Current Projects

The Jane Doe Legal Network- Pivot’s Jane Doe Legal Network provides legal support to women have experienced violence as well as legal education to women and women serving agencies.  Through our Advocates’ Group we offer an space for legal advocates, healthcare professionals, transition house staff, settlement workers, youth workers and anyone else who works directly with women who have experienced violence to come together to share experiences, challenges and strategies for helping women navigate the legal system. The Network host legal education events and works collectively on projects, campaigns and events related to the legal system and violence against women. For information about the Jane Doe project contact Darcie Bennett darcie[at]pivotlegal.org

Imagining Courts that Protect and Empower Women- Pivot is working with advocates, lawyers and women who have experienced violence to develop a practical vision for a court system that more effectively meets the needs of women who have experienced violence.  Over the past year we have been working on a report exploring the question of whether Vancouver should pilot a domestic violence court, and if so, what type of model should be adopted. We will release the report, in 2012.

Police response to violence against women- Women who experience violence, particularly those who are further marginalized by poverty, criminalization or racialization, face many challenges when seeking protection or otherwise interacting with police. This year we are looking at number of specific issues, including the lack of consistent an appropriate interpretation for women who do not speak fluent English. We are also looking more generally at the experiences of marginalized women who have reported violence to the police, including women involved in sex work. This project is in part a response to Pivot’s withdrawal from the Missing Women’s Commission of Inquiry and will focus on how much has changed for women since the timeframe under examination for the purposes of the Inquiry.

Past Victories

Jane Doe Legal Network - In 2008 Pivot launched a three-year pilot project to assist women who have experienced violence in meeting their legal needs.  Between 2008 and 2010, Pivot’s Jane Doe Legal Network provided legal support to 450 women who have experienced violence. Over the course of the three year project our lawyers delivered 40 different legal education workshops to over 500 individuals.  Through the Jane Doe project, Pivot also participated in 12 major conferences, post-secondary events, presentations and community forums.

Improving the Child Welfare System Response to Violence Against Women - In response to concerns that children were being taken into care as a result of male violence against their mothers, Pivot undertook a year-long project to improve collaboration and working relationships between child protection workers and women’s anti-violence agencies. The project engaged multiple stakeholders to collaborate in creating changes to the way the child protection system responds to cases where domestic violence is a significant concern. Results from the project included a revision of the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Best Practice Approaches in Child Protection and Violence Against Women, and a two-day training for child protection workers on violence against migrant women facilitated by anti-violence workers from Battered Women’s Support Services.