Age as a barrier: gaping holes exist in services and education when determinations about what is suitable for youth are made by the wrong people

Girls between 12 and 15 years of age are at the greatest risk of sexual assault by a family member. This is one of the disturbing truths reported by Statistics Canada's Violence Against Women Survey taken in 1998. It also show that in Canada one in four women are victims of violence. This violence comes in many forms; the most common are physical, sexual and emotional abuse. These statistics shed light on what many have come to see as a large social and public health issue--the victimization of women and girls, primarily by men.

Interestingly, though, the only women chosen to participate in this survey were English and French-speaking women above the age of 18, living in a house with a telephone or a computer. The survey was conducted using a random digit dialing system to contact different households around the country, as well as a Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing process, wherein the respondent would answer questions that appeared on her computer screen. Certain barriers arise from this kind of polling that consequently excludes some women and girls. This includes Canadian women not fluent in English or French, women who don't (by choice or by financial circumstance) own a phone and/ or a computer, and girls below the age of 18.

Ageism

Of all of these barriers, however, the most underestimated and commonly overlooked is that of age. There is concern about the lack of statistics for girls under 18 and over the age of 15 who are not mentioned in these reports but certainly must be victims of violence if those above and below this age group are so frequently assaulted. Because these young women don't qualify as part of the statistics, they (as well as the rest of the public) lack information about their situation and risks, unless they are personally experiencing violence or are taught about it through other means, such as schools.

Even though there are no statistics reporting the amount of violence in the lives of these girls, one woman who deals with the issue of violence against women can testify that for many girls in this age group, violence is a real problem. Peggy Henning, the executive director of Sophia House, a women's shelter in Regina, says that staff encounter teenage girls, usually between 16 and 19, who have been in violent relationships. "However," she says, "we also see a more significant number of teenage girls who have lived in abusive homes and are now fleeing with their mothers and siblings. Often these girls have been abused by their fathers."

In Saskatchewan, the Child and Family Services Act considers individuals under the age of 16 to be children. Therefore, 16 to 18-year-olds, who are excluded from the survey results, are also excluded from protection by the Act, and cannot access some shelters because they are not considered to be adults.

However, Henning feels that this approach is appropriate. "Ultimately, if a child is under the age of 16, any abuse must be handled by Child Protection," she explains. "Once they have reached adult status, they can come into a shelter; the two issues are pretty much separate, and in my opinion, should be. Children under 16 are more appropriately supported through the Child Protection protocol."

Education lacking

Due to these political barriers, education about violence against women is very necessary and must begin with the education of children. Lack of opportunity to learn about such issues makes girls even more vulnerable to the oppression that perpetuates their weakened position in society, and ultimately makes them more prone to become victims of violence.

Henning says that domestic violence is a big issue in Saskatchewan, and says that "our school systems could certainly do more to educate our children on domestic violence. I think that information on domestic violence should be included in all curriculums." Indeed, education systems have a history of avoiding "taboo" issues like violence against women--there is a mentality that something so personal and controversial should be left out of the classroom.

Some argue that because many teachers have never been educated about sensitive and/ or social issues, they simply don't know how to teach about them. Also, considering that one in four women are victims of violence, it is fair to assume that in a school with 100 female teachers, 25 will have dealt with violence in their own lives. It is also reasonable to assume that many male educators abuse or have been abused, which can certainly make such a topic difficult to address in the classroom.

"Violence against women is a touchy issue for some people and the amount of education offered depends on the comfort level of the teachers," says Matt Donnelly, a grade 12 student at a Catholic school in Regina. "Teachers don't always know what students' backgrounds are, so they try to be safe and sometimes I think the consequence of that is that people end up being hurt more."

Catholic Schools in Regina claim to address violence against women in Christian Ethics classes and Wellness classes, particularly regarding relationships and dating. However, some students, including Donnelly, disagree with this claim. "Violence against women has never been presented as a major issue in any of my academic school units," he says.

The private school system isn't the only one that needs improvement in this area; students from public school systems report a lack of education as well. "When I was in elementary and high school, I never received any formal education about violence against women," says Jessica Hanna, a 2004 graduate from a public high school in Regina. "When we learned about harassment and abuse in health class it was never anything formal that dealt with women as a whole, it was only about 'certain' women. There was this idea that violence was another entity somewhere out there that didn't affect us--it supposedly happened to other people, not grade eight students."

According to the 1998 version of the Health Education Curriculum Guide for students from grades one to five, there is some mention of violence. One of the topics within this curriculum includes child abuse prevention, wherein children are taught approaches to safety which "deal with avoiding dangerous situations and preventing injuries in various contexts."

Hanna recalls that the one instance of education on this subject in her class, she had to instigate on her own. "The only reason I was taught about violence against women was because I was interested," she says. "I invited my mom's friend from the Regina Women's Centre to come and give a presentation to the students in grade eight. If I hadn't initiated that, I don't think I would have learned anything about violence in school."

Child Protection Act

Despite the issue of inadequate education, schools are obligated to protect children against violence. In 1995, Saskatchewan Justice put out a set of regulations called the Provincial Child Abuse Protocol that contains expectations for schools. If school personnel have reasonable grounds to believe that a child is being abused, they must report their concerns to a child protection worker or a police officer. The child will be interviewed by a child protection worker (or, in some instances, a police officer) and services such as education, health, social services, or justice will be provided to address the students needs.

Too Little Too Late

Even with such regulations in place, the response is "after the fact" rather than preventive, and girls (whether they are part of a statistic or not) are victims of violence. Also, Henning explains that lack of education about violence leaves girls who are victims of ongoing violence without the notion that there are alternative lifestyles. "Living with violence is more an expectation on their part. They have grown up in this violent environment and it becomes a learned behaviour," she says.

The most effective, long term solution to this problem is education. Children must grow up learning that violence against women is a very real thing, and it can happen to anyone.

Hanna agrees with the idea that education is vital and feels that education systems should change their curriculum to avoid skipping valuable life lessons about issues such as violence. "When young women don't know that there is violence, it puts them in a vulnerable position. It also desensitizes young people about the world they live in," she says. "Education promotes change and with lack of education nothing progressive will ever happen."

Silenced?

While researching for this article, I contacted educators as well as organizations such as the Red Cross and the Regina Police Service. I wanted to show that there is a major need for education about violence in schools, but I also wanted to assure readers that this need was being addressed.

I contacted ten people and three schools in the public education system hoping for positive feedback--I wanted to know what they were doing about this problem so I could praise their efforts. Only one person responded, and that person refused to be quoted and referred me to copies of the School Division's curriculum, which I had already found on the Internet.

Next came the Catholic School division. I contacted one person from the school division and four catholic schools hoping to reach a guidance counselor or health educator, but I only received one response. In that response, I was given the name of a guidance councelor who, for some reason unknown to me, was never around to take a single phone call out of the seven times I tried calling over a three week period.

Finally, I tried to work with sources outside the schools. I contacted the Regina Police service, as I had learned of a particular employee who did presentations about violence in classrooms around the city. Apparently, only someone from the education system can release any information about that person's participation in the system. People from the Red Cross told me the same thing.

So, as a frustrated scribe with a deadline, I had to accept the fact that my story wasn't going to turn out as I had expected. Only students and a very kind woman from a local women's shelter were willing to share their experiences--but really, who knows better than those students and a woman who, on a daily basis, deals with the issue of violence against women?

I understand that it must be a tough issue to teach about. However, this was the most challenging thing I have ever had to write thanks to a severe lack of cooperation from certain groups and individuals.

Chelsea Temple Jones is a Regina freelance writer working towards a career in journalism.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Briarpatch, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group