Monday, June 19, 2000
Chris Cobb
Southam News; National Post
OTTAWA - The Alberta Human Rights Commission has ruled that family
violence brochures published by an Edmonton counselling centre
discriminate against men.
The ruling, scheduled to be announced today, is believed to be the first
of its kind in Canada.
"This is a real breakthrough," said Ferrel Christensen, spokesman for the
Movement for the Establishment of Real Gender Equality (MERGE), the group
that laid the complaint two years ago against The Family Centre.
He said he knows of no other Canadian case in which discrimination against
men has been recognized by a human rights commission or court.
MERGE's complaint was sparked by a Family Centre brochure that the group
said promoted the idea that only men are abusive in relationships,
perpetuating the belief that wives and mothers are always blameless.
"The brochures," said Mr. Christensen, a former philosophy professor,
"contributed to a climate that denies to males the services of police, the
court system and social services, among others."
The main legal basis for MERGE's case was research it tabled that shows
men and women are equally likely to be physically and emotionally abusive
toward their partners and children.
MERGE alleged that issuing a brochure that purported otherwise constituted
discrimination on gender grounds.
It also alleged the brochure broke provincial law.
The Family Centre withdrew the original brochure and issued four
replacements to address the issue of female violence toward men. But the
Alberta Human Rights Commission ruled the replacements also discriminated
against men because they suggested male violence is different than female
violence and that women deserve more help.
"The clear, if unstated message," says the commission's ruling, "is that
males are the cause of the violence in intimate relationships and they
are, as a result, less deserving of services -- or at least services equal
to those offered women."
The ruling also questions why it was necessary for brochures intended
merely to inform the public about available social services even to
differentiate between men and women.
The Family Centre chose not to appeal the ruling.
Rod Rode, executive director of the Family Centre, said the centre does
not discriminate or deny the existence of male victims of violence.
"We have always helped, and will continue to help, all victims of family
violence," he said. "Not too many are men, but some are."
Mr. Rode said the four replacement brochures have been replaced with one
generic brochure listing The Family Centre's counselling services and
stating that they are available to both men and women.
Mr. Christensen said the brochures perpetuated a stereotype that is
reflected in government policy.
"The brochures were about abusive men and abused women," he said. "There
wasn't a word that even suggested the possibility that it worked the other
way. By all the evidence we have, women are harmed more often than men,
but there are plenty of men who are physically harmed when there is
violence in the family. It is dishonest to say otherwise."
Mr. Christensen said his group will join Liberal MP Roger Gallaway at a
news conference today to discuss the ruling and push for changes to
Canada's Divorce Act.
Briefings