This project is taking place in the city of Ottawa, where the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) has a network of organizations and individuals united by their commitment to respond to the needs of women and girls experiencing violence, and ultimately ending violence against women and girls.
Tech Without Violence focuses on working towards improving the lives of young women and girls, in particular, by creating a strategy, in partnership with the Youth Service Bureau of Ottawa's Purple Sisters Youth Advisory Committee, that can help transform digital spaces to be empowering and challenge and eliminate instances of cyberviolence.
OCTEVAW is an incorporated, non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of a network of member organizations and individuals located within the City of Ottawa and surrounding regions. Our members include women abuse and rape crisis agencies, victim services, child protection services, hospital and police representatives, the crown, probation and parole, health and counselling services, academic researchers and other concerned community members.
OCTEVAW wants to understand the complex needs and experiences of young women and gender variant youth online. We want to identify whether digital media technologies and social media platforms have a responsibility to intervene in cyberviolence issues related to prevention, response, privacy and support. To do this, we are amplifying the expertise of young women and gender variant people!
The Purple Sisters Youth Advisory Committee works to increase awareness of young women’s issues in the Ottawa community. We host educational events on issues such as consent, healthy relationships and self-worth.
These young women and girls in our network are the heart of this project. Passionate. Smart. Creative. Powerful. They have an innate ability to be change-makers, they just need a strong support system, adults and mentors who will listen, and opportunities to be seen and to be heard.
Our approach has been continuously shaped by the Purple Sisters Youth Advisory Committee’s insightful input and feedback. This project is committed to remaining adaptable and relevant to the changing realities of young women’s lives and experiences.
Because we know that young women are change-makers & with them we are building momentum.
Leveraging Partnerships. With the Status of Women Canada’s financial support and OCTEVAW’s membership agencies support and expertise in promoting prevention, education and support programming, Tech Without Violence has led to increased partnership and engagement between sectors that are often siloed and distinct, including between the violence against women sector, youth engagement sector, the technology sector and the school system.
Young women and girls have been encouraged to develop their own knowledge and capacities leading to collective action in our communities by developing multiple strategies of impact, Tech Without Violence is just one part of what they came up with!