INTRODUCING -

EDUCATION: WIFE ASSAULT
BY BARBARA WAISBERG

Support Services for Assaulted Women, a non-profit organization based in Toronto, was established four years ago to carry out education on the issue of wife assault. We write, publish, and distribute educational materials, sponsor public education events, provide training and speakers, and work cooperatively with others concerned about the problem.

We have designed a number of educational programs and have created a variety of education materials. Of particular interest in our "Facts Sheet on Wife Assault" containing information on the problem in Canada, with Canadian references and statistics, plus a brochure addressed to battered women, entitled "Wife Assault: The Silent Crime". This short pamphlet offers. practical advice, and lists contacts as sources of help. It is available in 9 languages. We also have a Handbook for Health Professionals", several essays and bibliographies; and an annotated catalogue of materials on wife assault produced in Ontario.

We have just received a small developmental grant from the Solicitor General Canada. This grant will be used to develop a proposal for a program to train lay women to counsel and support battered women. With the large numbers of battered women requiring help, we see the need for a variety of services in a variety of settings, and hope to develop a model that can be adapted to, and instituted in, any region of the country. This program could supplement existing programs, or be the first of a range of services in a community.

Once the developmental phase is completed, we will be seeking funds for a pilot program and the production of the training materials. Doreen Lichtenstein and Barbara Waisberg are designing and. coordinating the project and will be happy to answer any enquiries and share any information.

If you have any questions or requests, please contact us at:

Education: Wife Assault
427 Bloor Street west
Toronto Ontario
(416) 968-3422

Now that you know of our existence, we want. you to know about our new name. From now on, we are going to be called "Education: Wife Assault". This new name reflects more accurately ( and more concisely) the work we do.

Barbara Waisberg, employed by Education: Wife Assault, is also a student in the Department of Adult Education at O.I.S.E. She has worked on women's issues for the past 10 years, particularly in regard to violence against women.