Browsing by Author "Boutilier, Sophia"

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    The Case for Reparative and Transformative Justice Approaches to Sexual Violence in Canada: A Proposal to Pilot and Test New Approaches.
    (2018-12) Boutilier, Sophia; Wells, Lana
    The intention of writing this case and proposal is in response to the highly-visible #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have provided an opportunity to think about processes for healing from sexual violence and social change. Sexual abusers and harassers are being called out, but where do they go? Where do the victims of sexual violence go if they do not want to pursue a traditional justice response? At Shift, we believe that we need to be working on strategies and initiatives that create hope, healing, and opportunities to transform gender relations and norms. We hope this case will inspire and rally key leaders in communities, government, advocacy, and justice to design, fund, pilot, and evaluate non-mandated programs outside of the criminal justice system. We call for a non-mandated model that integrates restorative, reparative, and transformative principles to respond to sexual violence. We believe that this approach has the potential to meet victims’ needs, rehabilitate offenders, address injustice, and prevent future acts of violence.
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    The connection between professional sporting events, holidays and domestic violence in Calgary, Alberta
    (The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, 2017-06) Boutilier, Sophia; Jadidzadeh, Ali; Esina, Elena; Wells, Lana; Kneebone, Ron
    There are some days in Calgary, Alberta when domestic violence is more likely to happen than other days. There is a statistically significant connection between higher rates of domestic violence and certain Calgary Stampeders’ football games as well as the arrival of the Calgary Stampede. During the 10-day-long Calgary Stampede, domestic violence calls on the seventh, ninth and tenth day of Stampede, were up 15 per cent compared to an average day. Weekends and summer months were also generally associated with the highest rates of domestic violence reports in Calgary. When it came to Calgary Stampeders’ football games, calls were higher only when the Stampeders faced off against the rival Edmonton Eskimos – with a 15 per cent increase in domestic violence reports. Grey Cup games in which Calgary played were associated with a 40 per cent increase in reports of domestic violence. However, games played by the Calgary Flames seemed to have no relationship to domestic violence calls, even those against the rival Edmonton team. Also, New Year’s Day appears to be associated with a significant spike in domestic violence, going by a four-year count of phone calls reporting domestic violence to both police and a local help line for those experiencing domestic and sexual abuse. There are also increases in calls associated with Good Friday, Easter, Canada Day, Labour Day, Valentine’s Day and Halloween. Meanwhile, the 2013 catastrophic floods in Calgary resulted in an increase in reports of domestic violence to police and the Connect help line, averaging an additional 6.6 reported incidents of domestic violence per day during the flood, 14 per cent higher than average.
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    Developing domestic violence primary prevention capacity through a community of practice project: Learnings from Alberta, Canada
    (Cogent Medicine, 2017-05-23) Claussen, Caroline; Wells, Lana; Aspenlieder, Laura; Boutilier, Sophia
    Domestic violence practitioners and community organizations often lack the capacity to engage in primary prevention activities. In part, this limited capacity exacerbates the gap between evidence-based research and practice, necessitating innovative initiatives specifically aimed at user uptake. Using a community of practice (CoP) model within two distinct communities in Alberta, Canada, we sought to translate research knowledge on domestic violence prevention and build primary prevention capacity with practitioners. One hundred twenty professionals from various sectors attended CoP sessions, with 20 attending all six sessions. Data was collected using in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews. Interview findings include that face to-face learning was effective for deeper understanding and building networks across sectors, as well as supporting new aspects of prevention work that had not been previously considered. Findings also indicate that skilled facilitation increased CoP effectiveness, particularly where community context was considered in relation to the topics presented. Impacts include changes to discourse, priorities, and resource allocation to support primary prevention. Areas for improvement include a slower pace of information delivery, and increased focus on policy and system changes. Overall, using a CoP model seemed to support knowledge translation and practitioner capacity building in the area of domestic violence prevention. Considerations for future utilization of this model are explored.