Founding members of the Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships (NEVR): Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey Women’s Centre, Justice Institute, PICS and DIVERSEcity, will be hosting a conference on November 1, 2012. The conference, Tipping the Scales of Justice: Supporting Women, Children, and Families was created to generate awareness and action about violence in relationships.
“This conference will bring together members of NEVR who represent government ministries, voluntary non-profit organizations, educational institutions, policing and community members,” said Dr. Balbir Gurm, nursing faculty, Kwantlen Polytechnic University. “This is truly a day for the community to hear about different court models that are used in other parts of British Columbia and across Canada so that they, the community, can put forward their ideas on a more effective court system for Surrey and the surrounding area.”
The conference will be taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Kwantlen’s Surrey Campus. Keynote speakers, Associate Chief Judge Gill, Provincial Director of Domestic Violence Cory Heavener, Chair of the BC Justice Reform Initiative (Quebec) Geoffrey Cowper, and Crown Counsel Simon Thomson will be presenting in the morning; a facilitated session on what an ideal justice system looks like will take place in the afternoon. Lunch is included in the $25.00 per person admittance fee.
"This is a great opportunity for service providers to come together and dialogue about what we can do to enhance the safety and well-being of women, children and families,” said Gary Thandi, registered social worker and manager at DIVERSEcity. “Domestic violence and how courts deal with offenders and victims should be everyone’s concern."
Information from the conference will be collated and NEVR will work on potential strategies to work toward the ideal justice system. NEVR members will review the data and develop a concrete action plan for their organization and the community. They will seek input on the plan from a cross-sector of the community and lobby for policy change as needed.
NEVR is a community action group that was established in 2011. The group conducts research on what community members think can be done to improve the system in dealing with domestic violence. The group is currently interviewing members of the justice system, government departments, health care members, service providers, offenders and victims for their research. The purpose of NEVR is to work towards reducing and eliminating violence in relationships in Surrey, North Delta, and White Rock, through coordinated, open and seamless service delivery, collaboration, sharing of resources among service providers, community leaders, educators and government bodies.
For more information, or to register for Tipping the Scales of Justice: Supporting Women, Children, and Families please contact Maryam Majedi at mm@surreywomencentre.ca or call 604.589.1868 ext.243.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,500 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations. Please visit: kwantlen.ca.
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