday, April 29, 1984 - North Shore News . WER NEWS AND INTE Flicks, 980-8644 It's VOUS bay. free wath any $15 oF more purchase of Grenmaine Montel sO) don ( delay! lhe Bay Park Royal l mupheed Kuan fy hd Kelouna only Otfer in cttect all Sacurchay May 12, while quantac Last ne VSay POW wl COSPIICUICS beautifully crafted tiakeup brush isi) timated supply the I bits Photo Stuart Davis be a frustrating one for all involved. The police are particularly frustrated, since as the first persons usually contacted in the event of such an assault, they must exercise sound judgement not only in deal- ing with the situation, but in “regards to their personal safety, as well. ‘‘Domestic calls are our most dangerous. Most of our people are lost at domestic disputes. It’s very frustrating, because even in large detachments, we don't always have backup,’” says Cpl. Garry Sexsmith of the North Vancouver RCMP. **We’ve got a real problem with battered wives. They're -afraid to report both physical and sexual See page A117 2025 Lonsdale Prom London Drugss